More (not so) fun facts:
54% of American adults read below a 6th grade level.
21% read below a 5th grade level, which is considered functionally illiterate.
High immigration numbers don’t fully explain it either, as first gen immigrants only make up about 1/3 of those with low literacy.
I have a vivid memory of being in a high school english course with a dyslexic girl who wrote this INSANELY beautiful and thoughtful analysis of an Alexander Posey poem…
Nobody understood what it meant, and nobody engaged except to point out the fact that she couldn’t spell “conciousness”. So she stopped her presentation and walked out of the room.
Wherever she is right now, I hope she understands she was the brightest person there. And one of the only ones who had any semblance of real reading comprehension despite sometimes not being able to spell long words.