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How is it possible that roughly 50% of Americans can’t read above a 6th grade level and how are 21% just flat out illiterate?

From reddit.com/…/how_is_it_possible_that_roughly_50_o…

Question above is pretty blunt but was doing a study for a college course and came across that stat. How is that possible? My high school sucked but I was well equipped even with that sub standard level of education for college. Obviously income is a thing but to think 1 out of 5 American adults is categorized as illiterate is…astounding. Now poor media literacy I get, but not this. Edit: this was from a department of education report from 2022. Just incase people are curious where that comes from. It does also specify as literate in English so maybe not as grim as I thought.

PhoenxBlue ,

The powers that be want to eliminate schools all together. They don’t need a literate labourer. Soldier just need to recognize the alphabet. (I mean this in the most basic of terms. I’m not desparaging anyone.)

They don’t want “free thinking” people in their society. If anyone remembers ‘Divergent’. If not, look into it. It’s not too far off.

ICastFist ,
@ICastFist@programming.dev avatar

Unironically relevant https://programming.dev/pictrs/image/643324e8-0f7d-4562-b5e3-4d10d9819fe2.jpeg

gsa32 ,

Shit public education system

Beowulf ,

My mom: “because you’re always on that damn phone!”

I have coworkers that were in the last few years of high school when covid broke out. They spent all day playing video games or watching Netflix and when it came time to graduate, well… there wasn’t a ceremony or anything. They just got their diploma in the mail.

Not saying covid is the absolute reasoning for it, but it did play a huge part in our youth having a hard time reading and writing

rikudou ,

I think the problem might be needing high school to learn reading and writing. Here we teach it 6yo.

ruckblack ,

COVID isn’t the reason for our decades long illiteracy problem lol.

tegs_terry ,

Because you have a deleterious government that has purposefully de-prioritised education in order to command greater control over a brainwashed population.

PilferJynx ,

Americans seem especially averse to paying taxes. Makes sense when you see where those taxes usually go (not education)

zepheriths ,

It’s not just that. It’s not understanding words either. One example that Annoys me to no end is when I tell someone to flip a card over and they rotate it. This is in a upper middle class neighborhood. ( Just to be clear on the definition a card being rotated turns around the y-axis. Fliping a card rotates it around it’s z-axis) while the issue is clearly there it’s a bit more complicated than bad schools clearly.

zepheriths ,

It’s not just that. It’s not understanding words either. One example that Annoys me to no end is when I tell someone to flip a card over and they rotate it. This is in a upper middle class neighborhood. ( Just to be clear on the definition a card being rotated turns around the y-axis. Fliping a card rotates it around it’s z-axis) while the issue is clearly there it’s a bit more complicated than bad schools clearly.

Kyle ,
@Kyle@lemmywinks.com avatar

( Just to be clear on the definition a card being rotated turns around the y-axis. Fliping a card rotates it around it’s z-axis)

Ok professor, what if the card is in your hand and not laying on the table?

0xD ,

Then the card has changed it’s orientation in three dimensional space and the action needs to be adjusted accordingly ;)

If you need it in easier language, student, then rotating it would mean turning it upside down, and flipping means turning it around. :)

Coreidan ,

Or it’s just a severe lack of understanding of how cards work. Someone who is clearly young and inexperienced with any card game.

At that point it’s not an illiteracy thing. Anyone who knows the first thing about cards knows they are symmetrical so the instruction to rotate a card makes zero sense. Flipping only has a single meaning with cards.

amaryllisunicorn ,

As a school psychologist who completes academic assessments when identifying students with learning disabilities, COVID skyrocketed these numbers. There’s just not a lot of motivation for kids anymore. The future is here and is making our population slowly illiterate.

CupDock ,

Kevin from the office. Why waste time say lot word when few word so trick?

AirlineF0od ,

An uneducated population can’t educate itself.

givesomefucks ,

The weird part is because a lot of people don’t know what illiterate means…

They think these people can’t read a fast food menu and words just look like chicken scratch.

Hangglide ,

The definition of illiterate is “unable to read or write.”

That pretty much sounds like what you just said. What do you think it means?

There isn’t much nuance in the definition.

potatisgris ,

There are levels of illiteracy. Most everyone has some literacy but the classifications are not very detailed, so completely illiterate may include being able to read a menu and choosing simple items.

Following an instructions manual for assembling/mounting something is much harder. Because of how frowned upon illiteracy is people who are illiterate get good at hiding their illiteracy.

BreadstickNinja ,

Illiteracy in developed countries usually refers to functional illiteracy, not a complete unfamiliarity with letters and words.

Functional illiteracy means your ability to read and write is insufficient for you to function effectively in society. Functionally illiterate people may be able to read to some limited extent, but might read too poorly or slowly to process the types of written information they encounter on a day-to-day basis. These people would not be able to understand forms at the doctor’s office, the instructions on their taxes, the terms of credit card agreements, the contents of important mail, and other material that might be important for them to understand.

ydkm ,

Yeah, I was going to ask if that’s the number for functional illeteracy. I know it’s shockingly high in the US but it’s not the same as being illetirate.

BromSwolligans , (edited )

That ‘motivation’ bit is so important. Former educator, currently still working in education, and I’m always wary of anything that makes a sweeping statement about ‘the kids’ not being ‘all right’. But there are important, substantial contributors to undesirable outcomes that need to be acknowledged. Poverty being one, as well as the cycle of poverty and abuse which is deeply tied to white flight and de-industrialization (which we might collectively assign to the death of the American dream if we aren’t too concerned with being precious about the the notion of patriotism).

Saying ‘iPads’ or ‘TikTok’ is the culprit doesn’t help anyone. But iPads and TikTok are contributing factors because they both exacerbate the feeling that being entertained is enough to scrape one’s way through life at the bottom of the barrel of expectations…as well as over-informing young people (and adults) that there is positively nothing left to look forward to. Industry is collapsing, housing and transportation are unaffordable, everything you once expected to purchase (and let’s not get lost talking about purchasing as a metric for determining whether one is living a good life) has now moved to an ever-bleeding subscription model; inflation is compounded by corporate greed (and maybe we should talk about how the business incentive of endless growth contributes to every other problem) and corporate greed (something no one but the executives and their shareholders can influence, let alone control) is raping all the natural splendor, wealth and even health and stability of the very ground we walk on and air we breathe.

Why the fuck wouldn’t some young person whose future job prospects (which were shit to begin with) are being devoured by AI, just turn toward the boundless font of readily accessible entertainment rather than going uphill toward seemingly fruitless self improvement? Why would they bother to rise to the level of literacy that allows them to appreciate a 19th century classic translated from the original Russian, or to parse the dense theming of some modern masterpiece? What’s the reward, to someone whose entire life to this point has been flavored with instant gratification? To them it’s all just ‘content’, and there’s plenty of content more accessible than literature. Art may mean nothing for many reasons, not least of which is it can be falsified to a level of acceptability (AI songs by dead artists, for example).

It’s a Twilight Zone, Black Mirror, Brave New World living nightmare. But what is the alternative? What systems or entities or organizations are coming to save the day? There are none. This moment is a gruesome forbidden experiment: it is a post-Reaganite, neoliberal race to the cultural bottom, and the youngest generation are the lab rats.

Etterra ,

Because the government, federal and state level (especially conservative) hate public education and fight to defund it as much as possible. Largely because an educated populace is a dangerous populace. Especially when your political platform relies on identity politics, culture wars, cheating, screwing over the poor, opposing minorities, religious fundamentalism, and any other regressive, oppressive bullshit you can think of. They want stupid voters that they can point at “the enemy” and pit against each other to distract them from facts, all so they can stay rich and powerful.

Grumpydaddy ,

undefined> schools clearly.

4 2

pachrist ,

It’s because a lot of conservatives believe in a really screwed up, masochistic, bastardized version of Christianity that prioritizes vengeance, punishment, and anger. It ignores the love, kindness, acceptance, and mercy (ie the actual teachings of Jesus) that make society work well.

So, when kids come home with these new ideas about kindness and acceptance, because being kind to a gay classmate is a great way to demonstrate the love real Christianity teaches and society values, the parents freak out. They push to ban books, fire teachers, and move their kids to private schools that more match their hate filled, divisive worldview. Education polluted their child with abnormal, liberal indoctrination, like being kind, empathetic, and accepting of others.

I an attempt to steer their children back to their core values of hate and divisiveness, they lash out. Any pushback the parents feel in response becomes persecution, because of course “the world” would disagree with them. They’re the TRUE Christians afterall. So they isolate in ecochambers, and they get more hateful. Any difference of opinion is met with derision and just simply validates their position. And despite being the TRUE Christians, or REAL conservatives, they become less Christian and less conservative every day, instead just becoming these weird, evil, empty husks of people with no real values or ideals outside of hate.

JackbyDev ,

Go look at content that is considered a specific reading level. It may shock you to find that a lot of it is not considered a high reading level.

Elliott ,

Republicans.

Bobsyouruncle ,

They want everyone uneducated because the more educated you are, the more likely you are to vote democrat. Hence all the defunding of school programs

krackalot ,

They also love ruining things so their mindless voters vote to defund it.

dditty ,

They want you uneducated so you’re not able to comprehend the nigh infinite ways they’re constantly chipping away personal freedoms and enriching themselves and their corporate benefactors. So they can dismantle public institutions and replace them with private for-profit businesses.

hmancuso , (edited )
@hmancuso@lemmy.world avatar

No single answer is comprehensive enough to explain the low literacy levels in the US. That’s because some of the contributing factors include:

  • Parents with little schooling.
  • Lack of books and reading encouragement at home.
  • Dropping out of school.
  • Difficult living conditions – including poverty.
  • Learning disabilities.

Each of these topics has social and political implications and we, as a society, have made choices that privilege the rich and the least vulnerable. Our immediacy leads us to focus on inflation rates, employment, and reelection (don’t get me wrong, these are essential points). But we should also seek solutions to bring parents back to school, campaign for more books at home, and improve schooling to prevent dropout.

The discussion of U.S. illiteracy gets gloomier when we consider the differences between “literacy” (reading, writing, and math skills) and “functional literacy” (the practical use of these skills to manage daily life and improve socioeconomic well-being).

There’s a long and rocky road to reverse this picture, and some of the possible solutions to promote higher levels of literacy in society should take into account:

  • low income resources
  • stigma and shame
  • lack of awareness
  • limited access to education
  • technological barriers
  • limited funding for literacy programs.

So, how is it possible that roughly 50% of Americans can’t read above a 6th grade level and how are 21% just flat out illiterate?

All of the above, and probably more!

Logster998 ,

Your response is definitely the best one here. There’s just so many factors at play, and Covid was the perfect storm that amplified all of them.

hmancuso ,
@hmancuso@lemmy.world avatar

COVID-19 turned into a perfect storm as most schools were unprepared for remote learning. Add to that the fact that many students had no access to a reliably fast internet connection and the whole literacy picture gets rather bleak. Thanks for sharing your views on my perspective.

czardestructo ,
@czardestructo@lemmy.world avatar

Everyone is very focused on recent history. What about the huge amounts of aging immigrants in the USA that migrated here for a better life in the 50s-70s from poor countries and no education? They just worked their ass off and reading wasn’t a priority. My father was a poor shepard, no education and illiterate but he hustled and retired early and put me through college to be an engineer. It seems improbable but it is possible for someone to be illiterate and wildly successful and contribute a lot to society and culture.

techie ,

I think the one thing you hit on is that your family valued education. They knew that in order for you to have a better life than the one they had, the one tool they could give you to be successful in life is education. They worked hard to give you this by making sure you had your basic needs met so that you could focus on learning.

morphballganon ,

Shepherd*

Shepard is a name

Tsrich92 ,

That’s still a pretty small percentage overall, and I bet they drove up overall numbers as immigrants often stress education. My wife’s family are immigrants from the 70s and all the kids and grandkids have at least college degrees and a majority have masters degreea

Tsrich92 ,

That’s still a pretty small percentage overall, and I bet they drove up overall numbers as immigrants often stress education. My wife’s family are immigrants from the 70s and all the kids and grandkids have at least college degrees and a majority have masters degreea

Tsrich92 ,

That’s still a pretty small percentage overall, and I bet they drove up overall numbers as immigrants often stress education. My wife’s family are immigrants from the 70s and all the kids and grandkids have at least college degrees and a majority have masters degreea

Tsrich92 ,

That’s still a pretty small percentage overall, and I bet they drove up overall numbers as immigrants often stress education. My wife’s family are immigrants from the 70s and all the kids and grandkids have at least college degrees and a majority have masters degreea

Tsrich92 ,

That’s still a pretty small percentage overall, and I bet they drove up overall numbers as immigrants often stress education. My wife’s family are immigrants from the 70s and all the kids and grandkids have at least college degrees and a majority have masters degreea

scarabic ,

Part of the reason so many can’t read above a 6th grade level is that they are always written to on that level. Anything written for any commercial purpose is always written at a low level so any idiot can understand the menu / read the packaging / consume the magazine ad / whatever. Commercial writers write for the lowest common denominator and to an extent, news media do as well.

So a 6th grade reading level is really all you need to get by. Unless you actually read books or opt for The Economist or something else that doesn’t assume you’re a moron, 6th grade level is all you’re gonna see.

There’s some utility in this. Simpler language is also lowest-common denominator for second-language-speakers, of which we have many. Another reason to use it.

Thugosaurus_Rex ,

It’s also important to note that a low reading grade level for writing is not “bad writing.” Most novels fall somewhere between 5th and 7th grade reading levels. Stephen King is typically around 6th grade, and Jane Austin was often at about 5th grade, for examples. In many contexts a low grade level does not mean the content is simple or dumbed down–it’s just a measurement of the conveyance or style of the writing.

Kyle ,
@Kyle@lemmywinks.com avatar

I tried to read Gravity's Rainbow a few times. Is Pynchon some kind of genius or is he just an asshole?

Also looking at you James Joyce.

joonazan ,

I found the first part of Gravity’s Rainbow a very fun ride. But I took a break at that point as it is very slow to read and I wouldn’t want to interrupt it mid-part. I was impressed that it was able to explain mathematical concepts in simple yet correct ways, which is rare in books let alone books this crazy.

Finnegans Wake on the other hand I haven’t even given a serious try. Spelling words as you see fit is too much for me.

Karnickel ,

Thank you for writing that in 6th grade English

scarabic ,

deleted_by_author

    •
    kat ,

    I’m not sure why this post has so many downvotes, because this is accurate. I just started working somewhere that utilizes a lot of technical writing and there are style guides to make sure your writing is in its simplest and clearest form. Text is rated on the Gunning fog index, which uses words per sentence and syllables to calculate readability. Writing for the public is intended to be at an 8 or lower, meaning 8th grade readability or lower. I think many people never really learned to read at higher than an 8th grade level, and the rest get used to never reading higher in their daily lives.

    yumpoopsoup ,

    It’s a duplicate comment. Happens a lot I notice, wonder if it’s a bug with Lemmy or certain apps?

    executive_chicken ,

    I never really considered the part ESL individuals play into this phenomenon. It makes sense that a nation of immigrants would have a large population who isn’t up to speed with English

    Shihali ,

    It’s a self-reinforcing cycle. If you write directions at too high a level, people don’t read them and call support instead so someone can explain the directions with more and smaller words. So if you’re writing the directions and taking support calls, you have an incentive to try to write your directions at a low reading level to reduce your future support burden. (That doesn’t make you any good at it.) Which, if your hypothesis is correct, hurts the readers’ ability to read complex sentences a little bit in exchange for reducing your support burden by a lot.

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