By: Megan Hastings

Public Relations Manager

Frederick Douglass said, “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” It’s an observation that not only highlights personal liberation but also the broader, societal power reading and writing have historically offered individuals and communities. Throughout history, the struggle for the right to read and write has been a central theme in the fight for freedom and equality. That hasn’t changed in the past 130 years since Douglass’s time, yet, Americans’ value of education has.

According to the APM Research Lab, 54% of American adults have a literacy rate below the sixth-grade level. This number may seem surprising in a first-world country like ours, but to many the issue is staunchly real and has consequences that will affect both Americans and the global community. On the surface, literacy has significantly improved over the last 200 years. In 1820, just 12% of people worldwide could read, whereas today, 12% cannot. The ability to read and write is not a choice in the modern economy; it is a necessity. The National Institute of Health conducted research that shows those with lower literacy levels are less likely to find steady work, get paid more, or even understand the conditions of their healthcare. 

For some, education is simply a time-consuming, costly endeavor with unpredictable results. There are serious repercussions when sizable portions of the populace do not recognize the value of education. Social mobility decreases in tandem with literacy rates. Because they lack the resources to negotiate complicated institutions like healthcare, housing, and finance, or to attain higher-paying occupations, entire communities become trapped in a cycle of poverty and find it hard to improve their circumstances. A population with lower levels of education produces fewer innovators, critical thinkers, and workers who are less competitive on the international scene. Long-term, government underfunding of education jeopardizes not just personal wealth but also the stability and growth of the national economy.

Given the indisputable role that reading plays in navigating the modern world, it is alarming that, sometimes, the very institutions that are supposed to support us— schools—are failing to provide the assistance needed to improve literacy rates.

We have to change the way we talk about education to avoid this rising trend. We must prioritize literacy and education at every level of society. To demonstrate that education is a necessity rather than a luxury, communities, governments, and schools must collaborate. We must rekindle the belief that education is the cornerstone of opportunity, whether that is done by expanding access to high-quality education for everyone, assisting adult literacy initiatives, or motivating companies to spend money on workforce development. We can only make sure that everyone has the resources they need to achieve and that we don’t leave millions behind if we restore the value of literacy.

(Sources: EdTrust,  NPR, NBC)