Literacy rates throughout the country have been on the decline in recent years, with many fearing for the state of U.S. education for generations to come. Between 2017 and 2023, the number of U.S. adults ranked at the lowest levels of illiteracy jumped from 19% to 28%.
The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated existing literacy deficits both in the United States and globally, with up to “70% of 10-year-olds unable to read or understand a simple text.” A 2023 National Assessment of Education Progress report found that less than half of fourth graders maintained at least a proficient reading level. And it was found that these rates are even lower for marginalized students — “just 17% of Black students, 21% of Latino students, 11% of students with disabilities, and 10% of multilingual learners can read proficiently by fourth grade.” Reading and writing are the fundamental cornerstone of educational development, without which all other academic areas are sure to suffer.
Aside from the obvious educational consequences involved, lower literacy rates cost the United States up to $2.2 trillion annually as illiterate people are unable to generate the financial growth that being able to read would allow them. Areas lacking in educational resources and high levels of poverty exacerbate the problem, as people are forced into a self-perpetuating cycle where they work to survive and are unable to take time for education — inevitably dooming them to stay in the same situation and kicking the problem down to the next generation.
Education for Americans, regardless of their grade level, has inevitably suffered from this decline in literacy. The consensus among educators is that the problem is outdated teaching methods, and teachers generally being unprepared to apply an evidence-based approach to teaching students to read.
In addition to existing literacy difficulties, the Trump administration’s shakeup of the educational system has left many wondering how schooling will be affected in the long term. In March of this year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order effectively dismantling the Department of Education. The Trump administration has stated its intent to return education to states rather than keep it at the federal level, which Trump claims would be better fit to administer literacy programs because of their more local focus and knowledge of the state. This will undoubtedly lead to an even more uneven access to education, as there will be no federal guidelines or minimum requirements for each state’s educational practices. This comes after Trump’s inflammatory comments on the inclusion of topics like race and gender in public schools curriculums, ultimately labeling it as liberal ideology.
The complete dismantling of the Education Department only exacerbates the state of American education for future generations. Furthermore, with the recent banning of books centered on race and LGBTQ+ experiences, we not only face a crisis over how many people read, but what they are permitted to read as well. There are no apparent indicators that literacy rates in the country will radically improve in the future. With students across the country already suffering, we must make a commitment to supporting future generations in improving their reading and writing habits, whether in the classroom or at home.
Parents need to take a stronger initiative in getting their children to read more as they advance through school. A report by the National Literacy Trust found that “children who have access to books at home are more likely to be proficient readers and perform better in school.” Moreover, students who either read or are read to at home are claimed to have “higher levels of civic engagement and social participation.”
The removal of education at an early age, as well as the subsequent decline in literacy, has detrimental impacts beyond the classroom. Without being able to read or write, we as a society will lose our ability to communicate with one another, express ourselves and critically engage with ideas we encounter. We must strive to promote literacy in the United States and anywhere it doesn’t exist, so we can continue to articulate our thoughts and better interrogate the world and its many ideas.
WSN’s Opinion section strives to publish ideas worth discussing. The views presented in the Opinion section are solely the views of the writer.
Contact Leila Olukoga at [email protected].
