Using the data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), this Data Point summarizes the number of U.S. adults with low levels of English literacy and describes how they differ by nativity status and race/ethnicity. PIAAC is a large-scale international study of working-age adults (ages 16-65) that assesses…

As part of the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) of 1992, the National Center for Education Statistics published a separate study that focuses on the literacy skills of older adults (aged 60 years and older) from a variety of perspectives, such as age, sex, amount of education, race or ethnic background, income, and geographic region. Some of…

Projections to 2006 suggest that 18% of new college graduates will not be able to find college-level jobs, depending on major, aptitude, and location. Investment in college education, especially in functional literacy and high-demand job skills, improves prospects. (SK)

Literacy education volunteers during 1988 numbered 77,000, two-thirds of whom served as tutors in basic literacy and English-as-a-second-language classes. The other third served in supportive roles as administrators, recruiters, teacher aides, counselors, and providers of child care and transportation. The number of volunteers rose from 34,500 in…

Understanding the health literacy of America's adults is important because so many aspects of finding health care and health information, and maintaining health, depend on understanding written information. Many reports have suggested that low health literacy is associated with poor communication between patients and health care providers and with…

This document contains charts and tables that describe illiteracy and education (particularly adult education) in Louisiana. A few statistics are given in narrative form at the end of the document. The headings on the tables and charts are as follows: Decreasing Illiteracy in Louisiana (1960-1980); Decrease in the Number of Illiterates and…

According to this annual report, the New York State Adult Literacy Program was successful in achieving many of its goals during the 1980-81 year. Total enrollment for the year was 965 students higher than the previous year; there was an increase of 15,965 in the number of immigrants served; and the number of unemployed adults served was more than…

A study was conducted to assess the impact of the Florida State Student Assessment Test (FSSAT) (Functional Literacy Test) on the enrollment in secondary-level vocational education courses. The 67 school districts in Florida were grouped according to population density into three levels of urbanization (low, medium, and high). Ten percent of the…

This Manpower Report presents charts and graphs that reflect the increased growth of U.S. minority populations and discusses this growth in terms of population distribution and change, education, socio-economic trends, employment trends, and literacy. By the year 2000, the U.S. population will be less than 76 percent White and more than 24 percent…

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…

The study used data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress report to examine the relationship for young adults between functional literacy skills and educational attainment. Educational attainment was classified into four categories: less than a high school graduate, high school graduate, some postsecondary education, and college…

Designed to illustrate the extent of disadvantage found in the state of Alabama between 1950 and the early 1970's, this statistical source book presents data (of use to policymakers, researchers, and the general public) on the following demographic indicators: (1) Families Below Poverty Level; (2) Per Capita Income; (3) Youth Dependency Ratio; (4)…

Illiteracy is a serious problem in the United States, and Hispanics have substantially higher rates of illiteracy than any other major population group: by the traditional measure of literacy, the completion of five years of schooling, 11.9 percent of Hispanics 25 years and older could be considered illiterate, compared to 1.8 percent of the…

This document reports the results of a study of literacy in Canada conducted for the Southam News in 1987. During the study, 2,398 Canadians were surveyed to determine the levels of literacy they possessed and how they coped in society if they were illiterate. The research methodology is based on an assessment of literacy conducted in 1985 by the…

Despite developmental efforts and a relatively larger population growth rate in nonmetro areas since 1970, rural/nonmetro people are still behind their metro counterparts in terms of wage levels, family income, adequacy of housing, and access to essential public services like education and health care. Rural public school education lags behind…