If you’ve been anywhere at all these past few months, you may have heard of an ongoing “literacy crisis” in the United States. Teachers make TikToks about how their students are several grades behind the required reading level, others post surveys and studies with menacing numbers. Parents blame the teachers, teachers blame the parents, tons of people blame the COVID-19 pandemic, and it seems like the finger pointing game has no end in sight. So…what does it all mean? Is there truly a literacy crisis?
The National Literacy Institute’s most recent study found concerning figures. For example, 54% of adults in the United States (U.S.) have a literacy below a 6th grade level, with 20% reading below a 5th grade level. They also reported that around 45 million of American adults are functionally illiterate. These figures are scary, but they are also incredibly misleading. The National Literacy Institute offers no definition for the term functionally illiterate, nor what criteria determines someone as being illiterate, and they also fail to cite sources. However, these figures have been making their way across the country, fearmongering and causing a plethora of discussion around literacy in the U.S… So, what’s the truth?
The truth is that yes, many children and adults are lacking literacy skills and scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card, have been dropping since 2019. However, as VOX puts it, the score has never really been great. In 1971, the NAEP score was 208 out of 500, yet in 2022, it was 215. And while the score for 13-year-olds dropped from 260 in 2020, to 256 in 2023, the NAEP found that this was pretty consistent with scores from 1971. Moreover, the Covid-19 pandemic also has to be accounted for when we speak of this drop in scores, seeing as, with the lack of engagement in virtual classrooms and the delayed start of school for many, these scores would be sure to drop.
At the college level, many professors state having to cut back on the number of assigned readings in their classes. Many cite a growing lack of patience in their students, as well as a lack of reading skills. Many students find it difficult to understand the context in which their readings take place, they also struggle to follow a story and identify the main argument and key points. Professors tell anecdotes of students saying ‘Hamlet’ is too long, or that students have confessed that they were never required to read full texts in high school, only excerpts and other short-form assignments. They have also noted that their students were never taught to properly read and analyze texts, which has had a severe impact on their college education.
So, is there a literacy crisis? If we look at the data, reading levels in the U.S. have never been great. However, scores have been steadily dropping, with the only students unaffected being those already in the 90th percentile. This does not mean, however, that the causes should not be addressed.
What Could be causing it?
Many educators cite programs like No Child Left Behind and Common Core as one of many factors. Said programs emphasized informational texts and standardized readings, instead of literary texts. No Child Left Behind specifically imposed heavy sanctions and threatened closures on schools that were deemed as “underperforming.” Initially posited as a way to help children from impoverished communities catch up, its incessant focus on standardized tests created a hostile environment in schools. Institutions with sanctions received little to no help, either financially or with professional development and training for teachers. On the other hand, the incentives that came with improving the graduation rates might have meant that less students were being held back. Although this increased the rate of graduating students, it also meant that they would move through the school system and eventually graduate without the proper skills needed to navigate the world. However, less students being held back also meant they could identify which students needed more support quicker.
Others have cited the changes in school curriculums as the cause, like the reduction of phonics teaching, which means relying on context clues and prior knowledge to sound words out instead. However, this doesn’t always work. And for students’ first exposure to reading, or who are accustomed to reading in a different language, phonics are essential to make sure that they are properly understanding what is in front of them. Students from marginalized communities are also consistently behind in reading scores, and this number is only aggravated when a curriculum that includes diversity and representation is attacked, leading to a growing disinterest in reading.
What can be done?
In a YouTube video, Jared Henderson, a Doctor of Philosophy, explains the literacy crisis and its effects. He also posits the example of Mississippi, and how they went from being 49th in reading in 2013, to 21st in 2022. A very big difference. He talks about the Literacy Based Promotion Act (LBPA). This bill provided professional development to teachers, changed the curriculum to focus on phonics and the science of reading, expanded full-day pre-K programs, identified and gave more support to struggling readers, and held back those who needed the most help to make sure they caught up. This resulted in the dramatic improvement we see today. I think that the model that Mississippi adopted would be useful and effective if adopted at the national level, of course making adjustments to suit the needs of children by state. The inclusion of diverse stories that represent children of many cultural and racial backgrounds would also do wonders to raise interest and motivation to keep reading. Making reading not only interesting, but accessible to all children, is the only way that literacy rates in the country will improve. The expansion and strengthening of the general curriculum will also help to give readers context for novels and books that occur outside the U.S. cultural context. Reading is fundamental, and we should strive to see our children thrive.