1. Does Literacy Matter?

2. Definitions of Literacy 1600- 1900 Ability to sign one’s name to a document and own or borrow books. 1930 Functional literacy (increasingly defined based on grade equivalents) = 3+ years of schooling WWII4+ years of schooling 19526+ years of schooling 19608+ years of schooling Late 1970s High school completion Courtesy: Judith Irvin, Florida State University

3. Definition that applies today …. Literacy is understanding, developing, and reflecting on written, oral, or visual text in order to increase knowledge, achieve goals, and participate in society. -Florida Literacy and Reading Excellence project -Consider what students have to do today to perform well on state tests!! What is today’s definition of literacy???

4. Countries Ranked in Reading Achievement: Total Score Source: IEA Int’l Literacy Study, USDOE, 1996 4th Grade 1.Finland 2.United States 3.Sweden 4.France 5.Italy 6.New Zealand 7.Norway 8.Iceland 9.Hong Kong 10.Singapore 9th grade 1.Finland 2.France 3.Sweden 4.New Zealand 5.Hungary 6.Iceland 7.Switzerland 8.Hong Kong 9.United States 10.Singapore

5. Over the last 20 years, there has been no improvement in the NAEP 8th grade or 12th grade reading scores. Today 25% of entering 9th graders cannot read well enough to succeed in high school courses. Of every 100 students entering high school, 67 graduate and only 26 are enrolled in college after their first year. Almost two-thirds of secondary students reading below basic levels attend suburban or rural schools. Source: Nat’l Assessment of Educational Progress, 2002; Jobs for the Future 2003.

6. Approximately 75% of state prison inmates neither graduated from high school nor earned a GED (Harlow, 2003). High school dropouts are 3.5 times more likely than high school graduates to be arrested in their lifetimes (Catterall, 2001). A one-year increase in average education levels would reduce arrest rates by 11% (Lochner & Moretti, 2001).

7. Annual Earnings 2000 Average Earnings for Men Average Earnings for Women High School Dropout$25,095$17,919 High School Graduate$34,303$24,970 Some College$40,337$28,697 College Associate Degree$41,952$31,071 College Graduate with BA$56,34$40,415 Professional$99,411$58,957 Source: Digest of Education Statistics, 2003, Table 381