Facts

Facts About Literacy

  • 66% of Cleveland residents suffer from low levels of literacy. [The Statistic ] Some Cleveland neighborhoods have an illiteracy rate as high as 95%. Skills vary in what is commonly referred to as “low literacy” but at this level, adults may be able to survive, but not thrive. Think of it like having math, reading, or language comprehension skills below a 4th-grade level. People may struggle to read a bus schedule, medicine bottle or job application
  • An adult without a high school diploma earns 42% less than an adult with a diploma
  • A mother’s reading skill is the greatest determinant of her children’s future academic success, and outweighs other factors like neighborhood and family income (ProLiteracy)
  • The percentage of adults without a high school diploma who live in poverty is twice that of those who have a high school diploma
  • Why Adult Literacy Matters [infographic]
  • More literacy statistics

    Sources:  Center for Urban Poverty and Social Change, Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University; National Assessment of Adult Literacy, Ohio Literacy Resource Center

More from Seeds of Literacy