This is shocking- and terrible: Nearly half of Detroiters can't read

[cali]

DETROIT (WWJ) – According to a new report, 47 percent of Detroiters are ”functionally illiterate.” The alarming new statistics were released by the Detroit Regional Workforce Fund on Wednesday.

WWJ Newsradio 950 spoke with the Fund’s Director, Karen Tyler-Ruiz, who explained exactly what this means.

“Not able to fill out basic forms, for getting a job — those types of basic everyday (things). Reading a prescription; what’s on the bottle, how many you should take… just your basic everyday tasks,” she said.

“I don’t really know how they get by, but they do. Are they getting by well? Well, that’s another question,” Tyler-Ruiz said.


<snip>

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2011/05/04/report-nearly-half-of-detroiters-cant-read/

[onethatcares]

1. damn teachers, grabbing the big bucks and not performing

we should make the citizens go to charter schools, that'll show em.

Our country is a fucking mess all because of the "free market needs to work" ruse.

I don't want to ask, but I have to. What is the racial makeup of those that can't read?

[shraby]

2. I'm not surprised. When I was in 1st, 2nd, 3rd grades back in

1948, 49, 50 and even beyond there was always a group we had to wait for to read their part of the reading lesson..it seemed to take them forever.
This carried on into the high school years also. A certain percentage found it very difficult to master reading and understanding what they read..this was reflected in their grades.
It's no different today. There will be X number of students who struggle with school and mostly because of their inability to read and comprehend what they read which leads to dropouts and indifferent students.
Part of them have been identified as suffering from dyslexia and have been helped, but I would guess many are bordering on dyslexia and aren't identified.
If the statistics are investigated further, I would venture to guess it is mostly the male students who have the reading problem..it seemed to be that way while I was in school.
Class size didn't seem to matter because we only had at most 6 in my 1st grade class and maybe 25 in the other two grades. (2 different schools)

[tblue37]

12. Part of the problem is simply that English has a relatively poor correspondence between

letters and phonemes. Perhaps you all know the old joke that ghoti spells "fish":

gh- as in "enough"
o- as in "women"
ti- as in "nation"

As a college English teacher and one who is passionate about the history and literature of the langguage, I love the fact that the weird spelling of English words embodies their etymology and reminds us of the fascinating history that led to such anomalies. But I do pity those who have trouble learning to spell our language and read it!

Nevertheless, the few who had trouble learning to read back in "the old days" are not comparable to the huge numbers who can't do so today. Fads in reading instruction, combined with overworked, undercompensated, undervalued teachers and a culture that conditions students (and their parents) not to take education seriously (though many do take grades quite seriously!) have led to this situation. It is not inevitable that such a large percentage of Americans be functionally illiterate.

[shraby]

15. One thing we learned while waiting for the slow

readers was to be patient and we never ever teased them for not being able to read faster.

[MichiganVote]

3. Not much use without details on the study. Hmmmm....

[cali]

6. that's the article. what's the "hmmmmm" about?

[MichiganVote]

13. Reputable studies report more than "studies show" minus details.

So do reputable news reports for that matter.

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. Can't help but notice no definition of "functionally illiterate"

It's become a garbage term used by our deformer friends to slam the schools.

[KansDem]

4. Literacy Kansas City, citing a United Way study, reported that 1 out of 5 Kansas Citians...

...read below a 5th-grade level. It was a 2004 study.

That's 1 out of 5 residents in the Kansas City metro area.

Night & Day Events

Week of January 6, 2004
published: January 06, 2005

Thursday, January 6
According to Literacy Kansas City, approximately 225,000 metro adults are functionally illiterate, reading below the fifth-grade level; 20 percent can't read a newspaper article, fill out paperwork at the doctor's office or read a story to their children. If you're looking for some noble work, the nonprofit organization, which helps adults and older teens improve their reading and writing skills, needs volunteers. From 6 to 8 tonight at 205 West 65th Street, there's an orientation for prospective tutors. Call 816-333-9332 for more information.

http://www.pitch.com/content/printVersion/148416/

[Aerows]

5. I live on the Gulf Coast

and I can tell you, it's truly shocking how many people aren't even able to write their own name.

[Fire1]

7. Exactly. It's not just in Detroit. n/t

[zbdent]

8. Hey, there's still fat kids in school ...

I guess that, with the logic of "fire the teachers because a kid doesn't make any effort to learn", we should fire the Phys Ed teachers ...

[cali]

11. huh? what does your comment have to do with the op?

[dimbear]

9. Abraham Lincoln learned how to read writing in coal on the back of a shovel.

Are they lacking shovels...........or coal?

[Sonoman]

10. That's the huge problematic element of NCLB.

How in the world is an inner-city (or rural) school or teacher expected to do a Standard job of educating large numbers of children of illiterate parents/grandparents?

I cannot imagine how difficult it must be.

Sonoman

[Motown_Johnny]

14. I don't buy it, I live in Detroit

not in the suburbs, In Detroit City

To the best of my knowledge I have never met anyone who is functionally illiterate (with one exception when I was living in Columbus Ohio) other than persons with disabilities.


I don't buy the 47%


Not by a long shot

[woo me with science]

17. This is a little hard to believe.

I don't doubt that illiteracy is a problem, but *almost half*? How did they measure this?