In Not Broken, a five-part series, I pointed out a number of comparisons to show that America’s public school are not broken. In Part 5, I provided evidence that culture (Asian/Pacific; White; American Indian/Alaska Native; Hispanic/Latina, and Black—the US may be one country but it has subcultures and each subculture has its own unique characteristics) influences a child’s ability to achieve functional literacy.
After Part 5 appeared, it took a few days before I realized I missed an important comparison: the English speaking nations that were all colonized and ruled by the British Empire establishing links to a common culture.
The majority in each of these countries is White. The influence of that White dominated culture has much to do with the structure of the schools in those countries today and the way teachers are treated.
Note (to establish the dominant ethnic group and/or culture of each country):
In 2009, the census in Australia reported that 92% of its citizens were identified as White.
In 2006, the census in Canada reported that 67.32% of its citizens were identified with links to the UK, France and Ireland
In 2006, the census in Ireland reported that 94.9% of its citizens were White.
In 2009, the census in New Zealand reported that 56.8% of its citizens were identified as European.
In 2001, the census in the United Kingdom reported that 92.1% of its citizens were White.
In 2007, the estimate in the United States was 79.96% of its citizens were White.
For this comparison of literacy, I focused on six of the thirty-six English speaking countries that were once ruled by the British Empire.
The following information comes from a report published for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 1994–2003. According to this report, we may discover the number of people in each of these countries lacking functional literacy skills (% aged 16–65).
Note: In addition, I researched each country to discover any reports that confirmed the reported percentages and in several countries, the percentage of adults that were functionally illiterate may be higher.
1. Australia = 17% (the actual number may be much higher)
However, it may be much worse in Australia than the UNDP report says. Brendan Nelson, Education Minister said, “About 30 percent of Australian children who are leaving the school system in Australia are functionally illiterate.” Source: ABC.net.au
2. Canada = 14.6% (the actual number may be much higher)
According to the two following quotes, the functional illiteracy rate in Canada may be much higher than what the UNDP reported: “About 42% of young adults age 16 to 65 scored below level 3 in prose literacy, which is considered the threshold for coping in society. Source: Vivele Canada
In addition, CBC reported on Canada’s shame: “Nearly 15 percent of Candains can’t understand the writing on simple medicine labels such as on an Aspirin bottle and an additional 27% can’t figure out simple information like the warnings on a hazardous materials sheet.”
3. Ireland = 22.6% (the actual number may be a bit higher)
In addition, Irish Central.com reported, “The dumbing down of Ireland – 23 percent of males are illiterate. A Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study has shown that one in six Irish students has significant reading problems while 23 percent of Irish males have lower than “functional literacy.”
Then Independent.ie reported, “The horrifying figure of 24 per cent adult illiteracy was first published in an OECD survey in 1996, and put us close to the bottom of the international league. (In Europe, only Poland scored worse than we did.)
“But in the months prior to the publishing of the survey results, government ministers were at pains to deny the figures which were already filtering through.”
4. United States = 20% (this percentage appears accurate)
The Caliteracy.org report of the National Assessment of Adult Literacy in the United States says: “After completion, this massive assessment revealed that only thirteen percent of American adults are proficiently literate, most of whom hold a college degree, while the majority merely have intermediate literacy skills. However, the population of adults with basic or below basic skills total forty-three percent according to NAAL research, which is far higher than those with proficient skills.
“In fact, the term “functionally illiterate” is frequently used to describe the estimated twenty percent of adults in the US who cannot perform basic tasks involving printed materials. Functional illiterates may have trouble filling out a job application, using a computer, understanding written instructions, reading a contract, and many other related tasks. Many of these citizens are not able to hold a job, and those who do work regularly have difficulty with occupational tasks and career advancement.”
5. United Kingdom = 21.8% (this percentage appears accurate)
6. New Zealand = 18.4% (the actual percentage may be much higher)
Education Counts.govt.nz reported that levels three and above on the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) indicate “functional literacy” while Levels 1 and 2 indicate “functional illiteracy”. The survey found that 45% of adult New Zealanders were in levels 1 and 2 for prose literacy, 50% for document literacy and 49% for quantities literacy (the average of the three is 48%).
If Josh Harden can read to his young children as he is dying, what is your excuse?
Continued on September 11, 2012 in The Cultural Legacy of the British Empire on Literacy – Part 2
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Lloyd Lofthouse is the award-winning author of The Concubine Saga.
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