A full third of DC is listed as functionally illiterate according to a recent survey conducted by the State Education Agency. Functionally illiterate means unable to read maps, bus schedules or fill out job applications, according to the WJZ article. The Post’s article is far more complete and includes the figure of $107M in lost revenue due to a lack of qualified applicants in the District. The most sobering part? This breakdown of where the problems are:
Unlike previous studies, the State of Adult Literacy Report identified illiteracy rates by ward. At 50.4 percent, Ward 7 had the highest percentage of residents over age 16 who were functionally illiterate. Ward 8 ranked second, with 48.9 percent, and Ward 5 was third, with 48.2 percent. By contrast, Ward 3 fared the best, at 8.2 percent.
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So, what are we going to do as a city to fix it? It looks like money needs to be redistributed to literacy programs in the affected Wards, but who’s going to take the lead?
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.
