Author: Inter-American Cultural Council. Committee for Cultural ActionPublisher:
ISBN:
Category : Literacy
Languages : en
Pages : 18
Book Description
Report on the Situation in America as to Illiteracy
Author: Inter-American Cultural Council. Committee for Cultural ActionPublisher:
ISBN:
Category : Literacy
Languages : en
Pages : 18
Book Description
Illiterate America
Author: Jonathan KozolPublisher: Doubleday
ISBN: 0307800571
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 409
Book Description
It is startling and it is shaming: in a country that prides itself on being among the most enlightened in the world, 25 million American adults cannot read the poison warnings on a can of pesticide, a letter from their child’s teacher, or the front page of a newspaper. An additional 35 million read below the level needed to function successfully in our society. The United States ranks forty-ninth among 158 member nations of the UN in literacy, and wastes over $100 billion annually as a result. The problem is not merely an embarrassment, it is a social and economic disaster. In Illiterate America, Jonathan Kozol, author of National Book Award-winning Death at an Early Age, addresses this national disgrace. Combining hard statistics and heartrending stories, he describes the economic and the human costs of illiteracy. Kozol analyses and condemns previous government action—and inaction—and, in a passionate call for reform, he proposes a specific program to conquer illiteracy. One out of every three American adults cannot read this book—which is why everyone else must.
The State of Literacy in America
Author: Stephen M. RederPublisher:
ISBN:
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 454
Book Description
This document presents synthesized estimates of the rates of level 1 literacy by congressional district in the 50 states and District of Columbia. The estimates are extrapolations of the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) that were based on the findings of approximately 26,000 interviews. The document begins with an introduction containing the following: overview of the NALS; examination of what it means to be literate in the 1990s; definition of level 1 literacy (ability to perform many tasks involving simple texts and documents but difficulty using certain reading, writing, and computational skills considered necessary for functioning in everyday life); and discussion of the impact of low literacy. Presented next are answers to 12 frequently asked questions about synthetic estimates of adult literacy proficiency. The remainder of the document consists of bar graphs and maps detailing the rates of level 1 literacy by state, congressional district, county, and municipality. A total of 119 figures/tables/maps are included throughout the document. Appended is a paper, "Synthetic Estimates of Literacy Proficiency for Small Census Areas" (Stephen Reder), that describes the extrapolation techniques, which are said to be relatively accurate for individual localities with at least 10,000 inhabitants. (MN)
Unscientific America
Author: Chris MooneyPublisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 0786744553
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 224
Book Description
In his famous 1959 Rede lecture at Cambridge University, the scientifically-trained novelist C.P. Snow described science and the humanities as "two cultures," separated by a "gulf of mutual incomprehension." And the humanists had all the cultural power -- the low prestige of science, Snow argued, left Western leaders too little educated in scientific subjects that were increasingly central to world problems: the elementary physics behind nuclear weapons, for instance, or the basics of plant science needed to feed the world's growing population. Now, Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum, a journalist-scientist team, offer an updated "two cultures" polemic for America in the 21st century. Just as in Snow's time, some of our gravest challenges -- climate change, the energy crisis, national economic competitiveness -- and gravest threats -- global pandemics, nuclear proliferation -- have fundamentally scientific underpinnings. Yet we still live in a culture that rarely takes science seriously or has it on the radar. For every five hours of cable news, less than a minute is devoted to science; 46 percent of Americans reject evolution and think the Earth is less than 10,000 years old; the number of newspapers with weekly science sections has shrunken by two-thirds over the past several decades. The public is polarized over climate change -- an issue where political party affiliation determines one's view of reality -- and in dangerous retreat from childhood vaccinations. Meanwhile, only 18 percent of Americans have even met a scientist to begin with; more than half can't name a living scientist role model. For this dismaying situation, Mooney and Kirshenbaum don't let anyone off the hook. They highlight the anti-intellectual tendencies of the American public (and particularly the politicians and journalists who are supposed to serve it), but also challenge the scientists themselves, who despite the best of intentions have often failed to communicate about their work effectively to a broad public -- and so have ceded their critical place in the public sphere to religious and commercial propagandists. A plea for enhanced scientific literacy, Unscientific America urges those who care about the place of science in our society to take unprecedented action. We must begin to train a small army of ambassadors who can translate science's message and make it relevant to the media, to politicians, and to the public in the broadest sense. An impassioned call to arms worthy of Snow's original manifesto, this book lays the groundwork for reintegrating science into the public discourse -- before it's too late.
Illiteracy in America
Author: Gary E. McCuenPublisher: G E M/McCuen Publications, Incorporated
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 160
Book Description
A collection of essays presenting a variety of, often conflicting viewpoints concerning the problem of illiteracy and what can be done about it.
Reading Literacy in the United States
Author: Illiteracy in America
Author: Edward F. DolanPublisher: Franklin Watts
ISBN: 9780531111789
Category : Literacy
Languages : en
Pages : 128
Book Description
Covers the rise and decline of literacy in the United States, educational and social explanations, literacy programs in the United States and other countries, and volunteer efforts and how to take part in them
Illiteracy in America
Author: National Advisory Council on Adult Education (U.S.). Literacy CommitteePublisher:
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 108
Book Description
Literacy and health outcomes
Author: Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1428925449
Category : Health education
Languages : en
Pages : 259
Book Description
Literacy in American Lives
Author: Deborah BrandtPublisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521003063
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 276
Book Description
This book addresses critical questions facing public education at the twenty-first century.