Literacy Can Change America

1
Literacy Can Change America

• Senior Service Learning Project

2
Videos

• Illiteracy in America
• How Stupid Are Americans?

3
Startling Facts

• Majority of Americans cant name a single branch
  of government
• 24 cannot name the country America fought in the
  Revolutionary War
• More than 2/3 of Americans do not know whats in
  Roe vs. Wade
• Nearly 50 of Americans know that states have two
  senators
• Less than 50 can name their congressman
• People complain about taxes yet have no idea what
  the government spends money on
• The average voter thinks foreign aid consumes 24
  of our annual budget. It is actually only 1

4
What is literacy?

• Literacy is the ability to read, write, compute
  and use technology at a level that enables an
  individual to reach his or her potential as an
  adult and community member.

5
Facts about Illiteracy in the U.S.

• 30 million people over the age of 16 or 14 of
  the countrys adult population do not read well
  enough to understand a newspaper story written at
  an eighth grade level or fill out a job
  application.
• The U.S. ranks 5th among industrialized nations
  in terms of literacy

6
Impact of Illiteracy

• Adult illiteracy can be connected to almost every
  socio-economic issue in the U.S.
• 60 of all state and federal corrections inmates
  can barely read and write

7
Functional Illiteracy

• Incompetence is basic functions such as reading,
  writing and math.
• 24 million Americans are plagued with functional
  illiteracy
• 13 of American 17 year olds are illiterate
• Among minorities the number jumps to 40
• Every year, at least one million of these
  functional illiterates graduate from high school

8
Who does illiteracy effect

• Begins with children who do not learn how to read
  and write in elementary school
• They become teenagers who are passed through
  despite not having the academic skills to
  progress forward
• Who become adults who cannot read higher than an
  8th grade level who are thus unskilled
• The cycle of poverty continues

9
How Does Literacy Help

• Improves the quality of life
• A person who lacks a high school income earns a
  monthly income of 52 as compared to 1,829 for
  those with a college degree
• Literacy increases access to healthcare
• Literacy will ultimately help to stimulate our
  economy
• Decreases the rate of crime

10
How Can We Increase Literacy

• Increase participation in literacy programs
• Increase access to literacy programs in low
  income areas
• Catch children in elementary school
• Increase academic standards in public schools