36% of people in Washington D.C. are functionally illiterate

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

WASHINGTON (AP) - About one-third of the people living in the national's capital are functionally illiterate, compared with about one-fifth nationally, according to a report on the District of Columbia.

Adults are considered functionally illiterate if they have trouble doing such things as comprehending bus schedules, reading maps and filling out job applications.

[...]

The growing number of Hispanic and Ethiopian immigrants who aren't proficient in English contributed to the city's high functional illiteracy level, which translated to 170,000 people, said Connie Spinner, director of the State Education Agency. The report says the district's functional illiteracy rate is 36 percent and the nation's 21 percent.

http://www.breitbart.com/print.php?id=D8NV...;show_article=1

[ace13 0]

We see that in our business. It is sad. How do these people get lost in the system. Some of the people who have trouble with applications are Hispanic, but most of them are American. There handwriting is illegible and spelling horrendous, too. What can you do, though? People are allowed to drop out too early, IMO and then unfortunately, I think teachers push kids through. And then they wonder why national test scores are bad. I don't know what the answer is. Any teachers have a comment or idea? I am not blaming teachers. I think a lot has to do with a cycle-maybe their parents aren't educated either-aren't helping or aren't around, and also, it isn't COOL to be smart.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

There handwriting is illegible and spelling horrendous, too. What can you do, though?

Their writing skills may just improve if we set a good example.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

We see that in our business. It is sad. How do these people get lost in the system. Some of the people who have trouble with applications are Hispanic, but most of them are American. There handwriting is illegible and spelling horrendous, too. What can you do, though? People are allowed to drop out too early, IMO and then unfortunately, I think teachers push kids through. And then they wonder why national test scores are bad. I don't know what the answer is. Any teachers have a comment or idea? I am not blaming teachers. I think a lot has to do with a cycle-maybe their parents aren't educated either-aren't helping or aren't around, and also, it isn't COOL to be smart.

This has actually been proven to an extent. Many teachers don't want to face criticism, or lawsuit (remember, this is North America) so their approach to it is "pass the migraine to someone else".

[pedroh 21]

We see that in our business. It is sad. How do these people get lost in the system. Some of the people who have trouble with applications are Hispanic, but most of them are American. There handwriting is illegible and spelling horrendous, too. What can you do, though? People are allowed to drop out too early, IMO and then unfortunately, I think teachers push kids through. And then they wonder why national test scores are bad. I don't know what the answer is. Any teachers have a comment or idea? I am not blaming teachers. I think a lot has to do with a cycle-maybe their parents aren't educated either-aren't helping or aren't around, and also, it isn't COOL to be smart.

This has actually been proven to an extent. Many teachers don't want to face criticism, or lawsuit (remember, this is North America) so their approach to it is "pass the migraine to someone else".

thank no child left behind.. if they're gonna get a ton of BS for being strict, and anyway, they have to pass the dumb kids, why bother... even if you as a teacher think the kid doesn't have the right or qualifications to pass, a call to a principal, and again, no child left behind policy, will make the student retake the test, more teacher-headache, so, again, why bother..

[Saddle Bronc 124]

...thank 'no child left behind'.. if they're gonna get a ton of BS for being strict, and anyway, they have to pass the dumb kids, why bother... even if you as a teacher think the kid doesn't have the right or qualifications to pass, a call to a principal, and again, no child left behind policy, will make the student retake the test, more teacher-headache, so, again, why bother..

You got this one backwards--"no child left behind" was only the giving a name to, and making legal/official of, such policies (which already existed, maybe "unofficially").

[ace13 0]

So, damned if you do, damned if you don't? They need to pass kids to make people happy and they need to have high test scores. Where I went to high school, we had a sophomore year efficiency test and a graduation test. It was a public high school and you had to pass these tests to continue and to graduate. I thought it seemed like a good standard. Was this only my high school?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

DC? I don't need to look far from NJ. It's not only literacy but basic math too. There's something wrong when you have to help your waiter work out the amount of the bill...

Saw a lot of that in Britain also - around outer London where I used to live.

[ace13 0]

I agree with the basic math statement, too. Basic addition, subtraction and multiplication. A study also showed that most people can not figure out percentage off sales. They have no idea how much something is going to cost after the discount. I saw on your on candid camera once where they had a 110% off sale and people were asking how much it would be in the end, etc. Only one guy out of almost 20 or so was smart enough to get some money and the product!!!

[pedroh 21]

So, damned if you do, damned if you don't? They need to pass kids to make people happy and they need to have high test scores. Where I went to high school, we had a sophomore year efficiency test and a graduation test. It was a public high school and you had to pass these tests to continue and to graduate. I thought it seemed like a good standard. Was this only my high school?

yeap..

and no, it wasn't only in ur high-schools.. but when parents stop thinking 'u know what, my kid is not studying, that's why he's failing' and started thinking 'ohh the teacher is too tough with them, he/she should give'em a break' 'Why did u fail my kid?!!? Your test was too hard, gosh, they are kids!!'

Edited March 20, 2007 by pedroh

[Niels Bohr 72]

Where's the mathematics involved in this paper? The population size in Washington D.C., is no where as near as the population size of the entire United States. This is more of a political paper than anything useful.

[ace13 0]

It is natural for parents to think their kids are angels and that they are always the victim and not the problem. You can't change people, so now what?

[Fuzzness 2]

our daughter is failing. she has two IEP's (individualized education plan) and she is still failing. the IEP is not being followed. she may have to be retained, which is very rare these days thanks to no child left behind. BULLSH!T!

[pedroh 21]

It is natural for parents to think their kids are angels and that they are always the victim and not the problem. You can't change people, so now what?

lol then my folks are unnatural lol.. they never ever blamed the teacher, and I knew they were right, I was a lazy ####### when I wanted to.. lololol..

now what? well, start with more community colleges or techs.. cuz they won't be able to make it to college... we're gonna have a nation full of LPN's, Drywall installers, and fast food managers with 'associate-degrees'

[Saddle Bronc 124]

So, damned if you do, damned if you don't? They need to pass kids to make people happy and they need to have high test scores. Where I went to high school, we had a sophomore year efficiency test and a graduation test. It was a public high school and you had to pass these tests to continue and to graduate. I thought it seemed like a good standard. Was this only my high school?

No, the one I went to (under the Calgary PUBLIC Board of Ed, not Calgary CATHOLIC Board of Ed) had multi-choice tests for each subject which would count as a percentage of your grade.

One teacher I had (for 12^th grade physics) went a bit further. He had daily quizzes (to test what you had learned from the day before), and a marking policy which allowed him to dock for something that would seem inconsequential (a good example was "equal-signs not in alignment"--'course, he had warned everyone about that the first day).