ILLITERACY IN U.S.   Term Paper ID:18899 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Effects of massive Amer. illiteracy on industry & commerce, intellectual, moral & spiritual strengths of nation, future.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Effects of massive Amer. illiteracy on industry & commerce, intellectual, moral & spiritual strengths of nation, future. Paper Introduction: This study will examine the problem of illiteracy in the United States and ways in which illiteracy puts our civilization at risk. The term "A Nation At Risk" emerged into the national lexicon after the book of that title was presented to the public by The National Commission on Excellence in Education. The book was a stunning indictment of the shortcomings of the educational system in the United States. Before elucidating the specific risk which illiteracy brings to the nation, we should first note the "indicators of the risk" as listed by the Commission: Some 23 million American adults are functionally illiterate by the simplest tests of everyday reading, writing, and comprehension. About 13 percent of all Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. With respect to the specific risks generated by illiteracy, Kozolwrites that "The Senate Select Committee on Equal Educational Opportunityestimated a figure of $237 billion in unrealized lifetime earningsforfeited by men twenty-five to thirty-four years old who have less thanhigh school level skills. As Kozol relates in this passagefrom the testimony of an adult and a parent who cannot read, the risk ofilliteracy is indeed in danger of spreading: "I look at my seventeen-year-old son and my twelve-year-old daughter and I want to help them with theirhomework, but I can't. As he writes, "Twenty-fivemillion American adults cannot read the poison warnings on a can ofpesticide, a letter from their child's teacher, or the front page of adaily paper. The illiteracy associated with the "three R's" will in the nearfuture "infect" other areas of knowledge and skills, additionallythreatening the roots of the civilization.As we read, "Educational researcher Paul Hurd concluded at the end of athorough national survey of student achievement that within the context ofthe modern scientific revolution, 'We are raising a new generation ofAmericans that is scientifically and technologically illiterate'" (NationalCommission 11). That estimate, made in February 1972, requiresserious updating. All of the works consulted make a number of important and worthwhilesuggestions and guidelines for attacking the problem of illiteracy, but allof them require a national effort, especially in terms of money, on thepart of the government and the people. The book was a stunning indictmentof the shortcomings of the educational system in the United States. It is certainlynot the fall of the United States from the top ranks of producers ofquality goods in the world, for that has already occurred. Most Americans today have accepted that illiteracy is one majorfactor that has diminished the United States in terms of its ability tocompete in industrial terms with Japan, Germany, and other economic powers. . Illiteracy in America. . One major problem is that hightechnology is raising the 'functional literacy' threshold . An additional 35 million read only at a level which is lessthan equal to the full survival needs of our society. . Kozol does not paint a pretty picture of the future of education inthe United States with respect to the potential for alleviating theproblems of illiteracy. Editorial Research Reports says that there are major obstacles in thepath of those who seek to effectively deal with the problems of illiteracy: "Despite efforts currently being made by volunteer organizations, schools,business and government, the consensus is that illiteracy is not yieldingto the programs designed to attack it. Direct costs to business and taxpayers are approximately$2 billion" (Kozol 13). There are no quick and easy answers, butthe issues "must be tackled" (National Advisory 79). . Ifnothing whatsoever is done on a major scale and using radical approaches,then the problems of illiteracy will grow at increasing rates. The risk itself which is brought forth by illiteracy of thismagnitude is manifold. It is as if the leaders of the countrystill do not see the direct and intimate connection between the fall of theUnited States industrially, economically, and in many other ways, and therise of illiteracy which is a result itself of the failure of theeducational system. . . It is ironic that as the budget considerations of the President andthe Congress and taxpayers become more restrictive and conservative, theeducational system suffers as a result, although the failures of theeducational system are to a considerable degree responsible for theconditions which have caused tightening of the budget. Many 17-year-olds do not possess the 'higher order' intellectual skills we should expect of them. About 13 percent of all 17-year-olds in the United States can be considered functionally illiterate. Democratic and imaginative public schools in anegalitarian society ought to know the way to overcome all 'disabilities' or'disadvantages' that children bring with them, through no fault of theirparents or their own, out of the first five years of life. Most schools fail to somedegree. He finally said he wanted to drop out . A Nation At Risk. It is not the fall ofthe United States from the top echelon of nations with the best-educatedchildren in the world, for that has happened already as well. tell you, it scares me"(Kozol 57). This effort has not been made andit does not seem to be forthcoming. Kozol writes that "There is every reason to believe that all of thisis going to get worse . Garden City: Anchor, 1985.National Advisory Council on Adult Education. Of course, the blame cannot be placed exclusively or even primarilyon the shoulders of the illiterates themselves. It is difficult to guess what this tragedy might be. This study will examine the problem of illiteracy in the UnitedStates and ways in which illiteracy puts our civilization at risk. . . The term "A Nation At Risk" emerged into the national lexicon afterthe book of that title was presented to the public by The NationalCommission on Excellence in Education. . . .I see my handicap being passed on to my son . It is clear, in other words, that if we continue to fail our childrenthrough the shortcomings of our educational system, we will certainly fallbehind our competitors abroad. We have veryfew such schools in the United States today. We (now) live amongdetermined, well-educated, and strongly motivated competitors" (NationalCommission 6). Before elucidating the specific risk which illiteracy brings to thenation, we should first note the "indicators of the risk" as listed by theCommission: Some 23 million American adults are functionally illiterate by the simplest tests of everyday reading, writing, and comprehension. As we read, "The time is long past whenAmerica's destiny was assured simply by an abundance of natural resourcesand inexhaustible human enthusiasm, and by our relative isolation from themalignant problems of older civilizations . Government Printing Office, 1987.National Commission on Excellence in Education. Anotherobstacle is that there is simply no quick fix for illiteracy, no singleprogram that will wipe it out in a relatively short period of time"(Education Report Card 98). A major effort willmerely keep the nation in the same place with respect to illiteracy. Washington, DC: Editorial Research Reports, 1985.Kozol, Jonathan. It is certainlynot the emergence of the United States as one of the most indebted nationsin the world, for that has also already occurred. . As those authors write: The people of the United States need to know that individuals in our society who do not possess the levels of skill, literacy, and training essential to this new era will be effectively disenfranchised, not simply from the material rewards that accompany competent performance, but also from the chance to participate fully in our national life (National Commission 7). Works CitedEducation Report Card. Cambridge, MA: USA Research, 1984.----------------------- 7 . . The problem is that even with a major effort at every level of thenation the problem of illiteracy will not go away. Washington, DC: U.S. It appears that, as with every major problem inthe country, it will take some related disaster to force the government andthe people to focus energies and funds on the problem to the extent that isrequired if anything radical is to be accomplished in eliminating or atleast reducing the problems of illiteracy in the United States. But just as important, as the authors of the National Commissionreport make clear, is the fact that noneconomic roots of the United Statesare also being eaten away by illiteracy. Those whofail to see the necessity of major funding of educational reform also failto see that the United States will not remain a great country if suchreform is not forthcoming soon. Kozol points out that an illiterate person in practical terms is notsimply one who cannot read a single word. Nearly 4 percent cannot draw inferences from written material; only one- fifth can write a persuasive essay; and only one-third can solve a mathematics problem requiring several steps (National Commission 8-9). Functional illiteracy among minority youth may run as high as 4 percent . Illiterate America. The risk involves industry and commerce, to besure, but "it also includes the intellectual, moral, and spiritualstrengths of our people which knit together the very fabric of our society"(National Commission 7). They are the victims of asystem of what could fairly be called educational abuse. Together, these 6 million people represent more than one third of the entire adultpopulation" (Kozol 4). My son was supposed to repeat the ninth grade forthe third time this year . Schools which serve the children of the cities and the ruraldistricts with the lowest tax base tend to have the least success" (Kozol7 -71). Kozol notes that the problems of illiteracy are not confined toilliterate individuals, but are part of a cycle of illiteracy which ispassed on from generation to generation. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.