Locate an intersection on a street map Locate the expiration date on a driver's license Identify and enter background infomation on a social security card application Total a bank deposit entry Calculate total costs of purchase from an order form. According to the US Department of Education, Americans today are, on the average, more literate today than at any point in history. The fact is that the modern workplace has an ever increasing need for skilled workers. Manufacturing jobs that pay relatively well are disappearing, while the demand for workers with technical skills is growing. It is not surprising that Americans with level 1 skills are more likely to be economically disadvantaged than those at higher levels.
Illiteracy is associated with other problems as well.
The following statistics of prose literacy from the NALS illustrate some of the issues associated with illiteracy. While there is no survey data for Massachusetts as comprehensive as the NALS, a recent study provides estimates. In order to extrapolate literacy statistics for regions in which no survey data are available, Stephen Reder of Portland State University constructed a mathematical model by combining data from the NALS with the 1990 census. The estimate yields results that are acurate to within percentage points. While literacy in our service area is significantly higher than the national average, there is still clearly a need for improvement.