ERIC Number: ED416407
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1998
Pages: 327
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: ISBN-0-16-049404-4
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The State of Literacy in America: Estimates at the Local, State, and National Levels.
National Inst. for Literacy, Washington, DC.
This document presents synthesized estimates of the rates of level 1 literacy by congressional district in the 50 states and District of Columbia. The estimates are extrapolations of the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) that were based on the findings of approximately 26,000 interviews. The document begins with an introduction containing the following: overview of the NALS; examination of what it means to be literate in the 1990s; definition of level 1 literacy (ability to perform many tasks involving simple texts and documents but difficulty using certain reading, writing, and computational skills considered necessary for functioning in everyday life); and discussion of the impact of low literacy. Presented next are answers to 12 frequently asked questions about synthetic estimates of adult literacy proficiency. The remainder of the document consists of bar graphs and maps detailing the rates of level 1 literacy by state, congressional district, county, and municipality. A total of 119 figures/tables/maps are included throughout the document. Appended is a paper, "Synthetic Estimates of Literacy Proficiency for Small Census Areas" (Stephen Reder), that describes the extrapolation techniques, which are said to be relatively accurate for individual localities with at least 10,000 inhabitants. (MN)
Descriptors: Adult Basic Education, Adult Literacy, Data Analysis, Estimation (Mathematics), Functional Literacy, Illiteracy, Literacy Education, National Surveys, Reading Achievement, Reading Skills, School Districts, Statistical Analysis, Tables (Data)
Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-9328; National Institute for Literacy hotline: 800-228-8813; World Wide Web: http://www.nifl.gov
Publication Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Practitioners
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: National Inst. for Literacy, Washington, DC.
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: National Adult Literacy Survey (NCES)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A