Playgrounds to Prisons The U.S. literacy crisis has a direct correlation to adulthood success.

First grade teacher at Bradfield Elementary Kristi Kimple helps student complete spelling worksheet. Literacy rates are dropping nationwide. This crisis was exasperated by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Without that classroom accountability, [both] reading scores and math scores dropped off," HPHS head librarian Kimberly Pinkham said. Photo by Augusta McKenzie

By Augusta McKenzie

According to the American Civil Liberties Union, U.S. prisons hold two million people, more than a fifth of the world’s prison population.

Of that population, only 30% can read above the fourth-grade reading level as stated by Literacy Mid-South. But when prisoners were given the chance to take classes on reading and writing, the re-imprisonment rates dropped from 70% to 16%, according to Dr. Stephanie Al Otaiba, a professor of learning and teaching at Southern Methodist University.

After the pandemic, literacy rates and test scores in schools dropped dramatically. According to the Nation’s Report Card, reading scores in 29 states regressed to where they were in 2005.

“Learning was greatly impacted during and post Covid,” HPHS head librarian Kimberly Pinkham said. “Without that classroom accountability, [both] reading scores and math scores dropped off.”

This nationwide impact has mainly affected lower-income families, with literacy rates dropping more dramatically in districts where a major part of the population receives free and reduced-priced lunches. According to the National Literacy Institute, in the US, 49% of fourth graders who qualify for free or reduced lunches scored below “Basic” on the National Assessment of Educational Progress reading portion.

“The research is showing us that those who are more frequently absent or children who are participating in programs such as free and reduced-price lunch seem to be doing worse,” Al Otaiba said.

Without reading and writing, people can’t fully function in society and can’t fully exercise their rights. It’s hard to access voting ballots, use prescription medication and get a job that can provide for a family.

“If you can read, you can do anything, any career, any passion,” Pinkham said, “A literate, well-rounded person can walk in a room and make a friend. When you're a reader, you can interact on many levels with other people.”

The introduction of modern technology in everyday life also affected the U.S. population’s attitude towards reading. According to Gallup, in 2016 the average person read 15.6 books, but as of 2021, the average person reads just 12.6 books per year.

“If you can read, you can do anything, any career, any passion. A literate, well-rounded person can walk in a room and make a friend. When you're a reader, you can interact on many levels with other people.”

“Technology, with phones and computers in every classroom and every part of people's lives, [makes it] hard to find time to read,” Pinkham said.

There have been many strides in the U.S. to stop the cycle of illiteracy. As reported by ProPublica, in 2022, $675 million was given from the federal government to adult literacy initiatives, including the Neuhaus Education Center located in Bellaire, Texas, which serves illiterate adults and children across the country.

“Neahaus’s mission is to ensure literacy is secured for every citizen of our country,” Dr. Tracy White Weeden, President and CEO of the Neuhaus Education Center, said. “It’s a human rights issue. We have a literacy crisis in our country that still has not been resolved.”

Through their literacy initiatives, Neahaus provides free tutoring for adults and children alike who struggle to afford supplemental teaching.

“The beauty of what we get to do is not just work with teachers, but also adults and children who the system failed. We wrap our arms around the entire family tree.”

The literacy crisis has detrimental implications on the trajectory of a person’s life. Neahaus tries to prevent this outcome.

“Functionally illiterate people are likely to end up in the service class in our society or the pipeline to prison, because there is a direct connection between functional illiteracy and the people behind bars in our country,” Weeden said.

Neahaus, and many organizations like it, work with educators to teach them about the science of reading and how to effectively teach students to read. The science of reading indicates that phonics are more effective, despite whole language learning being taught in schools for decades.

“Functionally illiterate people are likely to end up in the service class in our society or the pipeline to prison, because there is a direct connection between functional illiteracy and the people behind bars in our country,”

“Phonics really is important, especially for kiddos that are struggling to learn to read or to understand the sounds in words,” Al Otaiba said. “The science of reading is reemphasizing that those basic skills are really important.”

Phonics and other reading methods are best taught by a full-time educator, but the extreme teacher shortage in the U.S. is stopping many kids from getting a quality education. Facing long-term substitutes and disrupted class routines, in comparison to a consistent teacher, inhibits a student from learning to read and write.

“One of the things I feel confident will make a difference in literacy is continuing to encourage young people who are smart and passionate to stay in the [teaching] profession,” Al Otaiba said.

Tackling illiteracy takes a multifaceted approach to be able to tackle the many causes and effects of the lowering literacy rates in the US.

“Struggling readers are absolutely committed to getting better,” Al Otaiba said, “So helping them have the mindset that they can persist, and helping teachers believe that they can make a difference are two big factors that can be helpful.”

Graphic by Mila Segal