While those in education understand the current state of the nation's literacy (读写能力) crisis, most everyday Americans are dangerously unaware.
According to the U. S. Department of Education, nearly 130 million American adults read below a sixth-grade level. Now, consider how that number represents more than half the adult U. S. population.
That's not surprising, according to the most recent "Nation's Report Card" by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The NAEP reports that roughly just one-third of students in fourth, eighth and 12th grades are proficient (精通) in reading and have"solid academic performance and demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter. "
In fact, this U. S. reading crisis has been 20 years in the making. While one-third of students are considered proficient, the statistics are even more alarming for low-income students, students of color and students with disabilities.
Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic (流行病) has exposed a growing "digital divide" in which those without access to supportive learning programs and teachers will continue to slide through the cracks.
This is troubling for many reasons. Literacy can be a great equalizer, leveling the playing field across systemic social issues, like race and gender inequality. It plays an enormous role in increasing access to economic opportunity.
It is estimated that increasing literacy proficiency has the potential to generate a lot more in annual income for the United States. And on the individual level, illiteracy can impact a person's lifetime earning potential by 30-42%.
Still, the benefits of literacy go far beyond someone's earning ability. Literacy supports social, physical and emotional well-being, and it affects everything from crime rates to hospital admissions to self-confidence.
But challenging as the literacy landscape may seem right now, there is cause for optimism.
And the strategy for literacy is simple.
