Ticking Time Bomb

Never in our nation’s history have the demands on our educational system been greater or the consequences of failure as severe. The difference between success and failure in school is, quite literally, life and death for our students.

For students who fail in our educational system, the reality is that there are virtually no paths of opportunity.

The likely pathway for students who struggle in school is an adult life of poverty, incarceration, and/or dependence on society’s welfare systems.

Poverty… -- Dropouts on average earn about $12,000 per year, nearly 50 percent less than those who have a high school diploma -- They are more likely to experience health problems --Rouse/Muenning, 2005: www.centerforpubliceducation.org

Larry Roberts, Illiteracy on the Rise in America http://www.wsws.org Poverty… Nearly one out of two adults, are functionally illiterate or near illiterate, without the minimum skills required in a modern society. Larry Roberts, Illiteracy on the Rise in America http://www.wsws.org

Larry Roberts, Illiteracy on the Rise in America http://www.wsws.org 44 million cannot read a newspaper or fill out a job application. Another 50 million more cannot read or comprehend above the eighth grade level. Poverty… Larry Roberts, Illiteracy on the Rise in America http://www.wsws.org

Larry Roberts, Illiteracy on the Rise in America http://www.wsws.org Poverty… 43 percent of people with the lowest literacy skills live below the government's official poverty line Larry Roberts, Illiteracy on the Rise in America http://www.wsws.org

Incarceration Across the United States, 82% of prison inmates are dropouts Ysseldyke, Algozzine, & Thurlow 1992 http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2248/is_n126_v32/ai_19619426/pg_4

Incarceration 70 percent of all prison inmates are functionally illiterate or read below a fourth-grade level. http://www.proliteracy.org/downloads/ProLiteracyStateOfLiteracy%2010-25-04.pdf

Incarceration State prisons look at 3rd grade reading levels to predict how many prison cells will be needed in 10 years.

Incarceration 85% of juvenile offenders have reading problems

Incarceration and Special Education The incidence of learning disabilities among the general population is around 5%. This is in sharp contrast with the number of LD students in the criminal justice system, estimated to be as high as 50%. Bell, 1990: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2248/is_n126_v32/ai_19619426/pg_4

Social Costs 75% of those claiming welfare are functionally illiterate

Social Costs A 10 percent increase in the graduation rate would likely reduce the murder and assault arrest rates by about 20 percent Moretti, 2005: www.centerforpubliceducation.org

Social Costs Increasing the high school completion rate by just one percent for men ages 20-60 would save up to $1.4 billion per year in reduced costs from crime. Moretti, 2005: www.centerforpubliceducation.org

With such high stakes, educators today are like tightrope walkers without a safety net, responsible for meeting the needs of every child with little room for error.

Ticking Time Bomb