Why don't Americans read?

[pa3de8]

Since 1983, more than 10 million Americans reached the 12th grade without having learned to read at a basic level. In the same period, more than 6 million Americans dropped out of high school altogether.

I married one of the dropouts, and seeing how that's affected his life has been part of the reason I became a tutor...now teaching GED and HSEE Language Arts, and literacy classes. My ex never got his GED (refuses to, actually, though I'm not sure why), and he's basically had to live off of other people 'cause he can't get a decent job.

Approximately 50 percent of the nation's unemployed youth age 16-21 are functional illiterate, with virtually no prospects of obtaining good jobs.

About a third of my literacy students have a high school diploma, but ended up in my class 'cause they got through with only a nodding acquaintance with "proper" English.

50 percent of American adults are unable to read an eighth grade level book.

I also work as a copy editor/proofreader for several Popular Periodical Publications. My bosses might deny it (and me), but language/grammar guidelines are set to keep the articles at (or close to) a fourth-grade reading level. Not that your average American can't read at a higher level, but an AA will (apparently) lose interest if the vocab. is more...complicated, I guess. And we've gotta keep 'em buying! Not sure who decided that fourth grade was the proper cutoff, but, well, that's the way it is.

More power to you T! Its great to see someone doing something to help. I was astounded to see some of the kids in one of the local high schools who had trouble reading and how far they got that way when we were asked to visit the schools in the area as part of a toned down "Scared Straight" Program since I am am LEO in a prison system.

Scott B.

[Shadow_Steph]

As a daughter of two school teachers both retired now but anyways I know the stress they placed on teachers with the overemphasis on test scores and that hurts teachers ability to teach.

[Christine80]

As a daughter of two school teachers both retired now but anyways I know the stress they placed on teachers with the overemphasis on test scores and that hurts teachers ability to teach.

How so? I thought that the point of the tests are to make sure the kids are learning what they need at an age when they are mature enough to understand and absorb the information.

[smurphy-]

I think this thread needs to be moved to the "Non-Reading Discussion Forums for Non-Readers," but Google couldn't find it for me. Here we are just asking readers why people who are not them do not do what readers do, and what is more, we are using the top ten posters list of this forum as evidence that Americans do not read much.

My sentiments exactly! I don't doubt the statistics in the least but I think that readers tend to be around other people that are readers and would have little insight as to why others don't read. Even the few non-readers that I have known through work were a mystery to me. I've heard them say they just don't have the time to read but they were always talking about what happened last night on some silly 'reality' show. Turn off the TV and pick up a book! Oh, well. To each their own.

[Kowalskil]

... As it happens, both of the have girls inherited their parents' love of books, and have never left it at that - they both read avidly. But that's down to my wife and I, not the school.

Reading assigned books, like any other homework, should be a pleasure-generating activity. But it is often is not? How can this be explained? Who is responsible for not creating pleasure-generating activities?

Ludwik Kowalski (see Wikipedia), a retired teacher.

[mjmooney]

... As it happens, both of the have girls inherited their parents' love of books, and have never left it at that - they both read avidly. But that's down to my wife and I, not the school.

Reading assigned books, like any other homework, should be a pleasure-generating activity. But it is often is not? How can this be explained? Who is responsible for not creating pleasure-generating activities?

Ludwik Kowalski (see Wikipedia), a retired teacher.

No slur intended on my daughters' teachers as it happens. The girls DID mostly enjoy reading the set books. It's the current system (UK National Curriculum), which is so obsessed with ticking boxes it prevents enthusiastic and inspirational teachers from doing what they do best. IMHO, natch.

[WebKat]

I love, love, love to read, as I've stated already in this thread, but I hated most of the assigned reading in schoool. The Scarlet Letter, for example, is a chore to read. Ugh!

[Tralala]

As a daughter of two school teachers both retired now but anyways I know the stress they placed on teachers with the overemphasis on test scores and that hurts teachers ability to teach.

How so? I thought that the point of the tests are to make sure the kids are learning what they need at an age when they are mature enough to understand and absorb the information.

NO WAY! Not here, anyway. It's all about funding. No Child Left Behind, my achin' butt! Spin doctors are the most creative writers in the US.

[Shadow_Steph]

We're talking about same thing no child left behind decides the funding by standardize tests that the kids are not doing well so schools make teachers teach how to pass the tests instead of allowing them to do their job.

[WebKat]

Yeah No Child Left Behind is a terrible thing. It encourages teachers to "teach to the test" rather than "teaching to the knowledge" which is what they should be doing. Critical thinking skills are not being taught anymore, either, which is a horrible, horrible thing. I have a teenager in high school and I swear the things I have to teach him because his teachers do not.... oy.

[Kowalskil]

Yeah No Child Left Behind is a terrible thing. It encourages teachers to "teach to the test" rather than "teaching to the knowledge" which is what they should be doing. Critical thinking skills are not being taught anymore, either, which is a horrible, horrible thing. I have a teenager in high school and I swear the things I have to teach him because his teachers do not.... oy.

The "teach to the test" would be OK if tests were better. Tests should be designed to evaluate kids knowledge of what is important.

Ludwik Kowalski (see Wikipedia)
.

[Tralala]

We're talking about same thing no child left behind decides the funding by standardize tests that the kids are not doing well so schools make teachers teach how to pass the tests instead of allowing them to do their job.

Yup. And really, it was all just a big scam...so the guv'ment would have a "valid" reason to cut school funding. I must stress that that is my perspective, and I am not trying to open a political debate. I'm not out to change anyone's mind about anything. I can't control my own head, much less someone else's.

Yeah No Child Left Behind is a terrible thing. It encourages teachers to "teach to the test" rather than "teaching to the knowledge" which is what they should be doing. Critical thinking skills are not being taught anymore, either, which is a horrible, horrible thing. I have a teenager in high school and I swear the things I have to teach him because his teachers do not.... oy.

I know! I've had to wonder, sometimes, what they ARE teaching my kid....I think most of the teachers here are really doing their best, though, with overloaded classrooms and limited budgets. Still, the whole study-skills thing has seemed to go out the window.

[Mel Carriere]

I don't think we Americans have ever been the most intellectual bunch, I think we are known the world over as a practical, can-do people, and we import our intellects from other countries to do the deep thinking for us. Nonetheless, our level of literacy has sunk to abominably low levels, and not just among the blue collar types. For instance, at the enterprise where I am employed our Area Manager is pretty much functionally illiterate. If I were to show you examples of emails he has written, you would cringe. Even if you are not of a philosophical or literary bent, you should still have the basic skills to communicate in society, and that is something our milk toast, namby-pamby schools are not providing.

[Kowalskil]

... Even if you are not of a philosophical or literary bent, you should still have the basic skills to communicate in society, and that is something our milk toast, namby-pamby schools are not providing.

That is certainly true. Sometimes I think that too rapid technological progress is responsible for the decline, not only in the US.

Ludwik Kowalski (see Wikipedia)
.

[Tralala]

Has anyone else cringed over grammatical and spelling errors in emails/notes from teachers? I never, ever correct them....but it takes 'bout all my willpower not to!