Literacy in the US
From "The Week" March 30 2007, from the AP
"More than one-third of Washington, D.C.'s residents are functionally illiterate, says a new federal report. The district's functional illiteracy rate is 36 percent, while the nation's is 21 percent."
Is that supposed to make us feel good about the nation's illiteracy rate?
According to UNESCO, literacy rates (between 2000 and 2004) were higher in:
Argentina
Armenia
Palestinian territories
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Bosnia
Brazil
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cuba
Estonia
Fiji
Israel
Mexico
Myanmar (formerly Burma)
Panama
Paraguy
Peru
the Philipines
Venezuela
Viet Nam
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Comments (4)
thank you for sharing this, Heather...here in America we're contantly being told how we have the best of everything, and then the second tragedy occurs: we believe it.
there are other global lists like this such as health care, freedom of speech/press, infant mortality, poverty/hunger, etc....and the United States is seldom in the top 10...or 20...or 30, in some cases.
and not that it's about competition. it's not that we have this need to "beat" all the other nations at these things. but with our wealth and freedom, shouldnt we/couldnt we be doing better?
Comment #1 Posted by: evan | March 27, 2007 09:00 AM
...healthcare, child-care, crime, work-related stress issues, pollution, etc. And this isn't necessarily a recent phenomenon. About 10 years ago I was somewhat shocked by one of the U.N. lists. In several of the categories, we were dead last in a list of western countries. Food for thought for those out there who think we are the "be all and end all" of civilization.
Comment #2 Posted by: LTOR | March 27, 2007 09:35 AM
My children here in Philly, are 1 each in elem. jr.high and high school. There are no books for them to bring home to do home work.
Comment #3 Posted by: Dana and Alyeska-kg6amv@yahoo.com | March 27, 2007 10:43 AM
i am reminded that we are also among the remaining 2? 3? "civilized" nations on the PLANET that still practices capital punishment.
GOD BLESS THE U.S.A.
(by GOD i mean THE PEOPLE, and by BLESS i mean commit ourselves to the hard but crucial work of creating a peaceful, just, and humane world for all, and by U.S.A. i mean our whole PLANET.)
Comment #4 Posted by: evan | March 27, 2007 01:52 PM