The Literacy Issue in the U.S. and Rhode Island
Facts about adult literacy in the U.S. and Rhode Island may surprise you.
Not only are individuals affected by low literacy, but their families and society as a whole pay the price.
Programs and services such as those offered by LVRI make both an immediate and long-term positive difference.
What's the Problem?
On a National Level
The 1991 Adult Literacy Act defines literacy as "An individual's ability to read, write and speak in English, and compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society, to achieve one's goals and develop one's knowledge and potential."
Did you know that
- The United States ranks 49th among the 156 United Nation member countries in its rate of literacy.
- According to the 1993 National Adult Literacy Survey, approximately 44 million Americans- 22% of the adult population- are not literate. They cannot fill out an application, read a food or medical label, or read a simple story to a child.
- An additional 46 million adults read just at the next level, meaning they have great difficulty understanding lengthy texts or solving basic math problems.
- According to the U.S. Department of Education, each year approximately 2.2 million people - that's 44,000 people each week- are added to the adult illiterate population in the Untied States.
In Rhode Island
In Rhode Island, 19% of adults have been measured at the lowest skill level of literacy (which is measured on five levels.) At this lowest level, an adult lacks the skills necessary to read and understand written material and forms, comprehend medication instructions, help a child with homework, or understand the help wanted ads.
Another 28% of adults have been measured at the 2nd lowest literacy skill level. These adults have difficulty qualifying for training programs such as certified nursing assistants or food service supervisors due to their low reading and writing skills. They often cannot understand workplace safety instructions, how to use a computer, or how to access programs and services available to their families.
Approximately 5,600 adults are accessing services here in Rhode Island to improve their literacy and English language skills. The number seeking services is estimated at 73,600. There are not enough programs or services available to help all of the adults who are lacking literacy skills.
What's the impact?
The effect of nearly one quarter of adults in the U.S. being functionally illiterate is tremendous:
Employment and the Workplace
According to the estimates by the U.S. Department of Labor, literacy problems cost U.S. businesses about $225 billion a year in lost productivity. Factors that affect productivity include employee mistakes, injuries, absenteeism, tardiness, missed opportunities, and other problems associated with low literacy. In addition:
- More than 20 percent of adults read at or below a fifth-grade level- far below the level needed to earn a living wage.
- The National Center for Learning Disabilities states that 25% of adults in the United States lack the basic literacy skills required for a typical job.
- 70% of people with the lowest literacy skills have no full or part time job.
Healthcare
Low literacy has a direct impact on one's health, quality of life and life span. Those who lack basic literacy skills are much more likely than others to suffer from serious and chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, asthma and cancer. Their health care expenses can be as much as six times higher than adults with average levels of literacy.
- The National Academy on an Aging Society says that low literacy skills result in longer hospital stays, more emergency room visits, increased doctor visits, and increased medication. This costs over $73 billion annually.
- According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, 46% of American adults cannot understand the label on their prescription medicine.
Children
A mother's literacy level is one of the most significant predictors of a child's future literacy ability. Children of low-literate parents tend to get poor care and poor nutrition at home and to do poorly in school. They are also more likely to have serious behavioral issues, become teen parents, drop out of school and suffer from low literacy themselves. Too, because low literacy is directly linked to poverty, a child of low-literacy parents is more likely to live in poverty.
Corrections
The problem starts early: 60% of juvenile offenders have difficulties reading. The average reading level of an incarcerated adult is at or below the 8th grade level. Yet adults who receive educational help are less likely to be rearrested and re-incarcerated.
The Cost to Society
As discussed above, the cost of low literacy is significant to employers, individuals, families and the healthcare system. But in addition to that:
- $5 billion a year in taxes goes to support people receiving public assistance who are unemployable due to illiteracy.
- 43% of people with the lowest literacy skills live in poverty.
- 17% of people with the lowest literacy skills receive food stamps.
- Those who drop out of high school are more than three times as likely to receive public assistance than high school graduates.
ESL: Additional and Unique
Adults in America who do not know English face the same issues that those with low literacy do. In addition, they face the additional hurdles of having to learn a new language, adjust to a new culture, navigate unfamiliar healthcare, legal, social and educational systems, and cope with isolation and stress. Too, many of the most recent immigrants to the U.S. have lower education levels and remain in poverty longer than in the past.
What's the solution?
Adults who enroll in literacy programs improve their lives on every level. Numerous studies have shown the impact of programs like ours is large and long-term. ProLiteracy America's 2003 report, "U.S. Adult Literacy Programs A Review of Research on Positive Outcomes Achieved
by Literacy Programs and the People They Serve" states,
"The research shows that gains in literacy skills impact the lives of individuals
in many positive ways. These individuals are better able to:
- Obtain a job or a better-paying job;
- Be more productive employees;
- Adapt to changing needs in the workplace;
- Achieve independence without relying on welfare;
- Lead healthier lives;
- Manage their heath;
- Access quality health care when they need it;
- Succeed in society without resorting to criminal activity;
- Ensure that their children succeed in school;
- Raise healthier children who are less likely to be socially alienated;
- Engage in responsible family planning and bear healthier children;
- Have a positive self-image;
- Exercise their rights (e.g., voting) as citizens."
LVRI makes a difference
The facts discussed above seem at first glance to be so large and so pervasive that it's hard to know what to do and where to begin. However, programs and services such as those offered by LVRI directly and positively impact every single issue noted above, as well as a host of others.
LVRI is proud of the work and accomplishments of its students and volunteers, achieved through our various programs. The literacy issue in the U.S. is large, but it can be solved on in variety of ways by any individual. Whether you are interested in volunteering, would like to donate to our cause, know someone who could be a student or would like to become a student yourself, any step you take with us will go a long way towards eradicating the literacy issue in the U.S. and Rhode Island.
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