Using printed and written information to function in society, to achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s knowledge and potential.
Did you know that…
• 53% of
• 56% of adults in
• 19% of
• 18 to 24 year olds across the
Why is literacy important?
• 56% of the population in Shelby County reads at Level 1 or 2, the lowest levels.
• The 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey estimated that between 40 and 44 million of Americans over the age of 15 function at the lowest literacy level, roughly equivalent to fifth grade or below.
• For those with very low literacy skills, it is a struggle to read to their children or help with homework. They cannot understand the instructions on an appliance, read a map, a cookbook, the instructions on medicine, or a Bible.
• 43% of people with the lowest literacy skills nationwide live in poverty.
• Nearly one-third of prison inmates have very low literacy skills. Close to 40% more read only at low levels.
• Over 75% of current welfare recipients have very low or low reading skills.
• Only 30% of adults with very low literacy skills have full-time jobs. Some have part-time jobs, but over half of these no longer seek work.
Can anything help?
• Helping adults with low literacy improve reading has a direct impact on their children. According to the U.S. Dept. of Education, children whose families participate in the federally-funded Even Start family literacy program make significant gains on tests of school readiness skills and language development.
• A Federal Bureau of Prisons report found that completing an education course every six months reduced recidivism by almost 10%.
How does this affect me?
• For businesses: 50% of Fortune 500 companies underwrite remedial employee training in the basic skills at an annual cost of $300 million.
• For parents: you want your child to have the best possible educational opportunities. Every day, 4,000 students drop out of the public school system.
• For teachers: if a child never missed a day of school from first grade to twelfth, he or she would have spent only nine percent of his or her life in the classroom.
• For neighborhoods: 85% of juveniles brought to court and over 25 percent – possibly as high as 60 percent – of adult prison inmates are functionally illiterate.
What can I do?
• Set an example. A child spends 91% of her or his time at home or in the community and only 9% in school. The example you set for your children and all the children in the community is extremely important.
• Be an advocate. Take up the cause for a more literate society. Champion literacy achievements via the media. Be a volunteer tutor in one of the many literacy programs. Make a donation Your contribution can help Mid South Reads continue the key projects that provide solutions to literacy concerns.
• Consider a partnership. Call Mid South Reads for a mutually beneficial collaboration. Become a member of Mid South Reads. Call 901-678-2001 for information.
Further information:
For more links on other literacy resources:
http://www.lifesplaybook.com/
http://www.halfpricebooks.com/aeio_and_you.html
http://www.famlit.org/
Tennessee’s state school report card:
http://www.k-12.state.tn.us/rptcrd04/
Literacy facts and surveys:
http://nces.ed.gov/naal/
http://www.kclearningworks.org/1pgs/factcontrov.html
Census report information and schools:
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/sdds/c2000d.asp
For kids with learning disabilities:
http://www.schwablearning.org/index.asp
For volunteering information:
http://www.literacycampus.org
