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Immigration See other Immigration Articles Title: Survey finds 1 in 20 lack basic English skills Survey finds 1 in 20 lack basic English skills By Greg Toppo, USA TODAY Eleven million U.S. adults — about one in 20 — have such poor English skills that they can't read a newspaper, understand the directions on a bottle of pills or, in many cases, carry on a basic conversation, says a new federal survey that offers the first peek in more than a decade at the USA's "non-literate" adult population. Recent immigrants with limited or no English skills account for most of the group, adult education advocates say, but the survey suggests that even the average adult has low skills. Only 13%, for instance, are able to compare viewpoints in two editorials; interpret a table on blood pressure, age and physical activity, or compare the per-ounce costs of two cans of soup. Only 52% could look at a heating bill and figure out that a five-cent-per gallon deduction on a purchase of 140 gallons of oil would yield $7. "It's a stark snapshot of adult literacy in the 21st century," said Dale Lipschultz., president of the National Coalition for Literacy. "We know that a more literate America will be more competitive and prosperous." The first comprehensive look at adult literacy since a similar study in 1992, the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, released Thursday in Washington, found that an estimated 30 million adults, or 14%, have "below basic" skills. While blacks' abilities improved across the board, there were few improvements overall. Interviewers surveyed 19,000 adults ages 16 and up living in the USA in 2003 and found that the basic skills of whites, Asians and Pacific Islanders rose modestly if at all across all education levels. Hispanics were the only group that fared worse than in 1992, in two of three areas: the ability to read "continuous texts" such as books and magazines, as well as forms, tables and TV listings. They were unchanged in "quantitative literacy," the ability to add a bank deposit slip, for instance. The survey concluded that an estimated 11 million adults are "non-literate" in English, including 4 million who probably can't speak English and 7 million who can't answer basic written questions. "We remain concerned that the numbers are so high," said Leslie Burger, president-elect of the American Library Association. She and others said the high numbers of non-literate adults is a function of increased immigration in the past decade. Many new immigrants, advocates say, could benefit from adult education programs but worry that doing so could expose them to government scrutiny and even deportation. The non-literate population includes adults who may be able to read and write — even at high levels — in another language. The English skills deficits could have dire consequences — researchers found that one in four adults who read a one-page flier about the effects of high blood pressure couldn't figure out "why it is difficult for people to know if they have high blood pressure." In another question, just 36% could match a figure they read on a chart to one given to them in a question about the chart. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings on Thursday said the federal government will coordinate adult education efforts through several federal agencies. "One adult unable to read is one too many in America." Jose Velazquez, director of the National Center for Family Literacy's Hispanic Family Learning Institute, said education needs to focus more on adults. "This country right now is focused on No Child Left Behind, but we can clearly see from this data that many adults are being left behind."
Poster Comment: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Eleven million U.S. adults — about one in 20 — have such poor English skills that they can't read a newspaper, understand the directions on a bottle of pills or, in many cases, carry on a basic conversation, says a new federal survey that offers the first peek in more than a decade at the USA's "non-literate" adult population. So deport 11 million wetbacks and the overall literacy of the country goes up. What's the problem? Boonie Rat MACV SOCOM, PhuBai/Hue '65-'66
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#1. To: boonie rat (#0)
the dumbing down has been an unmitigated success!
Damn straight...and they say Americans just can't get the job done anymore!
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