The US is facing a literacy crisis, impacting children’s future and well-being, the society, and the national economy. Illiteracy influences many of the issues the country is suffering from today, including gender inequality, malnutrition, unemployment, and infant mortality.

1. Youth Illiteracy Still a Crisis
in the U.S., Statistics Show
Studentreasures Publishing

2. The US is facing a literacy crisis, impacting children’s future and well-being, the society, and the
national economy. Illiteracy influences many of the issues the country is suffering from today,
including gender inequality, malnutrition, unemployment, and infant mortality.
Approximately 32 million adults in America are illiterate; most have a third-grade comprehension
level for reading, writing, and basic math. Two thirds of children from impoverished backgrounds
have no access to books and other learning materials.
Statistics, Causes, and Implications
The development of literacy skills starts long before a child enters the educational system. But
families living in poverty find it difficult to access the proper avenues and tools to teach their
children reading and writing skills, especially for parents with low educational attainments and
poor literacy skills.
The children of parents who have low literacy levels are 72 percent more likely to be at low
reading levels themselves. These children have a higher chance of dropping out of high school,
repeating school years, receiving poor grades, or displaying behavioral problems.

3. About 75 percent of prison inmates are also associated with low reading comprehension levels
and are high school dropouts. The American Journal of Public Health adds low literacy contributes
over $230 billion in healthcare costs because almost half of the American population cannot
comprehend medical information, leading to higher costs.
Probable Solutions
The failure to build children’s knowledge in elementary school explains the difference between
the reading scores of pupils from wealthier families and those from less fortunate backgrounds.
Whereas affluent students have the means to acquire supplemental skills training elsewhere,
poorer children rely on the school’s curriculum to acquire necessary knowledge.
One possible solution is to improve the efficacy of the educational school system in teaching
literacy skills. Scholars found that the traditional curriculum of focusing on the development of
basic reading and math before moving on to other subjects does not help the comprehension of
children. This technique only leaves gaps in their knowledge. They proposed a more holistic
approach, a curriculum that includes history, science, literature, and the arts, to expand the
vocabulary and comprehension of students.
There are still schools that prioritize literacy instruction all the way through from K to 12 for
students who are having an especially difficult time at developing reading skills. Some educational
institutions also offer engaging programs to cultivate creativity, reading, and writing skills for
free.

4. Resources:
https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/education-news-roundup/illiteracy-in-america/
https://studentreasures.com
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/04/-american-students-reading/557915/
https://youthlit.org/crisis/
https://medium.com/@OneYoungWorld_/32-million-american-adults-cant-read-why-literacy-is-
the-key-to-growth-818996739523