Literacy News

1 Comment Category: Adult Literacy-2
Tags: Literacy, U.s.

I just read an article saying nearly 40% of adults in D.C. are functionally illiterate. It went on to say that, nationally, 21% of adults are functionally illiterate.

Yet, when I say education should be the nation’s number one priority I am dissed. Doesn’t anybody agree with me that this is unacceptable? How on earth will the U.S. compete when a fifth of its adult population can’t read or write to 2nd grade level?

Image taken on 1900-01-01 00:00:00. Image Source. (Used with permission)

Write Comment Category: Books
Tags: ahead, at, ESL, Getting, U.s., Vocabulary

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Product Description
Getting Ahead in the U.S. doesn’t just teach English; it teaches everything you need to know about living and being successful in the U.S.  This program will help you:

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3 Comments Category: Literacy Activities
Tags: at, Help, History, U.s., what boosted college enrollment in the late 1800s

1. Why did parents pressure local governments to reform public schools?

to prepare their children for college

to extend their children’s knowledge beyond the basic skills

to keep their children out of criminal activity

to provide opportunities for sports and other extracurricular activities

2. How did immigrants regard public education?

as an aid to assimilation

as a threat to cultural heritage

as a path to advancement

all of the above

3. What did W.E.B. Du Bois encourage his students to seek in school?

a vocational education

a liberal arts education

basic literacy

agricultural skills

4. By 1910, why had public school enrollment reached a record high?

increased funding for scholarships

improved conditions in the schools

higher family incomes

passage…

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Write Comment Category: Articles
Tags: "language acquisition", "philip yaffe", at, Dictionary, dramatically, Effective, Language, language learning, More, Pronunciation, r words, Reading, teaching, Translate, U.s., Vocabulary

by Philip Yaffe

“Why are Americans so poor at learning to speak other languages?” is asking the wrong question, because the answer is obvious. They don’t learn to speak other languages because they don’t need to. Or more pertinently, they have little or no opportunity to do so even it they want to.

The real question is: “Why does language teaching in the U.S. continuing aiming at a virtually unattainable objective rather than accepting the reality of the situation and adapting to it?”

When l was growing up in Los Angeles in the 1950s speaking another language (with the possible exception of…

27 Comments Category: Technology Literacy HELP
Tags: "computer literacy", able, Assistance, at, Computer, Future, Literacy, operate, presidents, Should, Technology, Think, U.s., Without

The president doesn’t run the free world by sitting in front of a computer, of course, but does a total lack of computer literacy indicate that a candidate is “out of touch” with the digital era/technology-related issues?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/11/mccain-admits-he-doesnt-k_n_106478.html

White Knight, don’t patronize me. I will eat you alive.

Bob, the CEO damn well better know everything about heavy machinery excluding how to operate them. Your analogy is about as strong as a wet paper sack.

Thor, do you even know what [sic] means? What was spelled incorrectly?
apple, those basic tasks are exactly what I refer to when I say “total lack of computer literacy.”…

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6 Comments Category: Illiteracy ARTICLES
Tags: adult literacy, at, brought, Englishspeaking, functional illiteracy, Grammar, Help, Illiteracy, illiterate, Literacy, literacy rate, nations, Poverty, poverty in america, Programs, Reading, really, Spelling, U.s., Want

We often see articles in newspapers or magazines about the shocking extent of poverty in America or some other English-speaking nation. But how often do the articles examine the cause of the poverty? I cannot remember ever seeing such an article. Many persons of influence — celebrities, educators, and politicians — bemoan the extent of poverty. Many of them want to help. Some of them actually do help, but the help is almost always something involving providing money or physical items to temporarily relieve the symptoms — the pain and suffering brought on by poverty. It is almost never something…

15 Comments Category: Illiteracy VIDEOS
Tags: Adult, at, Illiteracy, Literacy, literacy in the u.s., Reading, U.s.

A troubling report released by the Education Department suggests that a shocking number of Americans can barely read. One in seven American adults lack sufficient reading skills. Seth Doane reports.
Rating: 4 | Views: 2269

8 Comments Category: Technology Literacy HELP
Tags: "computer literacy", at, Computer, Know, Literacy, president, Should, Technology, U.s.

In our modern world, must the U.S. president be able to use a computer? Is computer literacy a requirement to be the leader of the free world? Specifically, would John McCain be a poor choice of president because he has not entered the age of computers? Must a U.S. president be computer literate or can he/she rely on advisors and aides to assist him/her in making decision regarding the internet and U.S. technology? Would a U.S. president push for improvements that took advantage of modern technology if he/she can’t even use a computer?

Image taken on 2009-01-15 01:35:01 by krossbow. Image…