Degree Space

There were some rather sobering results of studies done on college students who were nearing graduation, showing that over 50% lacked the proper literacy skills and were unable to perform certain tasks, such as understanding a newspaper editorial. Even more surprising was the fact that over 50% of students attending four year programs and 75% of the ones attending two year programs lacked mathematical problem solving skills, and as such were unable to compare credit card offers that had different annual rates and fees. Nor were they able to summarize the results of surveys concerning parental involvement in schools.

The main areas of this particular study included analyzing stories in the news and other writings, comprehending documents and utilizing the math skills necessary for checkbooks and even restaurant tips. One of the researchers may have understated the feeling of most when he said that it was a “little disturbing” that at this level of higher education students could not perform basic tasks.

On the brighter side, a majority of the students at four year schools and community colleges did demonstrate some intermediate skills, meaning that they were able to perform some moderately challenging tasks. Some examples of the tasks that our college students were able to perform included finding the cost of office supplies ordered, consulting a reference guide in order to find out what vitamins are in different foods and identifying locations on a map.

There is a brighter side; the overall average literacy level of university students is actually higher than the average level of adult literacy nationwide. However, even though it sounds encouraging, experts claim it is not exactly surprising given the fact that the group of adults tested included those who had significantly less education.

Upon comparison with like levels of education in other adults, college students showed above average skills for searching and using information that they gathered from documents and texts, and the students performed worst on any problems that involved math. Almost 20% of the students who were working towards a four year degree had only the most basic of quantitative skills. Also, over 30% of those attending two year programs had only the most basic of mathematical skills.

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The need for literacy programs in high school is obvious. The 2008 national testing exams indicated that 38% of graduating seniors were reading below the standard basic level. An international comparison of reading comprehension and performance showed that in the United States, students in grades 11 and 12 scored close to the bottom, trailing students in Brazil, Indonesia and other developing countries.

Many teachers were not surprised at these findings. They said it confirmed that even students who read well enough in the lower primary grades may encounter some trouble with reading later. In both middle schools and high schools, teachers usually consider themselves to be “content specialists” and believe that elementary school teachers are the ones who should be helping children to improve reading skills. One method of turning that around is to secure ongoing development by working with a literacy specialist who will coach the teachers on the best way of infusing literacy instruction while teaching.

There have been some steps taken to improve our educational system, including the NCLB, (No Child Left Behind Act) that was signed into law in 2002. This generally requires states to develop assessments to determine the level of literacy, which will be given to all students in certain grades if the school wishes to receive federal funding. In addition, there are several states that require high school students to pass an “exit exam” in order to graduate.

If you need further proof that a standardized literacy program is needed for students, then consider the fallout from poor writing and reading abilities in post secondary circles as well, as 73% of employers have rated the reading and writing abilities of recent graduates as “fair” or “poor.” Over a third of the undergraduates needed remedial writing and reading courses during the first year or two in college.

In the high school literacy programs the teachers are asked to make the reading portion of a student’s curriculum more interactive, or “visible.” This program encourages students to gain more insights into the reading process, to read for recreation and to help with their problem solving abilities. School personnel have studied assessments and current research that is available on the reading process and realized that asking students to “read to learn” is difficult to do without supplying the proper tools for them to achieve this successfully. Many of the pilot literacy programs are set up to include a secondary literacy specialist who will split their time between classroom teaching and mentoring other teachers. The student’s progress is continuously monitored to ensure the program is working properly.

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The Improving America’s Schools Act of 1993 was the largest contribution to the Kindergarten through grade 12 educational process by the federal government. This act was to ensure that all students in the United States would have the chance to develop the knowledge and skills necessary, which at one time was only offered to “top students.” Support was offered in an effort to make the national education goals a reality in every school, but especially for kids living in poverty. By using professional development, increasing the level of instruction and demanding accountability, and combining those concepts with high standards and federal money, teachers are able to help move all students towards a higher education.

The success or failure of this will make a world of difference. For the children it may mean the difference between finding doors open or closed to them as adults. For the nation it may affect economic prosperity, democracy and world leadership, or it might mean an overall decline in the US standard of living and influence around the world.

While all of these strategies have been “suggested” before, experts claim that they were perhaps not specific enough. This is one reason why organizations such as ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act) have broken it down to 5 important educational areas, as resources have not focused enough on a good literacy program.

The traditional add-on type programs are not powerful enough to succeed. Leadership and support for world literacy will help all communities to prosper; therefore, all families and schools must do everything they can to enable their children to reach higher levels of literacy standards.

Many experts agree that setting higher standards for all children is perhaps the most important educational area that needs to be addressed closely, followed by implementing improved methods of teaching, and making learning a priority. It is believed that the third step should be the government offering more flexibility that will stimulate local initiatives, combined with sharing responsibility for student performance. Communities, parents and students must work together in order to meet the higher educational goals and finally, more federal funds should go to the areas that need it most, namely in the poorer schools and communities.

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