The Positive Impact On Education And Poverty

In the essay “The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society” is written by Jonathan Kozol, published in “Reading for writers” in NY. 2013. The author Kozol is a nonfiction writer, educator and social activist. In the essay, he writes about illiteracy occur in American society, illiterates who cannot read are getting trouble with many issues in their life. He is successful in affecting readers by using rhetorical throughout his essay. Kozol has also shown his talented skill of writing with logos, ethos and pathos. With logos, he is well-developed on the core of his argument, talented in appeal to readers’ emotion with pathos, and impressing readers to believe in his reliable with ethos.

Intergenerational literacy refers to the cycle of low literacy that exists in families. This paper will examine intergenerational illiteracy and programs that increase family literacy while decreasing high school dropout. To answer the question; Does intergenerational illiteracy affect educational achievement and what can be done to decrease intergenerational illiteracy and increase literacy education levels? This paper will analyze research that shows the connection between parental literacy and the lower educational attainment of children and will present solutions for increasing literacy in the family thus helping parents and potentially preventing high school dropout.

In society today, people are judged by their level of education. Education is the key in society today. According to begintoread.com, today in the United States 1 out of 4 children grow up without learning how to read. Also at early stage of life the brain start developing and adjusting to the environment that they were raised in. In addition, books and education helps develop the brain especially in early age. According to the National Center for Education, Statistics shows that the majority of people who don’t complete high school have basic or below-basic literacy skills. 26% of prison inmates nationwide had parents who had not completed high school, and 37% of inmates had not completed high school themselves. Literacy is powerful in times of development because it leads to success in life and helps with solving a problem.

Lack of literacy in those of young age could end up leading to lacking of people skills, brain development and mental skills. Dana tells us about the ones that use literacy to their advantage and how they end up markedly more civically engaged when reading and that they are more likely to “perform charity work, visit a museum or attend a sporting event.” The author persuades us with evidence that is likely true, she proves to us that the knowledge that comes along with literacy reading, is not one that is up for grabs in a lot of places. A single person's lack of not wanting to read changes in to many thousands quickly, it spreads like wildfire and that's only because of the high advantage of technology now a days, this causes tremendos declining rates on society which leads to “ serious long term social

Summary: In the essay, The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society” written by Jonathan Kozol, and published in Readings for Writers in 2013, Mr. Kozol is raising awareness to the literate society about the danger our people are heading towards with the lack of literacy in our country. Kozol used a few strong points to prove his point. First, the voters of our country; how they cast their vote on the candidate that attracts their eye the most. Secondly, real life situations of how people go about being illiterate. Lastly, personal stories; how it made it a bigger concern in his life.

The lack of knowledge deprives many individuals, from the essence of a better quality of life. “The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society”, written by Jonathan Kozol, who is an American writer and educator; discusses the negative effects that society has brought upon illiterate people. Unfortunately, the majority of illiterate individuals suffer from poverty, and are raised in households where their parents could not read or write. In this case, they are subjected to grow in an environment that is deficient of educational skills. The terrible outcome of this, is that the cycle of illiteracy continues to pass on from generation to generation.

Shockingly, more than 700 million people across the world are illiterate, perceiving literacy as a luxury. Canada’s rate is one of the highest in the world; it is the 97-99%, which is exemplary thanks to the provided education. The two countries, on the other hand, do not have high literacy rates. India currently stands with the largest illiterate population with only 72.23% because thousands are young and poor parents who must raise their families by working for or nurturing them. Likewise, Nicaraguan people also focus on labor and earning money rather than receiving an education.

Why poor children are more likely to become poor readers: the early years by Jennifer Buckingham*, Robyn Beaman and Kevin Wheldall. In this literature, they discuss low socio-economic disadvantage and poor early literacy. “Children from disadvantaged families are less likely to have experiences that encourage the development of fundamental skills for reading acquisition, specifically phonological awareness, vocabulary and oral language.” “The relationship between socio-economic disadvantage and poor reading ability is one of the most enduring problems in education. Socio-economic disadvantage is a relative concept referring to low socio-economic status, which is usually defined by income, occupation, education, or any combination of these. (Beaman, Buckingham, and Wheldall 428). This analytical proves and evaluates elements in this journal such as its claim, empirical data and its mention of opposing sides to state its effectiveness in relaying the message.

In Janathan Kazol's essay, he talking about the cost of an illiterate society. Three reasons of an illiterate society are the parents, the teachers, and the government. A lot of American can read but with limited realizing. The reason of an illiterate society will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn.

Children who grow up in poverty sometimes have more trouble with literacy and can detect it early. “Differences in literacy and cognitive skills between children in low-income families and their better-off counterparts are already apparent by age three, or perhaps even earlier” (Brooks pg. 4). This may cause problems for the child in the long run, such as also living in poverty when the become an adult.

As the author from, “Characterizing Poverty”, goes on about the education a poverty stricken person receives he says, “Inadequate schooling prevents them taking advantage of new opportunities, for example, jobs in the emerging knowledge-based industries” (2002, p.3). This is important because it adds another disadvantage in getting a good paying job. The author also ties poor education back to poor health and says, “It is more difficult for illiterate or less-educated people to obtain information about health care” (2002, p.2). This example suggest that parents with poor health are less motivated to invest in their children's education. Having a lesser education negatively restricts power. Nevertheless there are people who view this

Education comes with social benefits as well which can improve the situation of the poor, such as lower fertility and improved health care of children ("Poverty and Education"). "Poor people are often unable to obtain access to an adequate education, and without an adequate education people are often constrained to a life of poverty." - Servaas Van Der Berg. The absolutely poor in developing countries have low education levels. Some may not even have access to primary education or may not have completed their primary education, not realizing that it is important to reduce poverty. Education is often poorly measured, and the impacts do not always show up as statistically significant in cross- country growth regressions (Levine & Renelt, 1992). Africa’s education crisis makes media headlines and analysis by the Brookings Center for Universal Education (CUE) explains why this needs to change. Progress towards universal primary education has come to a halt and learning levels of children who are in school are poor as well. Using a Learning Barometer, CUE estimates that 61 million African children will reach adolescence lacking even the most basic literacy and numeracy skills, this will deprive a whole generation of opportunities to develop and escape poverty ("Poverty, Education, & Opportunity").

Most literate people take for granted their ability to read and write. Unlike the average American, farmworkers suffer from being illiterate and having the highest dropout rates in comparison to any other group in the United States. Farmworkers are paid low wages and migrate frequently for seasonal jobs. Generation after generation this inadequate lifestyle is passed down, creating an unbreakable cycle. The young children, who may still have a chance at a better life, are deprived of the opportunity to be literate through the United States education system because of their nomadic lifestyle, which can later result in serious consequences once they face adulthood. Poverty and migration keep young children from having dreams beyond farm work.

Similarly, conative abilities are likewise effected by poverty. According to Jeanne, children living below the poverty are 1.3 times as likely to experience learning and developmental disabilities. A recent study used the data from the Children of the NLSY (National Longitudinal Surveys) and the IHDP (Infant Health Development Program). The data showed poorer children scored between 6 and 13 points lower on a variety of standardized IQ and verbal ability Tests. Researchers discovered the test scores of age seven to eight years olds were similar to three-year

In today’s world people need to compete globally for jobs and one of the most important factors in getting a good paying job is education. However, even the best schools cannot overcome some of the obstacles placed in front of the students that walk through their doors. Poverty, chaotic home environments, discrepancies in exposure to technology, and lack of funding for schools all negatively impact the effort to educate children.