Illiteracy and the Youth of America

Illiteracy and the Youth of America

Illiteracy has been a growing problem in the United States for the past two decades. With the baby boomer nearing retirement, the United States general workforce of corporate America calls for a new generation of workers, one that is statistically unable to answer that call due to the spike in the amount of functional illiterates that exist and are even being graduated. In a more focused lens the states classified as “Southern” seem to suffer from the epidemic the most. The problem in every instance develops at what researchers call “the years we are most impressionable” (3-11). Reading and learning to read has been completely phased out outside of the classroom, but in states such as Mississippi, much isn’t being done inside the classroom to prevent the problem either.

The Bush Administration took what looked like a step towards improving the illiteracy rate when it implemented the “No Child Left Behind Act.” The controversial legislation mandates “highly qualified” teachers in every classroom and holds schools that accept federal funds accountable for raising the achievement of all students, particularly those with disabilities, those from low-income families and racial and ethnic minorities and those with limited English proficiency.

Jasmine Carter, a University of Mississippi alumna that currently serves as a regional admissions counselor spoke on the issue calling it completely ridiculous. Working this particular position, Jasmine is in charge or recruiting for potential  students in High School in the states of Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, and her home state Mississippi.

              

  When I asked about her thoughts on illiteracy, Jasmine had this to say; “As a regional counselor we are taught to keep an eye out for the best and the brightest students out there. Some of the inner city schools in Jackson Mississippi and cities like East St. Louis particularly, usually generate the poorest reading scores that I will see. Unfortunately these are schools, high schools rooted deep in the black community where illiteracy seems to take the biggest toll.”          

                When asked how do these students continue to slip through the cracks and gain entrance into institutes of higher learning or even better yet, graduate from HS Ms. Carter said she works with students as far as compliance goes if they show potential to come and be successful here at the University. Without there being a magic score that automatically qualifies you for acceptance, the university gauges whether or not a student will be able to adapt. If there’s a particularly low score in reading comprehension on the prospects ACT or SAT, the institution will incorporate some type of immediate help into the schedule once they start here. Suggestions usually range from early summer programs at the university to specifically chosen programs or courses throughout the students’ first semester enrolled.

Local illiteracy rates including Tupelo, Columbus, Oxford, & Batesville have fallen slowly but surely over the last couple years from 22 percent of graduating high school seniors being functional illiterates to 27 percent based upon ACT and SAT reading comprehension composite scores graphed by statistic. Arindam Mukherjee, a former vocabulary teacher at Oxford High now employed at the University of Mississippi thinks the system has failed the students miserably in supplying them with a sufficient education. “The (NCLB) policy is irrelevant in the classroom. Because a person met a list of requirements doesn’t mean they’re meeting every child’s academic needs.”

Gerard McClure a TA at the University of North Carolina Central University in Raleigh Durham assists a professor there in an African American Adolesence course. “Reading has always and always will be the fundamental building blocks of everything we do” said Mr. Mclure.  It takes time and practice along with qualified dedicated individuals to learn reading comprehension, and reading outside of the classroom is a big part of that which doesn’t really exist today.”

With over 25 percent of the state’s current students unable to ready pass a 3^rd grade level, signs of decreasing illiteracy rates are nowhere in sight. Extra federal funding to help solve the problem is increasing our national total debt at an even higher rate that we as a country are producing people functional enough to handle the situations.