LITERACY

Literacy. It seems so simple, a given to many, that it’s taken for granted. We’ve seen that before and we are seeing that today. We are failing the nation’s children, but also adults, on what Barbara Bush characterized rightly as a fundamental human right, the ability to read and write.

According to the National Literacy Institute, 45 million people in the United States are functionally illiterate and read below a 5th grade level. More than half of American adults read below a 6th grade level and 21 percent are illiterate. That puts the US 125th in the world for literacy. When you look at the effects on employment, the numbers are even more stark. Half of unemployed people between 16 and 21-years-old are not functionally literate. It’s hard for many leaders to relate to because: they can read, their children can read, and in their circles, everyone can likely read. The numbers don’t lie though. We must address this problem.

This is not just a money problem, but how we teach. I look at my middle schooler’s schedule. For her, there’s nothing I’d change, but this is a kid that reads with a flashlight under the covers. We must dedicate more school time to reading, even if that means sacrificing other curricula. 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams is making significant changes after half of NYC children grades three to eight failed reading tests. New curriculum is being rolled out. The new teaching style will return to older practices and include phonics, a method that is time tested to be successful. Experts now argue strategies like using picture cues to guess words are flawed. This is a major change for NYC where individual schools have retained control of the curriculum. That signals the depth of the problem.

Adding to the reading and comprehension problem, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, 86% of 15-year-olds cannot tell the difference between opinion and fact. The New York Times reports that much of the problem begins in the early 2000s with new reading methods being ushered in. They simply did not work. By making this change, NYC will be leading the change in approach.

With a turn back to the past in approach, I’d also suggest a removal of cell phones and much of the screen time now present in elementary and middle schools. This increased during Covid 19 and while abating some, will likely be a legacy of the lockdowns. It’s widely accepted that more screen time leads to higher rates of depression, anxiety, and loneliness. It’s also linked to several disorders. How does this link to literacy? It links to all learning. Kids are already spending hours of time in front of a screen at home. That’s not something anyone other than parents can control, but we shouldn’t be adding to that screen time in school. I understand there are areas kids could benefit, but is it worth the tradeoff?

Some states like Massachusetts are considering banning or restricting cell phone use in school. Cell phones are the main connector of teens to social media. Kids need a break from it and school is that opportunity. The US Surgeon General last week issued a warning that social media is leading to a mental health crisis, it being a main contributor to depression and anxiety. According to the Surgeon General’s report, 95% of teens use social media and we’ve seen a rise in teen depression starting in 2012 which coincides with the popularity of smartphones. While we can’t link directly the decline in literacy to the rise in phone use, they have also occurred at the same time. 

There is nothing more important than literacy when it comes to education. Children who cannot read well by third grade are more likely to drop out of high school, be in poverty, and face prison. The use of phones will be a challenge, but a challenge we must face. As for literacy, that will also be difficult, but we know how to fix it and we need to for our kids, but also for many adults.