4 ms·

"1 out of every 4 children in America will grow up illiterate" Is that really true? According to Wikipedia, 99% of the U.S. population is literate. http://en.

by bradly 12y ago

"1 out of every 4 children in America will grow up illiterate" Is that really true? According to Wikipedia, 99% of the U.S. population is literate. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_literacy_rate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_literacy_r...

ceejayoz 12y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_illiteracy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_illiteracy indicates ~20% of Americans are functionally illiterate.
giarc 12y ago
It is likely from here. http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=69 http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=69 "Twenty-two percent of adults were Below Basic (indicating they possess no more than the most simple and concrete literacy skills) in quantitative literacy, compared with 14 percent in prose literacy and 12 percent in document literacy."
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delluminatus 12y ago
There is a more nuanced view in the full Wikipedia page on the topic [0]. The CIA World Factbook number quoted is only for those who have had over 5 years of education (which is hopefully almost everybody) and they probably have a fairly low bar for determining literacy (I would bet nothing more than a questionnaire response). Other studies have indicated a much lower literacy rate, right about the 75% level, depending on how strict you want to be about things like vocabulary and comprehension. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy_in_the_United_States
baldfat 12y ago
Being a foster parent there is also communication illiterate! Took me 6 years to get my oldest daughter to stop saying like every third word! Then she went off to college and she got worse!! Thanks high education!!!
- thebooktocome 12y ago
  Speaking in an established sociolect is not an instance of communication illiteracy. Valleyspeak has been around for decades, and isn't going anywhere.

by bradly 12y ago

ceejayoz 12y ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_illiteracy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_illiteracy indicates ~20% of Americans are functionally illiterate.

giarc 12y ago

It is likely from here. http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=69 http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=69 "Twenty-two percent of adults were Below Basic (indicating they possess no more than the most simple and concrete literacy skills) in quantitative literacy, compared with 14 percent in prose literacy and 12 percent in document literacy."

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

delluminatus 12y ago

There is a more nuanced view in the full Wikipedia page on the topic [0]. The CIA World Factbook number quoted is only for those who have had over 5 years of education (which is hopefully almost everybody) and they probably have a fairly low bar for determining literacy (I would bet nothing more than a questionnaire response). Other studies have indicated a much lower literacy rate, right about the 75% level, depending on how strict you want to be about things like vocabulary and comprehension. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy_in_the_United_States

baldfat 12y ago

Being a foster parent there is also communication illiterate! Took me 6 years to get my oldest daughter to stop saying like every third word! Then she went off to college and she got worse!! Thanks high education!!!

thebooktocome 12y ago
Speaking in an established sociolect is not an instance of communication illiteracy. Valleyspeak has been around for decades, and isn't going anywhere.