My husband and I recently sponsored two events that featured the newly released documentary titled “Sentenced” addressing illiteracy in the United States. Stephen and Ayesha Curry have made it one of their missions to address this issue by supporting the production of the documentary. Their hope is to spread the directive of volunteerism using The Children’s Literacy Project as the platform. The documentary is designed to launch 1,000,000 volunteers into early childhood literacy. “Sentenced” is powerful, sobering, and creates an urgent call to action for all that care about our dire situation regarding literacy in our country. On average, 79% of U.S. adults nationwide are literate based on 2024 data. Some additional statistics on the subject:
21% of adults in the US are illiterate in 2024.
54% of adults have a literacy below a 6th-grade level (20% are below 5th-grade level).
Low levels of literacy costs the US up to 2.2 trillion per year.
I can’t express to you how ignorant I felt as I absorbed the unfavorable statistics presented in the documentary regarding literacy that plague our country. I assumed everyone who enters and exits the public school system can read and write. Those that are not proficient somehow get pushed along and end up graduating (or in many cases not) without the skills that are required to find and keep a job. This is a fundamental issue we need to address since it has such a devastating impact socially, economically and spiritually.
According to the Department of Justice, more than 70% of the inmates in the US prison system can't read above a fourth grade level. As lucrative as the prison system is for private and public businesses shouldn’t it be a requirement that those that are profiting off the system ensure that those that are incarcerated leave with the basic skills sets of being able to read and write? This would most likely reduce recidivism and not to mention empower, open up employment opportunities and increase self-esteem.
It is embarrassing that the United States is considered a world economic power yet we rank 36th in the world in terms of literacy. The good news is we seem to be heading in the right direction. In 2019 we were ranked 125th. However, we have a long way to go. I encourage everyone to not only watch the documentary, but become a volunteer tutoring young children who have fallen behind in their reading and writing proficiency. It is imperative that we strengthen the foundation of our future by providing assistance to those that are in need. There are thousands of title 1 schools nationwide and they provide students with extra instructional support beyond the regular classroom to help low-achieving children meet state standards in core academic subjects. They coordinate and integrate resources and services from federal, state, and local sources. To be considered for Title 1 school funds, at least 40% of the students must be considered low-income. In Talbot County Easton Elementary is at 78% which places them in the position of being a Title 1 . To me, it is inconceivable for a county this wealthy to have a school that qualifies as a Title 1 school. Unfortunately that number is a hard and true statistic. So, what does this mean? The kids in our county need your help!
By committing just a small amount of your time during the week could impact our local community significantly. An hour a week would make a huge impact to our local community and a child's life. It truly does take a village. Below is a list of non-profits and services in our community that have a direct impact.
Katie Fox (community school program manager) is direct contact kfox@talbotschools.org to volunteer or donate to this important missive.
Below are additional organizations that work tirelessly to uplift the children in OUR community.
Make an Impact!
Mid -Shore Early Learning Center mselc.org
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