About Adult Literacy

Functional Literacy Defined
Scope of Illiteracy in the United States
Scope of Illiteracy in the Roanoke Valley
Why is the illiteracy rate so high in the American-born adult population?
Economic Impact of Illiteracy
Links

Functional Literacy Defined

According to the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), literacy is defined as "using printed and written information to function in society, to achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s knowledge and potential."

Scope of Illiteracy in the United States

The NAAL indicates that approximately 30 million adults in the United States have extremely marginal literacy skills (identified as “below basic”) and another 63 million have only the most basic skills (identified as “basic”). These individuals typically have low-paying jobs and significant periods of unemployment. There are 11 million adults who may be proficient in other languages but are non-literate in English.

While these estimates have not changed dramatically since the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS), the world we live in has changed. Adults with marginal literacy skills are not equipped to succeed in today’s increasingly information-driven workplace, nor will they be ready for the highly technical jobs of the future.

The 30 million in the below basic category are most likely to live in poverty, struggle with severe health issues, and be unable to participate in their children’s education. They are also less likely to vote than those with stronger literacy skills.

Scope of Illiteracy in the Roanoke Valley

Although the 2003 NAAL study did not break out statistics by state, the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) found that 25% of the adults in the City of Roanoke were considered functionally illiterate. In the City of Salem and Botetourt County, the rate was 14%. Roanoke County had a 13% adult illiteracy rate. The assumption is that these statistics have not improved since 1993.

There are more than 10,000 immigrants in the Roanoke Valley. The number of immigrants that enter the Roanoke Valley each year is not known. Anecdotal evidence tells us that the number of immigrants continues to grow.

The Literacy Volunteers of Roanoke Valley Statistical Summary shows the demographics of LVRV clients.

Why is the illiteracy rate so high in the American-born adult population?

The answers are as varied as the number of non-readers. The adult non-reader may have left school early, may have had a physical or emotional disability, may have had ineffective teachers or simply have been unready to learn at the time reading instruction began. Because they are unable to help their children learn, parents who can’t read often perpetuate the intergenerational cycle of illiteracy. Without books, newspapers, or magazines in the home and without a parent who reads to serve as a role model, many children grow up with severe literacy deficiencies. Clearly, there is no single cause of illiteracy.

Economic Impact of Illiteracy

The International Adult Literacy Survey, as reported in Turning Skills Into Profit: Economic Benefits of Workplace Education Programs, found that “more than 40 percent of the U.S. workforce and more than 50 percent of high school graduates do not have the basic skills to do their job. Even college graduates suffer from the skills gap: 16 percent have inadequate basic skills.”

A Literacy at Work study done by the Northeast-Midwest Institute and The Center for Regional Policy found that business losses attributable to basic skill deficiencies run into hundreds of millions of dollars because of low productivity, errors, and accidents.

Links

Facts and Statistics for Adult Education and Literacy in Virginia