|
Why read? Check out these scary Literacy FactsIf these literacy facts don't scare you into reading or encouraging your children to read, nothing will...
More than three out of four of those on welfare, 85% of unwed mothers and 68% of those arrested are illiterate. About three in five of America's prison inmates are illiterate. --Washington Literacy Council
Among adults at the lowest level of literacy proficiency, 43% live in poverty. Among adults with strong literacy skills, only 4% live in poverty. --US Department of Education
At least 50% of the unemployed are functionally illiterate. --U.S. Department of Labor
It is estimated that $5 billion a year in taxes goes to support people receiving public assistance who are unemployable due to illiteracy. --Laubach Literacy Action
In 1998, 10 million American school children were considered “poor readers”. --NAEP 1998 Reading Report Card
The percentage of children who read well has not improved substantially for more than 25 years. --NAEP 1996 Trends Report
A startling 88% of children who have difficulty reading at the end of the first grade display similar difficulties at the end of fourth grade. --Dr. Connie Juel
Three-quarters of students who are poor readers in third grade will remain poor readers in high school. --Sally E. Shaywitz, et al
Students who do not learn efficient reading skills are blocked from every other subject in their schooling. --National Center to Improve the Tools of Educators
The top achieving 5% read 144 times more than the lowest achieving 5%. --Terrence Paul, Institute for Academic Excellence
The more types of reading materials there are in the home, the higher students are in reading proficiency. --U.S. Department of Education
Students who do more reading at home are better readers and have higher math scores. --Educational Testing Service
|