General Facts
What
is Functional Illiteracy?
Functional
Illiteracy refers to the inability of an individual
to read, write, speak, or compute in everyday life situations.
A functionally illiterate adult may be unable to fill
out an employment application, write a check, follow
written instructions, or read a newspaper. When confronted
with printed materials, adults without basic literacy
skills cannot function effectively.
What is the cause of illiteracy?
There is no one cause of illiteracy.
The website Children of the Code offers a comprehensive look at reading difficulties (in most children). It identifies four root causes:
- The complex interplay between the code, which is the process of assigning meaning to arbitrary symbols – the written word. The code can be confusing in any language. English, especially, is full of inconsistencies and rules that apply only part of the time.
- A child’s readiness to read
- How well instruction adapts to a child's level of readiness and how the child learns
- The child's emotional response to the above three causes.
Adding to the complexity are many other factors that contribute to and exacerbate these root issues, such as disabilities, level of parent involvement and incompetent instruction.
The bottom line is: Too many children are getting through school without learning how to read, resulting in adults who can’t read.
At Literacy Volunteers of Tucson we believe that everyone should have a chance to learn to read, write and speak English. The reason doesn’t really matter except in how it impacts the strategy we take for helping them.
We take adult learners where they are and find ways to help them learn. It isn’t always easy, adults are subject to the same, and greater, challenges than those they faced as children.. But with understanding, encouragement and personalized instruction to address their goals, the lives of many of our students are transformed.
For more information about the challenges of illiteracy, check out the "Children of the Code" website, where you will find a comprehensive discussion of why people can't read and the devastating consequences for them and our country. The site offers many videos and a wealth of information. Click here to begin.
What
is the scope of illiteracy?
According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL, 2005), the reading ability of 14% of adults, or 30 million, is Below Basic; 29% or 63 million are at the Basic level. Together 43% of the population can’t read a newspaper article and answer questions about it. Nor can they fill out an application, read a food label, or read a simple story to a child.
Only 13% of adults are considered proficient which means they can read information from two different sources and compare, analyze and extrapolate the information to form a conclusion.
In practice this means, for instance, that only 13% of the population is able to read information about the health care strategies offered by the various candidates for the office of President of the United States and can then, draw conclusions about which plan they would favor.
Among young adults, illiteracy is increasing.
Is there a typical illiterate adult?
The inability to read, write or speak English is not predicted by age, race or economic status. However, the literacy level of the primary care giver, usually the mother, is the most valid predictor of a child’s success in school.
About 10% of illiterate adults are English-speaking Caucasians. Forty percent of illiterate adults are age 20-29, 28% age 40-59, and 32% age 60 and up. Illiteracy occurs in the suburbs in 51% of cases, 41% in the city, and 8% in rural areas.
Two new reports from the Arizona Community Foundation, Educating Arizona: Assessing Our Education System (Birth - Grade 12) and Building Our Foundation: Assessing Early Care and Education in Arizona, find that students from low-income homes - those that qualify for federal free or reduced lunch programs - perform at a level 20 percent to 30 percent below students from middle-income families. And once "these students start to fall behind, in the third or fourth grade, they tend not to catch up," said ACF president and CEO Robert King.
What
is the impact of illiteracy?
While illiteracy
is an unseen problem, it profoundly impacts our society.
U.S. Department of Education statistics reveal that
60% of prison inmates are illiterate, and 85% of all
juvenile offenders have reading problems. Illiteracy
leads to low self-esteem, unemployment, poverty, and
crime. Literacy empowers people to better their lives
and the lives of their families, and our communities.
