How low adult literacy disadvantages American children

This week, the Department of Education released the results of the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), known as The Nation’s Report Card. The results, to my and our nation’s dismay, were dismal.

The report, which assesses students’ reading and math scores, found declines and stagnation in student learning across the country with a staggering two out of three children not meeting the standards for reading proficiency, as reported by The New York Times.

As disheartening as the results are, unfortunately, they reflect a critical multi-generational issue the literacy community knows far too well, which is that poor academic performance and lower literacy rates in children are inextricably correlated to the silent crisis of adult and parent literacy rates — or lack thereof.

Today, an incredible 36 million adults in America cannot read, write or comprehend words at a basic level, according to PIAAC data. That prevents them from fully engaging in our society as parents, workers and citizens.

Just think about that number. It still stops me in my tracks. That means each day, nearly one in five American adults is unable to help their children succeed in school.

And yet, despite the vast number of Americans in need, adult literacy remains largely ignored and stigmatized. That unfortunate reality is ever-more troubling given the grim results of this year’s report.

According to a National Institutes for Health study, a mother’s education level is the greatest determinant of her children’s future academic success, outweighing other factors including family income.

I often reflect on a quote from Mrs. Bush. “The home is the child’s first school, the parent is the child’s first teacher, and reading is the child’s first subject,” she said. If parents don’t have the skills necessary to fulfill their role as their child’s first teacher, their children are at a serious disadvantage.

Unmet adult literacy needs, if unaddressed, will continue to be a multi-generational issue in the future. The struggling readers of today will not only continue to face some of the negative outcomes of low literacy like poor health, unemployment, poverty and incarceration — but they will repeat the cycle when they have children.

All parents want the best for their children. Families should be reading and interacting with books all day long, not just at bedtime. This is why we exist, why family literacy matters and why we say read “with” your child.

We’re proud to note that Washington, D.C., the home to our new headquarters, is one of a few significant exceptions and was the fastest improving state and urban district in the nation over time from the 2019 NAEP assessment. Achievements like this give us hope and are why we continue to work to be part of the solution by fostering innovation, expanding access to services, increasing public awareness and implementing evidence-based practices across the country.

We hope that cities, school districts, and community organizations nationwide will reach out to us at info@barbarabush.org to join the fight for family literacy.

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Empowering every American adult to navigate the world with dignity. “Literacy is everybody’s business. Period.” — First Lady Barbara Bush. barbarabush.org

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