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National Assessment Of Adult Literacy

Decent Essays

Illiteracy can be easily defined as not having the skill or the ability to read this sentence. Every year, more children grow up without the ability to read. This results in students dropping out of high school. Literacy is vital element to education and illiteracy can greatly affect an individual. The National Assessment of Adult Literacy states that literacy is “using printed and written information to function in society, to achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s knowledge and potential” (“Literacy Surveys”). Without the ability to read, an individual cannot achieve any of their goals or rise to meet their potential. People are looking to the government for funding to resolve the literacy issue. Government funding and the development of new programs can substantially decrease the amount of illiterate American citizens. Yet, more needs to be done to improve literacy rates across the country.
There are many factors that could be causing the drop of literacy in the United States. Poverty is one of the largest causes of illiteracy today (Nayak). Students and families living in poverty are more likely to be illiterate than students and families living with strong financial standings. Families dealing with tough financial situations are often more focused on providing food and shelter for their children rather than sending them to school (Nayak). Therefore, these children are not being encouraged to obtain an education. Little to no education for a young child can

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