A student project for JMC 302, summer 2015.

1. By
Kyle Herout
Bryan Keller
Emma Hopson
Shalisha Gentle
and Zhiheng He

2. The Problem
1. 14% of adults in America cannot read.
2. 21% read below a 5th grade level.
3. 70% of inmates cannot read above a 4th grade level.
4. 85% of juveniles that face trial are illiterate.
5. 26% of high-school graduates read below basic reading
levels.
6. These numbers haven’t changed in the past 10 years.

4. What is Causing the Problem?
1. Overcrowding classrooms due to budget cuts resulting in more distractions
from fellow students and less one on one help from teachers.
2. Technology advancements have caused children's brains to need more
constant stimulation that is only offered by electronic screens and not
tangible books.
3. Many parents work multiple jobs to provide for their family resulting in
children getting less help with reading from their parents and more free
time to use electronics.
4. High-schools are some what dumbing down the curriculum to boost
graduation rates. decreasing the value of a high-school diploma.

5. Solutions
1. Increase school budgets to allow for smaller class sizes.
2. Parents should be encouraged to limit their children's
time on computer or gaming devices, and should try to
read nightly with their children.
3. Schools should offer more incentives for reading
excellence to encourage children to read.
4. Raise the standard of a high-school diploma so that if
teenages want to graduate they will have to put much
more effort into their studies.

6. Work Cited
1. Crum, Maddie. "The U.S. Illiteracy Rate Hasn't Changed In 10 Years." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d.
Web. 06 July 2015. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/06/illiteracy-rate_n_3880355.html
2. "11 Facts about Literacy in America." 11 Facts about Literacy in America. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 July 2015.
https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-literacy-america
3. "If High School Seniors Can't Read Their Diplomas, Should They Be Allowed to Graduate?" TakePart. N.p., n.d. Web. 06
July 2015. http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/01/23/graduation-rates-are-all-time-high-not-so-fast