06/24/2024
Many items come to me throughout my day, mainly because I have developed an extensive range of interests.
Today, one of those interests is the Per the 2023 National Assessment of Education Progress, only 43% of U.S. fourth graders read proficiently. Many adults can’t “read well,” either: 92% can read at the most basic level (Level 1). Only 79% can read above this level, and 54% can’t read above a 6th-grade level. This implies that 130 million American adults aren’t literate enough to read a story to their kids, earn a living wage, or even read a drug label.
The U.S. may be the top economy in the world, but it is 36th in adult literacy. We already don’t have enough workers to pay for the burgeoning swell of aging Boomers. If we want to stay top dog economically, keep our infrastructure, and have a well-functioning military, we must be a nation of readers.
For those wondering, adult literacy rates hover around 100% in more than a handful of (mostly developed) nations. Even China’s adult literacy rate is roughly 97%. But while China has the No. 2 economy in the world, it’s aging fast. What nation isn’t? India.
I've known many teachers and several administrators. Almost all of them are good people who have the student's best interests at heart.
I also know that many parents have intervened in their students' lives, ensuring their students are passed along even when grades show otherwise. I've known teachers who have passed along troubled and disruptive students just to avoid having them around.
But, dude, the numbers are abysmal. All those GOOD PEOPLE I thought had the student's best interest at heart might be a smoke screen for their incompetence or lack of caring.
This is why we need educational dollars to follow the students. Don't give me the BS about putting the public school out of business. Sorry, they need to be put out of business with these numbers and the years upon years of these numbers.
If it ain't the teacher, it's the administration. It's also time to see the Department of Education closed in DC.
Our country won't make it if we, the people, don't do something.
