December 7, 2007

Reading should be fundamental

By Congressman Joe Pitts

Fewer and fewer Americans are reading, and it is a problem for our country.  A recent report by the National Endowment for the Arts provides some startling and alarming facts.  The report, entitled To Read or Not to Read: A Question of National Consequence, is a compilation of surveys and studies regarding reading in the United States.  It represents the most comprehensive look at reading in America at this time. 

The overwhelming evidence shows that people, especially our young adults, are simply not reading.  Nearly half of all Americans ages 18 to 24 read no books for pleasure; 15 to 20 year olds spend only 7-10 minutes per day on voluntary reading.  Little more than one-third of high school seniors now read proficiently.

Literacy is one of the most basic and fundamental prerequisites for a person’s ability to succeed economically, as well as participate in civic society.  Democracy is only as strong as the citizens that make up the electorate, and without literacy, there is little hope for an individual to participate in the exchange of ideas that shape our public policy.  And, if individuals are literate, but not reading, the effect might as well be the same.

The issue of literacy in America is not simply an academic discussion.  There are serious economic consequences as well.  The study notes that employers now rank reading and writing as top deficiencies in hew hires.  Almost 40 percent of employers find high school graduates “deficient” in reading comprehension.  One in five workers in the United States reads at a lower skill level than their job requires.  And remedial writing courses are estimated to cost more than $3.1 billion for large corporate employers and $221 million for state employers.  

But this is not just a problem for employers and corporations.  In fact, 38 percent of readers rated as “Basic” said their reading level limited their job prospects and 70 percent of those rated as “Below Basic” said the same.  The ethos of the American Dream is the equality of opportunity.  If people lack a skill as basic as reading, the equality of opportunity is simply a myth.

There are two issues at play here.  The first can be addressed through public policy, but the second cannot.  First, we must emphasize reading in our schools.  It is unacceptable to continue passing children to the next grade if they cannot read at the required level.  The fact that little more than one third of high school seniors now read proficiently is unacceptable. 

Our schools need to emphasize reading as a priority itself, not as a bi-product of learning other subjects.  Continued emphasis on accountability in schools will be needed as well in order to ensure children are not continuing on in school without the skills and knowledge they need and deserve.   

The second issue this survey shows is that reading is losing its cultural value in our society at large.  No politician can come up with a plan to force parents to emphasize reading at home.  We cannot, and should not, mandate what goes on in living rooms across America.  This is a cultural issue as much as a political one.  Children learn their priorities from their parents, and if parents do not believe reading is important, neither will their children.

Children need to be told that reading is important from a young age.  Parents should watch one less hour of television each day and read to their child, or with their child.  Once they are in school, parents should talk to their children about what they are reading in school.  Parents should take steps to show children that reading is important and they are invested in their success in becoming proficient readers.    

No less than the health of our democratic society and the continued prosperity of our economy are at stake. 

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