American Ignorance on the Rise
December 16th, 2005 by Chris KinnanEven as the feds spend greater amounts of money subsidizing higher education, American literacy rates are plummeting. The latest: a stunning report that literacy rates for college graduates is collapsed from 40% in 1992 to just 31% in 2003. It’s shocking and deeply troubling that under one-third of college graduates are actually literate. While there are some lifestyle and demographic reasons for the drop, clearly many universities are awarding degrees to students who are not literate. No doubt, increasing federal subsidies and regulatory involvement in higher ed are not only failing to improve outcomes but are probably degrading the quality of our colleges.
It is frightening that the educational level of American civilization is in sharp decline.
From the New York Times (Sam Dillon):
“The average American college graduate’s literacy in English declined significantly over the past decade, according to results of a nationwide test released yesterday.”
“The National Assessment of Adult Literacy, given in 2003 by the Department of Education, is the nation’s most important test of how well adult Americans can read.
“The test also found steep declines in the English literacy of Hispanics in the United States, and significant increases among blacks and Asians.
“When the test was last administered, in 1992, 40 percent of the nation’s college graduates scored at the proficient level, meaning that they were able to read lengthy, complex English texts and draw complicated inferences. But on the 2003 test, only 31 percent of the graduates demonstrated those high-level skills.
December 16th, 2005 at 4:48 pm
This information is truly appalling; I feel the most disparaging statistic within the article is that nationally only 13% of the country is rated as “proficient.” This means one of two things either the National Assessment of Adult Literacy test is extremely difficult, or the education system has been failing for some time. But with less than 50% of individuals who have had 16 years of schooling being able “to read lengthy, complex English texts and draw complicated inferences.†It is especially disconcerting that Hispanics the fastest growing ethnic group in America had a lower number of literate individuals than the previous test.
December 21st, 2005 at 12:09 pm
this should not be a surprise anyone ,I am 66 years old and the American School system didnt work when I went to School. and it has changed to where it is more important to take dance,
study flys and watch yourbellybutton, than to study math ,science and history.
October 9th, 2007 at 4:30 pm
Wow, Robert is incredibly concise! I love morons!