literacy

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In a World Run on 'Vibes,' Undergrads Balk at Reading

And it doesn't seem as if this writing professor blames them, per his op-ed for the New York Times

(Newser) - Jonathan Malesic teaches writing at Southern Methodist University, and in the early 2010s he was assigning his students nine books a semester to read. Now, more than a decade later, after COVID and the full-fledged arrival of AI, "that reading list seems not just ambitious but absurd," he...

Michigan Settles Landmark Literacy Lawsuit

Some years, few Detroit public school students tested proficient in reading

(Newser) - Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will ask the Michigan Legislature to provide at least $94.4 million to Detroit's public schools to settle a lawsuit that describes the city's schools as "slum-like" and incapable of delivering access to literacy. The settlement agreement was signed Thursday, the AP reports, and...

Here's a Way to Stave Off Dementia
Here's a Way to
Stave Off Dementia
new study
Nov 16, 2019 4:00 PM CST

Here's a Way to Stave Off Dementia

Illiterate people are nearly 3 times as likely to suffer from it

(Newser) - Good thing you're reading this—it might help keep dementia at bay. A new Columbia University study finds that illiterate people are nearly three times as likely to suffer from dementia, CNN reports. Scientists reached this conclusion after visiting 983 people over age 65 in the Washington Heights area...

'Name Any Book' Is a Hard Task, Kimmel Learns
'Name Any Book'
Is a Hard Task,
Kimmel Learns
VIDEO
May 18, 2018 12:06 PM CDT

'Name Any Book' Is a Hard Task, Kimmel Learns

Perhaps Americans should listen to 1990s Shaq

(Newser) - Jimmy Kimmel is taking issue with a recent study claiming 24% of Americans haven't read a book in the past year. He thinks the figure should be higher and, on his show Thursday, offered some corroboration in interviews with people on the street. Asked to name any book—the...

George HW Bush Paid a Very Simple Tribute to His Wife

Former president honored Barbara Bush's commitment to literacy with book socks

(Newser) - As George HW Bush laid to rest his wife of 73 years on Saturday, he used his unique sartorial trademark to honor Barbara Bush: The 41st president of the United States, known in his post-presidency for his affinity for loud socks , sported socks that depicted stacks of books in a...

Think It's Weird When Parents Read to Babies? Think Again

Reading even in early infancy can help boost literacy later

(Newser) - OK, your baby isn't going to get the finer points of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, but there are benefits to be reaped from exposure to books even in early infancy. New research presented at the 2017 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting on Monday shows that when babies...

We Created— and Deserve —the Idiots in Washington

If our government is awful, it's because we're not so bright ourselves: LZ Granderson

(Newser) - It's easy enough to complain about Washington gridlock, but "every country has the government it deserves," said philosopher Joseph de Maistre. We're the ones who put the politicians in power, but when you look at the recent results of an international skills survey , it would seem...

Americans Read and Math Bad
 Americans Read and Math Bad 
Oct 8, 2013 9:00 AM CDT

Americans Read and Math Bad

New study shows US adults are lagging in crucial skills

(Newser) - You've probably heard that test scores are lagging badly for America's youth, but it turns out they're just chips off the old blocks. A sweeping new study has found that American adults are below-average when it comes to literacy, basic math skills, and "problem-solving in technology-rich...

On NY School's Summer Reading List: 30+ Typos

Students advised to read 'The Great Gypsy,' Emily Bonte

(Newser) - Good news, students of Hempstead Public Schools: You won't be wading through F. Scott Fitzgerald's version of that Leo DiCaprio movie this fine summer vacation. Rather, you'll be searching endlessly for a tome called The Great Gypsy—at least according to the district's summer reading list,...

In Laos, Bringing Books to Children—Via Elephant

The story of one American expatriate's local publishing company

(Newser) - In Laos, many children had never seen a book until “Uncle Sasha” came to town. American Sasha Alyson first visited the impoverished country in 2003, and was struck by the lack of books for children. “Many [kids] don't even know what a book is. Sometimes you have to...

Many English Speakers Don't Understand English
Many English Speakers
Don't Understand English
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jul 11, 2010 8:43 AM CDT

Many English Speakers Don't Understand English

Study discovers shocking grammar deficiencies

(Newser) - Loads of native English speakers lack even a basic understanding of the language, according to a surprising new study from Northumbria University. The researchers gathered a group of adults, some of whom were postgraduates students, and some who had dropped out of school at age 16, and tested them on...

Let's Rethink How We Teach English
 Let's Rethink How 
 We Teach English 
opinion
May 19, 2010 1:54 PM CDT

Let's Rethink How We Teach English

Kids can't write, and it's getting worse

(Newser) - Take it from a first-year college instructor: The writing skills of young adults are a joke. "They have either forgotten the rules of writing, or they never learned them in the first place," writes Kara Miller of Babson College. And while the media focuses on the need for...

Seattle: America's Most Literate City

High-ranking literate cities safer, better for singles

(Newser) - The most literate cities tend to be safer, healthier, and have thriving singles' scenes, according to Central Connecticut State University's annual ranking of American cities. Seattle topped the list again this year, which was cross-indexed with statistics and other surveys for the first time. Washington, DC, came in second, knocking...

'Candid' Laura Bush Tells Her Story

Met with historians to discuss her little-known legacy

(Newser) - Shortly before the election last November, Laura Bush sought to shape her somewhat hazy legacy. The former first lady spoke to historians, reporters, and other DC insiders in a 3-hour “legacy lunch,” at which she was called “candid,” “funny,” and “open” as she...

Braille Read by Less Than 10% of Blind Americans

(Newser) - Less than 10% of blind Americans know how to read Braille, and just 10% of blind children are being taught the printed language, the AP reports. A study by the National Federation of the Blind also pegs Braille illiteracy to unemployment. While the blind population faces 70% unemployment overall, that...

Howard Dean: Dems Must Not Cave on Health Care

(Newser) - Howard Dean didn't get the health cabinet post he wanted, and doesn't want the job that's open—surgeon general—but is pushing President Obama's health-care plan just the same, the Washington Times reports. "Democrats can’t cave," says the former doc. Obama’s plan is "perfect,"...

32M Lack Basic Reading Skills
 32M Lack Basic Reading Skills 
Jan 9, 2009 8:18 AM CST

32M Lack Basic Reading Skills

Study says Illiteracy crisis getting worse

(Newser) - One in seven American adults in the US—about 32 million people—have such low literacy skills that they cannot read a newspaper story or a prescription bottle, a new federal study says. "They really cannot read paragraphs (or) sentences that are connected," says an Education Department researcher....

Minneapolis, Seattle Top List of Most Literate Cities

Read all about it

(Newser) - New York may be America's cultural capital, but Seattle and Minneapolis top the list as the nation's most literate cities, reports LiveScience.  The rankings are based on newspaper, magazine, and online news readership, library usage, book purchases, and educational levels. The two cities also topped the list last year....

Winslet on Reader Role: It's 'Blown My Mind'

(Newser) - Even for a seasoned actress like Kate Winslet, the role of Nazi guard Hannah Schmitz in The Reader was a game-changer, writes Brad Balfour in the Huffington Post. “I sort of walked away like some car crash victim who somehow hadn't been hurt on the outside,” Winslet said....

Interviewers Let Palin Off the Hook: Couric

Couric wonders why Palin wouldn't answer reading question

(Newser) - Sarah Palin’s non-answer to Katie Couric’s question about what periodicals she reads still has the CBS anchor puzzled. Couric visited with David Letterman last night, and he quizzed her about why post-election interviewers haven’t asked the VP wannabe about her non-response, Gawker reports. Meanwhile, Letterman has a...

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