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Article: When mom and dad can't read; illiteracy survey.
- Article from:
- U.S. News & World Report
- Article date:
- May 5, 1986
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1986 All rights reserved. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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When mom and dad can't read
The most comprehensive study of illiteracythus far showed that nearly 1 of 8 adult Americans cannot read.
The illiteracy rate of 13 percent foundby the survey among people age 20 and older suggests that 17 million to 21 million adults cannot complete a basic test of English skills. "Too high, but not as high as we thought it might be,' said Bruce Carnes of the Department of Education, which commissioned the study by the Census Bureau in 1982. "In view of the utter simplicity of the test, the numbers are alarming,' said Jonathan Kozol, author of Illiterate America.
The exam, given to a sample of 3,400adults, consisted ...