The literacy statistics were not only interesting, but very surprising and even shocking as well. I was very shocked to see that only about 1 in 17 seventeen year olds can read, and how much this statistic ranged based on ethnicity. Reading scores being at a stand still is also kind of disappointing. I really hope our advancements in technology hasn’t had some effect on this…
Statistics on reading ability of fourth graders is a lot lower than I would expect, I didn’t realize so many children struggled in this area when I seemed to have no trouble in elementary in my reading capabilities. High and low socioeconomic status has an effect on whether children are being exposed to reading at home as well as school; this statistic was not much of a shock to me. I believe families with financial problems are usually less likely to value education because of their situation and a lot of this is due to their focus being put on their money issues and stress level.
One billion illiterate adults in the world?! And 2/3 are women? This is a crime. I also really did not realize that literacy affected health, crime, and employment. Being literate has a positive effect on everyone, including criminals- this is refreshing information.