Illiteracy has become such a serious problem in our country that 130 million adults are now unable to read a simple story to their children
21% of adults in the US are illiterate in 2022
54% of adults have a literacy below 6th grade level
45 million are functionally illiterate and read below a 5th grade level
44% of the American adults do not read a book in a year
The Top 3 states for highest child literacy rates were Massachusetts, Maryland, and New Hampshire, in that order (highest to lowest).
The Bottom 3 states for child literacy rates were Louisiana, Mississippi, and New Mexico, (highest to lowest).
Literacy Data and its impact on the Economy
3 out of 4 people on welfare can’t read
20% of Americans read below the level needed to earn a living wage
50% of the unemployed between the ages of 16 and 21 cannot read well enough to be considered functionally literate
Between 46% and 51% of American adults have an income well below the poverty level because of their inability to read
Illiteracy costs American taxpayers an estimated $20 billion each year
School dropouts cost our nation $240 billion in social service expenditures and lost tax revenues
Literacy Data and its impact on Society
3 out of 5 people in American prisons can’t read
To determine how many prison beds will be needed in future years, some states actually base part of their projection on how well current elementary students are performing on reading tests
85% of juvenile offenders have problems reading
Approximately 50% of Americans read so poorly that they are unable to perform simple tasks such as reading prescription drug labels
Literacy Data and its impact in the classroom
Approximately 40% of students across the nation cannot read at a basic level.
Almost 70% of low-income fourth grade students cannot read at a basic level.
49% of 4th graders eligible for free and reduced-price meals finished below “Basic” on the NAEP reading test.
Teacher disposition changes drastically during reading instruction with poor readers.
Student disposition changes when they are made to feel inadequate.
Students struggle in other academic areas.
60% of the behavioral problems occur during reading assignments- group or independently.
Struggling readers suffer socially.
Struggling readers suffer emotionally.
The student's family feels the emotions and social effects.