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 Let's Talk
Denise Rolark Barnes
Friday, October 1, 2004; Page 20
Read This Out Loud
FACT: According to the National Adult Literacy Survey, the District of Columbia has one of the lowest adult literacy rates in the nation—37 percent of D.C. residents read only at or below a third grade level.
If anyone feels the brunt of the District’s high illiteracy rate, it is those whose business targets readers, including The Washington Informer.
That is why the Informer has joined with the UDC State Education Agency, Adult Education (SEA) and a host of local businesses to sponsor the Walk for Literacy, to be held on Saturday, October 9 beginning at 8 a.m. at the TechWorld Plaza on K Street, N.W. (between 7th and 9th Streets). This is a fairly short 3K Walk compared to the long road Mayor Anthony Williams and education officials have embarked upon to improve the literacy rates among adults living in the District of Columbia.
The purpose of the walk is to raise awareness of the District’s adult literacy needs and to raise funds for the SEA’s adult education programs in the city.
As a reader and writer, it is difficult to imagine what life would be like as a functionally illiterate adult, unable to fill out an employment application, follow written instructions or read a newspaper. The facts show that not only are adults in the District leading among the numbers of adults who fall in this category, but statistics indicate that illiteracy among adults across the U.S. is a growing problem.
According to the National Education Association, the breakdown for the total population of adults non-literate in English is a follows: 41 percent are English speaking whites, 22 percent are English speaking African Americans, 22 percent are Spanish speaking and 15 percent are non-English speaking people. In terms of age, 40 percent are adults between 29 and 39, 28 percent are between 40 and 59 and 32 percent are 60 or older. In terms of geographic distribution, the NEA reports that 51 percent live in small towns and suburbs, 41 percent live in urban areas and eight percent live in rural areas.
Cities and states across the country are examining the impact of adult illiteracy on every aspect of American life including the economy where the most significant impact appears. Race and economic status are also factors that are being studied in an effort to remedy a problem that is severely hurting America’s future.
One source reported that “although the percentages of illiterate African American and Hispanic adults are much higher than the percentage of white adults, the actual number of White non-readers is twice that of the number of African American and Hispanic non-readers dispelling the myth that illiteracy is not a problem among Whites.”
The Walk for Literacy, the first of its kind, was launched in 2001. According to SEA literature, the Walk helps to dismantle the negative stigma attached to adult learning and raise much-needed resources for local SEA-supported adult education programs. The SEA estimates that the District needs $32 million annually to provide literacy services that include GED testing, adult basic education, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) computer technology, workplace readiness and External Degree Diploma (EDP), to individuals who are 16 years old and older and lack other educational training.
Mayor Williams has made adult literacy a priority during his current administration in an effort to correct the trend indicated over the past 10 years. According to the Literacy Challenge 2001-2002 Policy Agenda, since 1994, while federal funding for adult literacy programs has increased, the District’s spending has been significantly less than the national average.
“Spending trends have varied considerably at the federal, state and local levels,” according to the report, “and the District has been at the very low end in recent years.”
So it is imperative that the entire D.C. community gets involved in supporting an effort that will help not only those adults who are seeking to improve the quality of their lives, but in the end will also help to improve the quality of life for all of us.
If you were able to read this column, SEA and its sponsors hope to see you on October 9th.
For Denise Rolark Barnes send email to drbarnes@washingtoninformer.com
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