America A Nation In Distress Essay
Undereducated America: A Nation in Distress
In our society today, literacy is no longer defined as being able to read and write very little just to get by, but it is being able to read, write, and comprehend the information presented to you which you can use in order to be a functional and efficient member of society. Even in one of the wealthiest, most technologically advanced countries in the world, literacy is still a matter of concern in modern day America. It is alarming to know that 1 in 4 children in America grow up without learning how to read and approximately 35 million adults read below the level needed to function in society, many of whom cannot read at all (Kozol 248, "11 Facts About Literacy in America."). How is this even possible? What problems can undereducation and illiteracy bring? Who does this issue really affect?
Many will argue that this issue only affects the individual who happens to have a low level of reading skills or illiteracy, or that individual’s immediate family; this is not the case. Low literacy levels affect the nation as a whole. In our democratic society we rely solely on the people, so while not everyone needs to be a scholar, our citizens should be educated and informed to contribute to …show more content…
Rather, a more productive approach is to acknowledge undereducation and low levels of literacy as a matter of concern in America today that needs to be rectified. If we make the change to improve the levels of literacy in our country we could stand to see higher rates of employment, increased economic well being, more effective healthcare, and a greater contribution to our nation at all government levels. We should aspire to be a more educated and informed society with functional and efficient citizens that contribute to make America a more prosperous country to achieve our potential as being the global
In our society today, literacy is no longer defined as being able to read and write very little just to get by, but it is being able to read, write, and comprehend the information presented to you which you can use in order to be a functional and efficient member of society. Even in one of the wealthiest, most technologically advanced countries in the world, literacy is still a matter of concern in modern day America. It is alarming to know that 1 in 4 children in America grow up without learning how to read and approximately 35 million adults read below the level needed to function in society, many of whom cannot read at all (Kozol 248, "11 Facts About Literacy in America."). How is this even possible? What problems can undereducation and illiteracy bring? Who does this issue really affect?
Many will argue that this issue only affects the individual who happens to have a low level of reading skills or illiteracy, or that individual’s immediate family; this is not the case. Low literacy levels affect the nation as a whole. In our democratic society we rely solely on the people, so while not everyone needs to be a scholar, our citizens should be educated and informed to contribute to …show more content…
Rather, a more productive approach is to acknowledge undereducation and low levels of literacy as a matter of concern in America today that needs to be rectified. If we make the change to improve the levels of literacy in our country we could stand to see higher rates of employment, increased economic well being, more effective healthcare, and a greater contribution to our nation at all government levels. We should aspire to be a more educated and informed society with functional and efficient citizens that contribute to make America a more prosperous country to achieve our potential as being the global