The Nardagani Reading Program Helps Tackle Illiteracy in the United States
According to the U.S. Department of Education, 54% of adults in the Unites States 16-74 years old, which is approximately 130 million people, lack proficiency in literacy and read at the equivalent of a sixth-grade level. This is a shocking number for several reasons, and its economic implications are enormous. Why? Literacy is correlated with several important financial outcomes, including as personal income, employment levels, health, and overall economic growth over a lifetime. In short, the new study by Gallup on behalf of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, finds that low levels of adult literacy could be costing the United States as much $2.2 trillion a year.
The study goes on to asses adult reading skills via the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) that classifies literacy into several levels. Adults who scored below Level 3 for literacy on the PIAAC were defined as at least partially illiterate. Adults below or at Level 1 may struggle to understand texts beyond filling out basic forms, and they find it difficult to make inferences from written material. Adults at Level 2 can read well enough to evaluate product reviews and perform other tasks requiring comparisons and simple inferences, but they’re unlikely to correctly evaluate the reliability of texts or draw sophisticated inferences. Adults at Level 3 and above were considered fully literate. They’re able to evaluate sources, as well as infer sophisticated meaning and complex ideas from written sources.
The findings, the average annual income of adults who are at the minimum proficiency level for literacy (Level 3) is nearly $63,000, significantly higher than the average of roughly $48,000 earned by adults who are just below proficiency (Level 2) and much higher than those at the lowest levels of literacy (Levels 0 and 1), who earn just over $34,000 on average. Now we know without question, reading achievement directly correlates with economic success.
Moreover, low literacy prevents millions of adults from fully engaging in society as parents, workers and citizens, lying at the core of multigenerational cycles of poverty, poor health and low educational attainment. Nationwide, low-literate adults struggle to earn a living wage, participate in the democratic process, and manage their family's health and finances simply because they lack the ability to read, write and comprehend.
The Nardagani Reading Program is available to help combat illiteracy and teach challenged readers how to read. From literacy specialists to middle school teachers to ESL instructors, professionals who frequently work with challenged readers who have been diagnosed with a reading disability and qualify for IEP (Individual Education Program), know The Nardagani Reading Program works. Moreover, teachers who used the Nardagani Reading Program, during teacher-based research studies that were implemented in the United States public school system, saw student reading improvement and the data gathered was dramatic.
Click here to learn more about the Nardagani Reading Program and take our Masterclass.
