Are literacy rates declining in America?

In fact, results from national and international exams in 2019 found that reading performance among American students was on the decline, in turn widening gaps between high and low performers. Specifically, almost two-thirds of U.S. students were unable to read at grade level prior to the pandemic.

Is the US literacy rate decreasing?

Along with declining literacy rates, interest in reading books is also waning. About a fourth of Americans have not read a book in the past year according to Pew Research. The desire to read sophisticated texts has diminished as well.

Are we in a literacy crisis?

There is currently a literacy crisis happening in the U.S., one that disproportionately affects students of color, and that cannot be ignored. Literacy is one of the major civil rights issues of our time, and our children's future — and our nation's democracy — depends on us addressing it now.

How serious is America's literacy problem?

In the United States, 54% of American adults read below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level, and nearly one in five adults reads below a third-grade level. Lower literacy rates directly correlate to higher unemployment rates, reduced income, and overall impacts U.S. competitiveness on the global stage.

Are reading levels declining?

The National Assessment of Educational Progress long-term trend test for 13-year-olds showed a 4-point decline in reading scores — from 260 in 2020 to 256 in 2023.

Inside America’s literacy crisis and efforts to change how kids learn to read | ABCNL

Why is literacy falling?

November 2, 2022

While California's literacy crisis certainly predates the pandemic, with less than half of California children reading at grade level back in 2019, the fallout of the pandemic, the devastating impact of school closures and remote learning, has sent test scores plummeting further.

Why so many American kids are struggling to read?

In short, children raised in poverty, those with limited proficiency in English, those from homes where the parents' reading levels and practices are low, and those with speech, language, and hearing handicaps are at increased risk of reading failure.

What states have the worst literacy rates?

New Mexico has the lowest literacy rate in the US, with a rate of 70.9%. California has the second lowest literacy rate, at 71.6%, while both Texas and Mississippi have literacy rates of 71.8%, making them the third and fourth states with the lowest literacy rates in the US.

Who has the worst literacy rate?

On the other end of the spectrum, eight countries have a literacy rate of less than 40%: Chad (26.76%), Mali (30.76%), South Sudan (34.52%), Botswana (36.75%), Afghanistan (37.27%), Niger (37.27%), Niger (37.34%), Central African Republic (37.49%), and Somalia (37.80%).

Why is US literacy so low?

Hispanics, older people, and incarcerated people are more likely to be low literate than other US adults. Major factors influencing literacy development include education, socioeconomic status, learning English as a second language, learning disabilities, and crime.

What is the literacy issue in the United States?

According to the US Department of Education and the National Institute of Literacy, 32 million American adults can't read, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development estimates that 50 percent of US adults can't read a book written at an eighth-grade level.

Are literacy rates improving?

Education. The global literacy rate currently stands at 87%, up from 12% in 1820. Most developed countries have achieved a 99% literacy rate.

Why are reading and math scores dropping?

Students around the world suffered historic setbacks in reading and math during the COVID-19 pandemic, with declines in test scores so widespread that the United States climbed in global rankings simply by falling behind less sharply, a new study finds.

Are math scores declining?

In the national sample of 13-year-old students, average math scores fell by 9 points between 2020 and 2023.

Why are US students math and reading scores dropping?

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona pointed to the results as an indicator of the impact of the federal investments made in schools during the pandemic, much of which was spent on academic recovery initiatives, such as tutoring and mental health support for students.

What US city has the highest literacy rate?

For the fourth straight year, Washington, D.C. is the most literate city in the United States, according to a recent study on literacy.

Who has the lowest literacy rate in us?

1. California

California's 23.1% of adults lacking basic prose literacy skills make California have the lowest literacy rate of 76.9%.

What percent of us is illiterate?

On average, 79% of U.S. adults nationwide are literate in 2024. 21% of adults in the US are illiterate in 2024. 54% of adults have a literacy below a 6th-grade level (20% are below 5th-grade level). Low levels of literacy costs the US up to 2.2 trillion per year.

Why is California's literacy so low?

Decades of underinvestment in schools, culture battles over bilingual education, and stark income inequality have made California the least literate state in the nation, as Capitol Weekly reported. Nearly 1 in 4 people over the age of 15 lack the skills to decipher the words in this sentence.

What is considered illiterate?

The difference between literate and illiterate people is explicit here: illiterates had never attended school and are unable to read or write even single words while literates can (Reis and Castro-Caldas, 1997).

Is reading losing popularity?

This year's Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA), administered by the NEA every five years since 1982, found that: In 2022, 53% of U.S. adults read literature and/or books of some kind (compared to 57.1% in 2017). Data indicate a sharp decline in reading over the last decade.

Why do kids not like reading anymore?

It could be a combination of watching too much television at home and doing a lot of boring worksheets in school. Once children lose interest in reading, it's hard to get them back. The motivation to read also tends to decrease as kids get older. Reading is like any other skill.

Is phonics making a comeback?

By the start of this school year, ExcelinEd found at least 30 states, including Washington, D.C., and New York City, the nation's largest public school district, required phonics-based "science of reading" policies to address the sagging scores.