[Kosh]

http://www.alternet.org/story/106551/

There are over 42 million American adults, 20 percent of whom hold high school diplomas, who cannot read, as well as the 50 million who read at a fourth- or fifth-grade level. Nearly a third of the nation's population is illiterate or barely literate. And their numbers are growing by an estimated 2 million a year. But even those who are supposedly literate retreat in huge numbers into this image-based existence. A third of high school graduates, along with 42 percent of college graduates, never read a book after they finish school. Eighty percent of the families in the United States last year did not buy a book.

I'm not suprised so many of the illiterate have high school diplomas considering the weak standards in most places. As for the rest, definitely high school dropouts, which isn't surprising considering that I went to a good public school and our graduation rate was only 75%. If it wasn't for all the asian students (which there were a significant minority) that number would be much lower.

[karajorma]

How the **** can you graduate from school unable to read in the first place? How on Earth do you pass your exams?

[Colonol Dekker]

I'd be more worried about how they manage to read the street names or bus numbers to get there in the first place.

[LeGuille]

How the **** can you graduate from school unable to read in the first place? How on Earth do you pass your exams?

There's a certain state called California. And another called Mississippi. Both of these states have REALLY low standards, especially in inner-city, and urban schools. And that being the worst of it, there's some states that are really damn close.

Some schools pass kids just to get them out of the grade.
And let's remember a nice little doctrie: "No child left behind..." Yep. No one left behind. Can't read, but Great job!

[General Battuta]

A full third? Wow.

I have to say I'd want to get corroboration on that figure.

[Charismatic]

Yeah i want their soruces, or where they pulled those numbers out of their ass.

[azile0]

Oh. My. God. Thank you, Mom, thank you, Dad, for giving me books plentiful and lengthy!

[portej05]

According to someone I know that sat this year's (someone correct my apostrophes!) TEE (Tertiary Entrance Exam - West Australian) English exam, they could have done better if they'd spent the year reading New Idea rather than reading the set texts.

[Charismatic]

SAT texts?

[Mobius]

How the **** can you graduate from school unable to read in the first place? How on Earth do you pass your exams?

Dam true. Well, I'd understand a "People don't know how to write" because it means people don't write in a very good way...it happens everywhere...

IMHO bad schools aren't the true source of problems. Schools aren't supposed to teach everything - extra activities do most part of the job. People are illiterate because they don't read anymore. Reading is what really helps.

[StarSlayer]

How the **** can you graduate from school unable to read in the first place? How on Earth do you pass your exams?

Dam true. Well, I'd understand a "People don't know how to write" because it means people don't write in a very good way...it happens everywhere...

IMHO bad schools aren't the true source of problems. Schools aren't supposed to teach everything - extra activities do most part of the job. People are illiterate because they don't read anymore. Reading is what really helps.

No if public education is pumping out students who are illiterate then something is FUMTU and the school is to blame.  Literacy, mathematics, history, science are the basic fundamentals schools are supposed to be teaching it students, things like shop and art are extras.  If these stats are correct then the government has to get its ass together and start fixing the problem because this is dangerous.

[Mobius]

No doubt bad schools are a very worrying thing but if you don't tell teenagers to read and show interest on things that really matter(surely not Paris Hilton's habits and crap like that). People would remain illiterate if they don't integrate things learned at school with things learned elsewhere.

[Mars]

It's really very impressive when you consider that Elementery - Middle- and High school English classes essentially give you the same information, year after year, for over a decade.

If you don't learn the basics eventually, you need to be very, very stupid.

No doubt bad schools are a very worrying thing but if you don't tell teenagers to read and show interest on things that really matter(surely not Paris Hilton's habits and crap like that). People would remain illiterate if they don't integrate things learned at school with things learned elsewhere.

Thank you Mobius, I fully agree. There simply isn't a lot of motivation given for people to educate themselves, partially because Highschool is as boring as ****, takes up a ridiculous amount of time, and gives a ridiculous amount of work; and at the same time only provides a limited amount of education. Also at play is kind of an anti-education movement of people who encourage their kids and kids around them to stay out of it.

[Mobius]

It's really very impressive when you consider that Elementery - Middle- and High school English classes essentially give you the same information, year after year, for over a decade.

If you don't learn the basics eventually, you need to be very, very stupid.

It happens here, too - I studied the Romans(just to give an example) 5, 8 and 11 years ago. Three times. The main intent is to teach children how to study so that they can succeed in the following years.

There also are pathetic stereotypes...people who don't tend to like nerds can really make the difference. They can influence people who like studying and then lead them to become ignorants.

Thank you Mobius, I fully agree. There simply isn't a lot of motivation given for people to educate themselves, partially because Highschool is as boring as ****, takes up a ridiculous amount of time, and gives a ridiculous amount of work; and at the same time only provides a limited amount of education. Also at play is kind of an anti-education movement of people who encourage their kids and kids around them to stay out of it.

Other schools are quite boring as well, let's say that High School strikes the final blow and drains out what remains of anyone's interest.

There's a very bad situation in Italy, the government has cut off many school funds thus leading many thousand teachers to lose their job. Attending Universities is now harder in terms of payment. The are strikes nearly every single day but the government doesn't GAF. They claim they're doing this to purify Italian schools and make them more conclusives by cutting down funds(oh yeah).

Now, teenagers who're willing to attend an University don't know what to do. This situation is severely compromising interest.

[StarSlayer]

Heh i read the source article sounds like were turning into the Republic of Haven.  Though it isn't an actual statistics publication so i'm not sure if its just a scary news tease

[Ford Prefect]

There's nothing inherently wrong with the American school system; so many of them are just poor. The only thing "The Government"™ needs to get its ass in gear about is addressing the needs of impoverished areas-- a project that has become exponentially more daunting since the Bush administration decided to make a bonfire out of all the country's money. Beyond improving socioeconomic conditions so that schools can function the way they're supposed to, I don't think there's anything the government can do about illiteracy.

[Solatar]

The government can only do so much. Sure you can get at the people who are on the "edge" possibly of not caring/dropping out; but if somebody doesn't want to learn, you can't force them. Sadly, the prevalent culture (around here anyway) is that the easy way is the best way. Learning is not "cool".

[Kosh]

No if public education is pumping out students who are illiterate then something is FUMTU and the school is to blame. 

And students and parents not caring about their education is somehow not part of the problem? There is plenty of blame to go to the school, sure, but the biggest problem with our system is that the students have absolutly no responsibility and just saying "the school is to blame" reinforces this.

[redsniper]

Learning is not "cool".

This. Learning isn't cool. Being smart isn't cool.
I suppose it might be a sort of escapism. People like to stay ignorant, thinking that their own limited view of the world is all there is. It's much easier than facing reality, taking responsibility...

[blackhole]

Half my classes are useless, so I just teach myself whatever I need to know.