Homelessness
“Functional illiteracy refers to the inability of an individual to use reading, speaking, writing, and computational skills in everyday life situations. ... ” Statistics make it clear that illiteracy is on the increase in the United States. ... ” Functional illiteracy is a rising problem throughout the world. ... It wasn’t until the fifteenth century, when printing was invented, that illiteracy was seen as problem. The first significant drop in illiteracy came with the Reformation when the translation of the Bible became a part of the people’s everyday language and Protestant converts were taught to read it. Revolutionary political movements from the eighteenth to the twentieth century generally included an attack on illiteracy as one of their goals. ... Illiteracy is not caused by a lack of intelligence. Numerous reasons have been cited for the rising illiteracy rate in the United States, including both social and cultural factors. Overcrowded classrooms, television, drugs, the breakdown of the American family, and the growing ethnic diversity of the student population are all examples of reasons for illiteracy. Illiteracy is also found in those with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, CAPD, and short memory differences. Illiteracy is simply “not having mastered certain skills that are the basis of written language. ... Some experts have blamed the switch from phonics to the word recognition teaching method as reason for illiteracy. ... One of the greatest problems caused by the current high rate of functional illiteracy in the United States is that the child or illiterate parents are at risk for educational failure. ... The effects of illiteracy cost the United States hundreds of billions of dollars a year for those children and adults with learning disabilities who are unable to fulfill their true potential.