ONLY 31% OF 2003 US COLLEGE GRADUATES ARE BE ABLE TO READ AND UNDERSTAND COMPLEX WRITINGS.

US LITERACY AMONG COLLEGE GRADUATES DROPS PRECIPITOUSLY.
NO WONDER ECONOMIC LITERACY RATE IS ONLY SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN THE GROWTH RATE OF A GALAPAGOS TORTISE.

(Author’s note: The post for today was to have been some more discussion on the US balance-of-payment numbers. There will be a little discussion about the trade deficit, but a most disturbing report was released by the US Department of Education.)

The Author, in his more cynical days, was fond of the statement: “No one never lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the American people”. This nation’s educational system has been in decline at least as far back as the Author started school. He would like to think he had some part in this, but perhaps he flatters himself. The National Assessment of Adult Literacy, conducted in 2003 by the Department of Education and just released, demonstrates generally falling rates of literacy across all population groups.

The most startling figure was that only 31% of college graduates in 2003 rated “proficient” in English, down from a scandalously low figure of 40% of college graduates in 1999. The definition of “proficient” is the ability to read lengthy, complex English texts and draw complicated inferences, or compare viewpoints in two different editorials. Being “proficient” in English would appear to be a prerequisite to perform college level work. But obviously not.

In the general population, only 13% of Americans are “proficient” in English. 53% of college graduates, and 44% of Americans in general, are rated as “intermediate”. This means that they can perform moderately difficult activities such as finding information in reference materials.

At the bottom of the scale, about 5% of Americans are illiterate, and 14% are below basic reading, such as understanding information in a pamphlet.

US DEFICIT IN CURRENT ACCOUNT FOR THIRD QUARTER FALLS SLIGHTLY. ANY CORRELATION WITH THE FOREGOING?

Who knows whether American intellectual underperformance directly correlates with the third quarter Current Account deficit of 195.8 billion?[i] This third-quarter figure is down slightly from the second quarter Current Account deficit of 197.8 billion. However, “the third quarter figure was below the $205 billion imbalance that had been forecast. Analysts said payments by foreign insurance firms to settle damage claims stemming from hurricanes Katrina and Rita accounted for most of the improvement.”[ii]

The hurricane indemnification payments will be onetime events. Still, foreign investors are sopping up US securities, credits that go into the balance-of-payment capital accounts and offset the current account deficits.

CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS FOR TEACHERS AND EDUCATORS

After reading about the poor literacy rates in America, the Author wishes to pause and thank those stand out teachers, professors and mentors that taught him to read, comprehend and think critically. It could not have been easy. There are a lot of them, so he will spread the kudos out over a few days. Miss Hartzler[iii], Mrs. Sponhauer, Mrs. Stoeling, Miss Breggar, Old Pete Null, Mr. Owens, Mr. and Mrs. Speakman, Coach McClellan, Mr. Wysong, Mr. Hochstetler.

THE ONLY REQUIRMENT FOR ADMISSION TO THE DESERT OF THE REAL IS A WILLINGNESS TO LEARN!

[i] Correlation does not always equate with causation. But a poorly educated workforce is not a productive workforce. We’ll leave it at that for today.
[ii] “Deficit in Current Account Narrows Slightly in 3Q Although Still 3rd Highest Level in History”, AP story, http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/051216/economy.html?.v=9&printer=1
[iii] The Author will deviate from his common prefix for women as “Ms” because of the convention of the time when he attended elementary school.