The following observations are taken from “Virginia’s not-so-hidden secret: The adult literacy crisis” by Victoire Gerkens Sanborn and Hillary D. Major, both of the Literacy Institute at the Virginia Commonwealth University, published in Virginia Issues and Answers, Summer 2008.
Virginia has more than 2 million adults struggling with basic or below basic literacy skills. Illiterate adults include adults not only those who dropped out of school, but also some who received high school diplomas. Over half the illiterate adults in Virginia who enroll in literacy courses are employed, but on average they earn much less than literate contemporaries.
A majority of them face economic uncertainty, with disproportionate numbers living below the poverty level, incarcerated, or unable to access vital health care and other community services. Illiterate adults are often the children of illiterates, and unless they learn to read and write, they will transmit poor literacy skills to their children.
Access and income are central to the ongoing literacy problem. Those with low literacy skills typically do not have access to good schools, transportation, child care, and technology. A larger percentage of illiterate adults work at low-skill jobs with earnings below the poverty line. Adults reading at the lowest two levels of literacy are handicapped in every aspect of American society. As Sanborn and Major put it, “As citizens, they are unable to access vital services for themselves and their families. As workers, they lack the critical thinking and technology skills needed to advance in the workplace. As parents, they are unable to teach their children a love for reading or to help them with schoolwork. “
Employers are unhappy with today’s workforce, according to an American Management Association survey. Among its membership and affiliates nationally, it found as many as 34% of job applicants lack the literacy skills for sought for positions. Forty percent of employers found new hires without sufficient skills in literacy such as memo writing skills or technical reports. As many as seventy percent of those with a high school diploma can fail to meet basic English spelling and grammar skills. Virginia’s employers have had similar experiences with new hires.
Illiteracy impacts citizenship in a democracy: “staying informed, expressing opinions and ideas, working together to get things done for a common purpose, and exercising rights and responsibilities to improve the world. Two literacy outreach initiatives are eLearn Virginia at http://www.learntechlib.org/noaccess/25545, a statewide online distance learning program, and GED ON DEMAND, in which major cable companies provide ON DEMAND subscribers with free access to GED preparation videos.
Contributing societal factors in adult literacy include poor educational systems, poverty, the cycle of illiteracy, a population explosion of immigrants, and a lack of self-awareness among most illiterate adults. This crisis can only be resolved with a systemic approach:
1) Encourage adults with low literacy skills to achieve functional and occupational literacy goals.
2) Forge integrated partnerships among adult education providers and social service agencies, workforce development and workplace education programs, K-12 educators and community colleges.
3) Fund adult basic education and literacy programs.
Links:
Virginia Department of Education – Adult Ed
The Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center
GED Virginia – to find classes near you. FAQ for test takers and test administrators
Virginia Commonwealth University VCU, Online adult literacy certification program