Is literacy rate dropping?

According to McKinsey & Company, U.S. students lost the equivalent of nearly half a school year in reading instruction due to the pandemic. In 2022, reading scores dropped to levels that we haven't seen since 2005.

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.

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.

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.

Is global literacy declining?

While only 12% of the people in the world could read and write in 1820, today the share has reversed: only 14% of the world population, in 2016, remained illiterate. Over the last 65 years the global literacy rate increased by 4% every 5 years – from 42% in 1960 to 86% in 2015.

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

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.

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.

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.

What state has the lowest reading level?

The states with the lowest literacy rates are New Mexico, California, Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Nevada, New York, Alabama, Florida and Georgia.

What is the US ranked in math?

It's now sixth among the 81 countries in reading (from eighth in 2018), 10th in science (from 11th) and 26th in math (from 29th), primarily because other countries that once outperformed the United States — including France, Portugal, Iceland and Norway — posted scores that were statistically tied, Carr said.

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.

Is America becoming less literate?

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.

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%).

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.

Do kids read less nowadays?

“The data is alarming – fewer children today identify as frequent readers, and reading frequency plummets as kids age.

What age do children lose interest in reading?

It also found that fewer children enjoy reading, and that this dwindled with age: nearly twice as many five to eight-year-olds as 14 to 16-year-olds said they took pleasure from reading.

Are kids struggling to read?

Biennial testing through NAEP consistently shows that two thirds of U.S. children are unable to read with proficiency. An astounding 40 percent are essentially nonreaders.

Does Gen Z read books?

Noorda reports that younger Americans are “reading books, buying books, and visiting libraries,” but the findings also point to the wider media world they engage with on a daily basis. “Not only are Gen Z and Millennials engaging with books, but they are also engaging with other forms of media,” Noorda said.

Are libraries becoming less popular?

The PLS data show that in 2009, Americans visited a library 5.4 times per year on average. A decade later in 2019, attendance dropped to 3.9 visits per year — a 28 percent decline. The empirical reality is that libraries are not third places for most Americans; the average American rarely sets foot into one.

What country reads the most?

India – Ranking at number one, India spends approximately 10 hours and 42 minutes reading per week.

Is illiteracy getting worse?

1, and makes up one component of “Learning Poverty” (the other component being the share of children out of school). Out of 31 countries and territories for which PIRLS data is comparable between 2016 and 2021, 22 countries (or 71%) show that in 2021 more children were below minimum reading proficiency than in 2016.

What percentage of the US is illiterate?

Nationwide, on average, 79% of U.S. adults are literate in 2022. 21% of adults in the US are illiterate in 2022. 54% of adults have a literacy below sixth-grade level. 21% of Americans 18 and older are illiterate in 2022.

Are math scores declining?

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