Nearly half of Detroiters can't read.

[oladub]

WWJ is reporting that nearly half of Detroiters can't read or at least they are "functionally illiterate". 34 percent in Pontiac and 24 percent in Southfield resident are also functionally illiterate. It is difficult to attract industry that needs a well educated workforce with that being the case.
http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2011/05/...ers-cant-read/

[tetsua]

Folks from Dyes would comment on this post .... if they could read it

[Crumbled_pavement]

What is this you are writing oladub? I can't read it. *grumbles under breath... probably something about how Detroiters can't read*

[skyl4rk]

no pix no comprehende

[rhythmc]

The unfortunate impact of social promotion. However, if there is population growth in the form of educated residents, that percentage will drop.

[313WX]

However, if there is population growth in the form of educated residents, that percentage will drop.

But why would educated residents want to live amongst relatively uneducated residents?

[rjk]

But why would educated residents want to live amongst relatively uneducated residents?

It's kind of like a good looking woman hanging out with an unattractive woman. You look better if you surround yourself with people of a lower standard.
That could be a selling point to get people to move here. Come to Detroit where you'll be viewed as being smarter than you actually are. The one eyed King?

Actaully I wonder how many of those people use English as a second language. A person could be educated and just not grasp the English language yet. I'm not saying it accounts for anywhere close to the 50%, but only some of it. Years ago I worked with a literacy group teaching people how to read and almost all the people spoke English as a second language.

[9mile&seneca]

All they need to know how to do is pull that voting lever. Maybe they can just put a picture of a donkey on there.

[guito13]

This is scary. I read these forums a lot and most of the people are complaining about tearing down buildings, mass transit, etc. when this issue is MUCH more vital to the city. Without an educated population we will go nowhere. It comes down to the parents being parents, getting their kids an education and setting a good example themselves. Until we have this, the other "issues" should be put on the back burner.

[mwilbert]

This is scary. I read these forums a lot and most of the people are complaining about tearing down buildings, mass transit, etc. when this issue is MUCH more vital to the city. Without an educated population we will go nowhere. It comes down to the parents being parents, getting their kids an education and setting a good example themselves. Until we have this, the other "issues" should be put on the back burner.

No. Certainly it is true that figuring out how to do a better job of educating kids is very important, but there isn't any reason why making Detroit better in other ways should interfere with that. There are lots of things that are important, but you can't only pay attention to one at a time. And of course, one big motivation for kids to learn is that by doing so they could have a better future, but it is hard to see that future in a city with no jobs or amenities. Frankly, that is probably a motivation for the parents as well--if they don't think their kids have a future, or at least not one that is going to be affected by education, why should they work at it?

[Zozo]

DPS is a complete failure.

[old guy]

I've seen some statistics recently that say as many as 55% of American adults are functionally illiterate. I'd like to be proven wrong on that number. It was from a 2006 survey. I find it hard to believe and am trying to find the sources I'm quoting.

[Buy American]

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteers be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

[guito13]

No. Certainly it is true that figuring out how to do a better job of educating kids is very important, but there isn't any reason why making Detroit better in other ways should interfere with that. There are lots of things that are important, but you can't only pay attention to one at a time. And of course, one big motivation for kids to learn is that by doing so they could have a better future, but it is hard to see that future in a city with no jobs or amenities. Frankly, that is probably a motivation for the parents as well--if they don't think their kids have a future, or at least not one that is going to be affected by education, why should they work at it?

Every population has a fixed amount of resources, I think we should use those resources to educate over pretty much anything else. Using those resources in other areas takes away from other areas, in this case education the children.

There ARE jobs in the city [[I have one of them) but a lot of them require an EDUCATION and if parents are unable to see that and convey that message to their kids then they are not doing their job!

Perhaps if the schools in the city proper were decent, the people who have those good jobs in the city would want to live IN the city opposed to where they currently live?

[401don]

What grade level corresponds to literate? I would think it would be about grade 8. It really is pretty amazing that half of children complete grade school without that basic ability and therefore have no chance of being successful in high school. Combine the iliteracy with criminal records and these adults will never even be eligible for most jobs that become available.

[Det_ard]

About half of Detroit's functionally illiterate possess a high school diploma or a GED.

That was 13 years of expensive babysitting.

[9mile&seneca]

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteers be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Good one!

[tetsua]

DPS is a complete failure.

I don't think DPS should take all the blame, I knew how to read long before I got into DPS. There are so many parents in Detroit that have a complete hands off approach when it comes to education, and that's hurting folks.

[guito13]

I don't think DPS should take all the blame, I knew how to read long before I got into DPS. There are so many parents in Detroit that have a complete hands off approach when it comes to education, and that's hurting folks.

Thank you!

My kids have been reading since age 2. They started school reading at a 2nd grade level. This is what parents need to do. Yes, I know we pay our taxes for education but that simply isnt enough today. We also need to change the way the schools work so that the good teachers are retained and the "not so good" ones are are able to be removed [[unions be damned).

[old guy]

My son could read by the time he started school too. I think that's another reason why we should be worried about closing libraries. Once kids fall behind in reading, they have a tendency to withdraw from the whole process. How can you learn other things if you can't read? Math seems to pose the same problem. A huge number of kids fall behind in math and never catch up. I could always help my son with reading, but once he got into accelerated math, not so much.

[mwilbert]

Every population has a fixed amount of resources, I think we should use those resources to educate over pretty much anything else. Using those resources in other areas takes away from other areas, in this case education the children.

To quote your previous post:

It comes down to the parents being parents, getting their kids an education and setting a good example themselves

That doesn't seem like primarily a resource problem. Not that resources aren't important, but diverting every spare dollar in Detroit to education doesn't seem like a very sensible strategy either. Not that there are any spare dollars at this point.

The larger point is that education takes place in a context, and you can't concentrate on education without paying any attention to the city in which the kids live and expect to grow up [[or not). Kids who don't see a future aren't going to work hard to prepare for that future.

[Pam]

What happened with that program to bring more volunteers into the schools? I can't remember what they called it, but they had a lot of people sign up.

[laphoque]

As I understand it, the reason for this illiteracy is Detroit was the place for America's uneducated masses to come and work on the line. We attracted a disproportionate number of people who couldn't read in the first place. This is the legacy number that is being address with limited success by various organizations like Proliteracy Detroit, Detroit Literacy Coalition, Detroit Literacy Project, and possibly others. The success is limited because [[in my experience) DLC is unorganized [[although I heard they have a new head) and the work is hard anyway. Someone who's reached adulthood without being able to read has a whole lot of inertia, shame, and psychological barricades which prevent them from learning.

Whereas DPS does have nightmarish statistics, I don't know that most of the illiterate are a product of DPS.

The challenge of post-industrial America is to find something for the people who have been replaced by machines to do.

[Dr. Emil]

Good one!

No, it's not a "Good One". It's a stupid bit of internet lore that makes excuses for shitty spelling.

[Meddle]

Folks from Dyes would comment on this post .... if they could read it

From the way people post on this and other boards, I'd say the numbers are even higher. And then they get all snotty and throw a temper tantrum when you call them on it.

I say outlaw ChatSpeak!!!