Report of the National Commission on Adult Literacy • June 2008 v

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A. FACING THE PRESENT...
~ U.S. Scores Poorly Internationally. The U.S. is the only country among 30 OECD free-market countries
where the current generation is less well educated than the previous one. The U.S. is also losing ground in
international comparisons in terms of high school diplomas and college degrees awarded. ....
~ High School Dropout Rates Are Staggering. Every year, one in three young adults—more than 1.2
million people—drop out of high school. Even more alarming, many high school graduates who do complete high
school lack basic skills and readiness for job training and college.
~ Low Parent Learning Affects Children. One in four U.S. working families is low-income, and one in five
children lives in poverty. Parents and caregivers in many of these households lack the education and skills to earn a
family-sustaining wage.
~ Low Literacy in Burgeoning Prison Population. One in every 100 U.S. adults 16 and older is in prison
or jail in America (about 2.3 million in 2006). About 43 percent do not have a high school diploma or equivalent,
and 56 percent have very low literacy skills. Ninety-five percent of incarcerated people return to our communities.
It is hard enough for them to find jobs burdened with a prison record, but it is nearly impossible without the
necessary education and basic skills.
~ Large and Growing English Language and Literacy Need. About 2 million immigrants come to the
U.S. each year seeking jobs and better lives—the promise of America. About 50 percent of them have low literacy
levels and lack high school education and English language skills, severely limiting their access to jobs and job
training, college, and citizenship.