Improving Literacy Rates in the United States

The literacy rate of the United States lags behind key economies, including Northern Europe, China, and well developed Arab states. This endangers its economic competitiveness. To remain a global player the United States must improve its literacy rate.

Improving Literacy Rates in the United States

The Importance of a Nation's Literacy

Literacy is important for a nation's competitiveness because it's a key factor in economic development and social progress:

• Employability:
  Literacy is a critical skill for employment in knowledge-based economies. People with higher literacy levels are more likely to be employed, and earn more.
• Economic growth:
  Literacy can lead to higher tax revenues, reduced welfare payments, and lower crime rates.
• Social development:
  Literacy can help people participate in their communities and in international activities. It can also help people adapt to rapid change, such as population growth, global warming, and digitalization.
• Sustainable development:
  Literacy can help people navigate environmental challenges and contribute to sustainable development.
• Education:
  Literacy is a foundation for education, and is important for the success of the younger generation.

Literacy Issues in the United States

The nation faces a number of literacy issues, including: 

• Low literacy rates: 
  In the US, 54% of adults read at or below a 6th grade level, and 21% are illiterate. 130 million adults have low literacy skills, which means they have difficulty understanding printed or digital materials. 
• Low literacy rates in specific groups:
  Hispanics, older people, and incarcerated people are more likely to be low literate. 85% of juveniles in the US court system are functionally illiterate, and 70% of inmates in the US prison system can't read above a 4th-grade level. 
• Cost to the US:
  Low literacy levels cost the US up to $2.2 trillion per year. 
• Historical factors:
  The US has a long history of denying people the right to read, particularly Black people. Anti-literacy laws prohibited enslaved and sometimes free Black Americans from learning to read or write. 
• Impact on children:
  The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) found that reading and mathematics scores of 9-year-old students fell between 2020 and 2022.  
• Causes:
  Factors that influence literacy development include education, socioeconomic status, learning English as a second language, learning disabilities, and crime.

Improving literacy rates in the United States

Rectifying the deficiency requires a multi-faceted approach that addresses a number of factors, including:

• Early intervention:
  Invest in early-childhood programs that develop pre-reading skills.
• Equity:
  Apply an equity lens to education policies and standards, and increase funding to schools with the greatest need.
• Teacher training:
  Ensure teachers are trained in science of reading practices.
• Student-centered instruction: 
  Shift instruction to be more student-centered. More teaching methods options on teaching methods including constructivist learning. 
• Adult literacy:
  Expand, enhance, and fund adult literacy systems for those who were not able to learn to read in school or who came as immigrants without literacy skills.
• English as a Second Language (ESL) programs:
  Develop ESL programs to improve English speaking and literacy for the growing non-native English speaking population.
• Family engagement:
  Involve parents in programs, and work to improve parental/in-home literacy.
• Technology:
  Integrate education technology meaningfully. Improving academic competitiveness using technology. 
• Accessibility:
  Ensure programming is available across vast areas, and make it easier for people to attend classes.
• Goals:
  Set clear and measurable goals to guide efforts and track progress.