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Literacy
Levels Crash
In 1930, three million American adults could not read because they had never
been to school; in 1990, 40 million adults—most with 9 to 12 years of school-
ing—could not read. Up to 44 million American adults cannot read the poison
warnings on a can of pesticide or a letter from a child’s teacher, while 53%
of college graduates cannot calculate the amount of change they should get if
they hand the cashier $3.00 to pay for a $.60 bowl of soup and a $1.95 sandwich.
In New Zealand, it is estimated that around 100,000 people have literacy difficulties,
and almost 48% of prison inmates had reading ability less than that of a 10-year-old.
While in Britain, more than two million people are said to be completely illiterate
and in Germany, up to 800,000 were illiterate in 1989.
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