Adult Literacy Statistics to Tell the Story

Since it is grant writing time, many of you are searching for the most current literacy statistics.  For a variety of  reasons, a lot of the data you are finding may be considered old.  The best data is almost 9 years old and comes from the National Adult Literacy Survey.  Census data on educational attainment is now 10 years old--since the new number of those lacking a high school diploma or for those at the 8th grade or lower level is not yet published. This requires you to be creative as you make the case for the need which relates to the grant guidelines or the story you want to tell.
 
There are many ways to demonstrate that low literacy is a problem in your community.  You will want to start with the most solid data based on the National Adult Literacy Survey and link it with current statistics.  The Survey was done in 1992 and repeated in 2003 which provided trend data for the first time. Even though Florida chose not to participate in the 2nd survey,  county data was extrapolated from the national findings and released about a few years ago. Here is that data.


Other more current indicators of low literacy


Florida Graduation rate is at 80% This link takes you to several publications at the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) web page.  You will need to scroll down on the page to see the actual tables with the graduation and dropout rates by county.  Florida Department of Education announced the improved rate in December 2011.  This rate is expected to go down next year because the numbers enrolled in adult education programs will not be included for the first time.



When you view the publication with dropout rate, you will see that Florida's dropout rate was 1.9%.  Data is also available by counties and even schools.  When using this data for a grant, the data can be better understood when you provide comparisons.  For example,  Highlands County had a high 7% dropout rate.  Neighboring Okeechobee had a 5% rate as compared to a low of point two per cent (.2%) in Okaloosa County in the Florida panhandle.

 School testing grades:  An assumption can be made that if the school' scores are poor, eventually students dropout and blend into their community.  The national survey found that 55% of those with out a high school diploma read at a below basic prose literacy rate as compared to 15% with a high school diploma.

For more background data go to the VALF public wiki or to the Florida Literacy Coalition. The Coalition has a booklet of statistics which was published in 2007.