In September, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, Secretary of Education Dr. Patrick Tutweiler and members of the local delegation launched the multi-year Literacy Launch at Clinton Elementary School in Clinton, Massachusetts. The program aimed to equip students with the reading and writing skills necessary for academic success and lifelong learning.
At first, I admit I was a little confused by this program. I had never thought about literacy as a pressing issue in the United States — a wealthy and developed country. To me, this seemed like a quick photo op and a pretty inefficient use of $20 million.
People tend to assume that literacy is an issue primarily for developing nations. Surely, only countries dealing with constant economic and political struggles could face problems with literacy? In this vein, I remember packing boxes of books with my mother to send to children in impoverished countries at Christmas.
But then why was this literacy program such a priority for the Healey administration? To answer this, I’ll share an anecdote with you, from my time in sixth grade. I was an overweight, 4-foot-something scoundrel with a wild sense of humor. I played Minecraft whenever I could and enjoyed being a goofball, so to speak, as your average preteen does.
However, according to research from the National Center for Education Statistics and the Barbara Bush Foundation, 54 percent of Americans between the ages of 16 and 74 read below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level.
This means that 130 million Americans read at or below the same level as that 12-year-old Minecraft player.
The Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, or PIAAC, administers a test which determines literacy, as it categorizes readers into six levels, from below Level 1 to Level 5. Adults at Level 2 or below can at most, make basic inferences or paraphrase short texts. The lower levels on the scale represent those with the fewest literacy skills — nearly 20 percent of adults were found to be functionally illiterate.
I was shocked. The U.S., the wealthiest country in the world, is facing a problem we so merrily frame as a “third world” issue. For all our wealth and resources, the literacy crisis seems to be intractable; the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD, ranks the U.S. 16th out of 33 countries in literacy.
Literacy numbers only get more troubling looking at children in the U.S. Approximately 40 percent of students cannot read at a basic level. Only 47 percent of kindergartners in the 2021-22 school year read at grade level. The pandemic contributed to this, but even before school closures, only 55 percent of kindergartners could read at grade level.
Studies show that the best way to address rising illiteracy is through early intervention programs like Literacy Launch. One study found that high-quality, early childhood programs yield a return of $4 to $9 for every dollar invested. We are failing our children by not investing in high-quality literacy programs.
Illiteracy, like many other social challenges, is much more prevalent in underrepresented groups in the U.S. Income has the strongest correlation with literacy rates; individuals with higher incomes tend to have higher literacy skills, while low-income individuals often face greater problems with literacy.
Illiteracy is a key factor in many socioeconomic outcomes. Adults with low literacy levels are more likely to experience poor employment opportunities and lower incomes. Research also shows that these adults face worse health outcomes, higher rates of hospital admission and a general lack of understanding of medical advice.
Illiteracy also affects our information spaces in drastic ways; governments are unable to properly govern and our political systems are shaken by crises with complex causes. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, medical advice was widely ignored. Those who forsook medical advice were largely groups with low literacy rates and education levels. This rejection of substantiated and critically reasoned information led to needless suffering and death, and could have been avoided if more Americans were equipped with the literacy skills required to successfully navigate modern life.
According to an analysis by Gallup and the Barbara Bush Foundation, if every adult reached at least a Level 3 proficiency, the U.S. GDP would rise by more than $2 trillion, or 10 percent of GDP. States with the lowest literacy rates, like Alabama — where 61 percent of the population is below Level 3 — could see a GDP gain of 15 percent.
So, we return to our original question: Why was literacy a priority for the Healey administration? More than half of fourth-graders in Massachusetts cannot read at a proficient level, with particularly concerning outcomes for Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities and English language learners. Across the state, districts have been found to have low-quality literacy curricula, and teachers are often inadequately prepared for effective reading instruction. Policymakers must continue investing in these early programs to prevent another generation from slipping through the cracks of illiteracy. Twenty million dollars is not a waste; it’s an investment in our children’s future.
Samuel Cavalheiro can be reached at [email protected]
