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Illiteracy and its effects
Final reflection on adult literacy
Final reflection on adult literacy
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The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that 32 million adults cannot read. In New York City 25 percent of adults lack basic literacy skills, the number is even higher in some of the surrounding boroughs. When parents are illiterate it has a negative impact on quality of life, puts stress on the children they rely on for communication and inhibits the child’s educational success. Higher education correlates with greater income, better health, the improbability of committing crimes, likelihood to vote and contributes to the success of future generations. The majority of Literacy Partner’s parents improved a grade level or more during the 2014-2015 program year. Of Literacy Partners students taking the GED, seventy-six percent
passed, the average pass rate for New York among test takers was 59.1 percent according to the 2013 Annual Statistical report on the GED test. Children of Literacy Partner students shown marked improvement in elementary skills. Literacy affects every aspect of life, without the ability to read or communicate a need, parents are limited in effective parenting. Simple tasks such as filling out paperwork at the doctors, or reading labels for expiration dates OR applying for a job become monumental. It is the goal of Literacy Partners to provide free education to low-income and immigrant parents so they may develop the skills to thrive in today’s society.
Deborah Brandt (1998) wrote “Sponsors of Literacy”, a journal where she explained her findings of the research she has done on how different people across the nation learned to read and write, born between 1900, and 1980 (p. 167). She interviewed many people that had varying forms of their literacy skills, whether it was from being poor, being rich, or just being in the wrong spot at the wrong time.
My mom is Panamanian and a very bright woman and loves school, while my dad is African American and didn’t care for school at all and isn't very educated. My mom first came to America to study at Vanderbilt University and my dad never went to college. When I was four my parents got a divorce and my mother maintained custody of me. In this day in time people would say that my odds are against me when it comes to becoming literate. Why? Well, I didn’t grow up in the best neighborhood. The area I was raised in was nicknamed "Little Mexico" because many illegal immigrants lived there. I quickly learned that most of the people around me didn’t know how to read or write and they only spoke Spanish. Imagine them living in an English speaking country. If they couldn’t read or write in their own language living in America must be pretty complicated. It would clearly seem like I wouldn't have much access to literacy sponsors at all. Literacy sponsors can be people, places, or even events that shape how a person reads and writes. Those same people, places, and events can play a big factor in a person's opinion about reading and writing as well. However, it was almost impossible for me not to have any literacy sponsors with my mom being in my
Literacy, or the capability to comprehend, translate, utilize, make, process, assess, and speak information connected with fluctuating settings and displayed in differing organizations, assumes an essential part in molding a young's persons trajectory in life. The ability to read speaks to a key factor of scholarly, social, and financial success (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998). These abilities likewise speak to a fundamental segment to having a satisfying life and turning into an effective worker and overall person (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1999). Interestingly, recent studies have demonstrated that low reading skills lead to critical hindrances in monetary and social achievement. As stated by the National Center for Education Statistics, adults with lower levels of reading skills and literacy have a lower average salary. Another study evaluated that 17 to 18 percent of adults with "below average" literacy aptitudes earned less than $300 a week, though just 3 to 6 percent of adults with "proficient" reading abilities earned less than $300 a week (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998).
In Gwinnett county the average homeless person is 6 years old (Family Promise of Gwinnett County, 2013). As an educator, this is worrisome because these children in poverty will encounter many difficulties relating to their education. What difficulties are these children facing with and their education? According to Donald Hernandez (Hernandez, 2011), "Consequently, the children in poor families are in double jeopardy: They are more likely to have low reading test scores and, at any reading-skill level, they are less likely to graduate from high school." Growing up in poverty means there is very limited resources available to help climb out of poverty. Resources such as housing, clothing, and food are basic needs that have to be fulfilled for a child to grow up properly (Shaffer, 2014, pp158). When these basic needs are no...
I have very few recollections of my early years and the exact age I was able to read and write. Some of my earliest memories are vague on the topic of my literacy. However, I do remember small memories, such as, learning how to write my name in cursive, winning prizes for reading, and crying over every assigned high school essay. Over the last twelve years my literacy grew rapidly with the help of teachers, large school libraries, my family, and so on. There is always room for my literacy skills to grow, but my family’s help and positive attitude towards my education, the school systems I have been a part of, and the horrible required essays from high school helped obtain the level, skills, habits, and processes that I use as part of my literacy
"National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) - 120 Years of Literacy." National Center for Education Statistics. Ed. Tom Snyder. U.S. Department of Education, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
Researchers found that that a majority of all public school students in one third of America’s states now come from low-income families. “Children living in poverty have a higher number of absenteeism or leave school all together because they are more likely to have to work or care for family members”(McIntyre). “Dropout rates of 16 to 24-years-old students who come from low income families are seven times more likely to drop out than those from families with higher incomes”(McIntyre). Graduating without a high school or college diploma is a very good way to ensure the generation that grew` up in poverty will remain in this situation long term. If they do not receive enough education, to get a job with a good salary, then the cycle of poverty will never break. John Galbraith made proper education for children one of the major points in his article “The Position of Poverty.” He argued that we must invest in good education for the children so that they would have a bright future ahead of them
United States. Reading to Achieve: A Governor's Guide to Adolescent Literacy. Washington: National Governors Association, 2005. Print.
Throughout my childhood I was never very good at reading. It was something I always struggled with and I grew to not like reading because of this. As a child my mom and dad would read books to me before I went to bed and I always enjoyed looking at the pictures and listening. Then, as I got older my mom would have me begin to read with her out loud. I did not like this because I was not a good reader and I would get so frustrated. During this time I would struggle greatly with reading the pages fluently, I also would mix up some of the letters at times. I also struggled with comprehension, as I got older. My mom would make me read the Junie B. Jones books by myself and then I would have to tell her what happened. Most
One important lesson of the past decade, however, is just how difficult it is to close longstanding achievement gaps experienced by students from low-income families, students with disabilities, English Learners, and racial and ethnic minorities. We know from research that these gaps often start during the first years of life, even before children enter our education system, with children from low-income families starting kindergarten, on average, 12 to 14 months behind their peers in language development and pre-reading skills.
Today in the United States a free and appropriate education is available to everyone under the age of 21. “Only recently – indeed, only in the past century – have societies advanced the notion that every individual in a community should be educated” (Gardner, Kornhaber & Wake 1996). Furthermore each state has set mandates specifying what is appropriate by outlining requirements and standards each student is expected to obtain. For those students who are at risk of failure or students who are suspected of a learning disability are required by the ...
This study was conducted in hopes of increasing academic performance in a core English class with my Literacy Extension students. The students in this classroom were diverse and required extra support in reading and writing. Due to the different strengths each student held in learning, it was difficult to have one method to teach the skills that were needed for their english Core class. Rheingold et al (2013) understood that “there is no single strategy or tool that provides the answer to effective instruction”, but they believed academic notebooks (interactive notebook) are a key resource for supporting a diverse classroom. I believed that the use of interactive notebooks would help bridge the gap of skills needed for their core class. Plus,
A child miseducated is a child lost. As we have evolved into a mostly efficient country, we still have obstacles regarding education. According to Lucy Hart, students of lower economic statuses often face additional problems like resources, learning conditions, and poor motivation that negatively affects their academic performance. Families with lower incomes struggle with providing academic support for their children. They have limited time and financial resources, making it hard to create a good support system. Most parents cannot afford the technology necessary and tutors for their children. “When children do not have a positive learning environment at home, it negatively affects their academic achievement level in school” (Lucy Hart). This study addresses a number of issues regarding the poor having less access to good education and technology.
Currently, relatively few urban poor students go past the ninth grade. The graduation rates in large comprehensive inner-city schools are abysmally low. In fourteen such New York City Schools, for example, only 10 percent to 20 percent of ninth graders in 1996 graduated four years later. Despite the fact that low-income individuals desperately need a college degree to find decent employment, only 7 percent obtain a bachelors degree by age twenty-six. So, in relation to ...
for the specific purpose of help boosting the learning outcomes of disadvantaged children. Horton’s Kids began in Washington, D.C. and now serves more than 300 children, ages 3 to 18 (Horton’s Kids, 2016). Most of these children come from one of the most at-risk neighborhoods in the District, with a high violent crime rate and a high-school drop out rate of over 70%. To compensate for their low-performing schools, this program provides these children with one-on-one tutoring on all major subjects. Further, to help children recover emotionally from trauma that comes from living in a dysfunctional home and neighborhood, the program also offers personal counseling services. To help encourage family involvement, these centers meet with families each week to update them on their children’s progress so that the parents can get a better idea of their child’s academic strengths and weaknesses. This process allows parents to better discern how they can help ensure their children’s success (Reim, 2013). Recognizing the deficiency of library resources in disadvantaged children’s homes, the Horton’s Kids program focuses on improving children’s literacy rates. After assessing a child’s literacy proficiency, they created personalized education plans designed to meet each child’s individual needs. They also include access to a library stocked with books available for children to bring home. As a result, their 2016 report of this past school year revealed that 94% of children in their program achieved improvement in their literacy skills (Annual Report,