Jimi Ray Clapton
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Posts: 2395
Reg: 09-03-07
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02-25-14 10:13 AM - Post#166360
Interesting news from a state that recently slashed public educational funding. I don't mean to draw a connection that may not be there - just found that notable.
According to this story on a recent study: The 5 Least Literate Cities in America
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Allensince1993
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Posts: 521
Reg: 06-06-12
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02-25-14 12:33 PM - Post#166363
In response to Jimi Ray Clapton
Huge immigrant populations in those cities.
Next...
James DeLaGarza
Realtor/Broker since 1992 |
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SB
enthusiast
Posts: 1553
Reg: 09-07-03
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02-25-14 02:51 PM - Post#166367
In response to Allensince1993
The survey points to LITERATE cities and not at the problem of illiteracy. I disagree with the survey's limited indicators of literate.
Texas, however, has one of the highest rates of illiteracy in the country. Improving literacy benefits everyone. It gives opportunity to the newly literate to better participate in civic society and it greatly improves their earning capabilities.
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Allensince1993
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Posts: 521
Reg: 06-06-12
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02-25-14 05:14 PM - Post#166376
In response to SB
The survey points to LITERATE cities and not at the problem of illiteracy. I disagree with the survey's limited indicators of literate.
Texas, however, has one of the highest rates of illiteracy in the country. Improving literacy benefits everyone. It gives opportunity to the newly literate to better participate in civic society and it greatly improves their earning capabilities.
It's in the title of the article:
The 5 Least Literate Cities in America
James DeLaGarza
Realtor/Broker since 1992 |
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nomoon
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Posts: 1026
Loc: Allen
Reg: 05-31-06
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02-25-14 06:09 PM - Post#166377
In response to Jimi Ray Clapton
Their methodology was interesting, though I suspect that its accuracy is quickly going obsolete.
To clarify what the study was all about (emphasis mine):
The focus of the study was not on reading test scores, but on reading culture, explained Dr. John W. Miller, head of the study and CCSU president. “This isn’t about whether or not people can read, it’s about whether they do read,” Miller said.
The study reviewed city literacy based on six categories — library systems, bookstores, educational attainment, digital readership, and newspapers and other publications.
I would think that newspapers and bookstores are increasingly unreliable as indicators of regions where people read.
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Jimi Ray Clapton
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Posts: 2395
Reg: 09-03-07
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02-25-14 06:42 PM - Post#166378
In response to nomoon
To be clear I didn't just post this out of the blue to pick on Texas. I had read a story not that long ago that suggested roughly the same thing. And it seems to me that Texas literacy rates have been a problem for a while relative to the rest of the country during the time that I've lived here. And it's expensive. I may be wrong - but I don't think so.
If it is the problem that I believe it may be - my only motive for posting is awareness. Seems to me that the first step in correcting a "negative" trend like this is to first acknowledge it.
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Jimi Ray Clapton
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Posts: 2395
Reg: 09-03-07
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02-25-14 06:47 PM - Post#166379
In response to Jimi Ray Clapton
I think this is the one I read last year.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram February 13, 2013: Texas cities lag behind in literacy rates
And then after I read the first article this morning - I went here to see if there was something to this:
Literacytexas.org: Facts & Statistics
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pup
enthusiast
Posts: 3936
Reg: 03-29-06
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02-25-14 07:48 PM - Post#166381
In response to Jimi Ray Clapton
They must not have counted Mississippi.
That's the dumbest, most backward place in the solar system.
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lostyankee
enthusiast
Posts: 1336
Reg: 10-27-05
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02-25-14 08:20 PM - Post#166382
In response to pup
Newspapers as a gauge? Really? Newspapers are dead media, the news there is old by the time it's printed.
Plus, no mention in the story, but was this English literacy or literacy in native tongue. Surely that skews the results.
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Jimi Ray Clapton
enthusiast
Posts: 2395
Reg: 09-03-07
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02-25-14 08:29 PM - Post#166383
In response to lostyankee
Newspapers as a gauge? Really? Newspapers are dead media, the news there is old by the time it's printed.
Plus, no mention in the story, but was this English literacy or literacy in native tongue. Surely that skews the results.
Here's a link to the methodology of this study - and other pertinent links from there
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SB
enthusiast
Posts: 1553
Reg: 09-07-03
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02-25-14 09:43 PM - Post#166388
In response to Allensince1993
It's in the title of the article:
The 5 Least Literate Cities in America
Fine and good but if you read the article it leads off about the most literate cities and then diverts to discussion of criteria.
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SB
enthusiast
Posts: 1553
Reg: 09-07-03
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02-25-14 09:48 PM - Post#166389
In response to lostyankee
Newspapers as a gauge? Really? Newspapers are dead media, the news there is old by the time it's printed.
Plus, no mention in the story, but was this English literacy or literacy in native tongue. Surely that skews the results.
From the story:
“This isn’t about whether or not people can read, it’s about whether they do read,”
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mgrayar
enthusiast
Posts: 3861
Reg: 09-25-09
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02-26-14 07:18 AM - Post#166393
In response to SB
Newspapers as a gauge? Really? Newspapers are dead media, the news there is old by the time it's printed.
Plus, no mention in the story, but was this English literacy or literacy in native tongue. Surely that skews the results.
From the story:
“This isn’t about whether or not people can read, it’s about whether they do read,”
It's odd that they chose not to include Amazon ebook sales, online viewership, and in-app book purchases (nook, kindle, etc on tablets).
My wife reads more than anyone I know, but according to this study she would be considered illiterate. Ironically her technology literacy is what would cause the researchers to deem her illiterate.
Learn more about Cystic Fibrosis and how you can help at:
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Jimi Ray Clapton
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Posts: 2395
Reg: 09-03-07
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02-26-14 08:46 AM - Post#166395
In response to mgrayar
I can't say for sure whether or not they included Amazon and other e-reader resources for the data collection. I do agree that it would seem to be a huge mistake to exclude that. In the study overview it states:
This study attempts to capture one critical index of our nation’s social health--the literacy of its major cities (population of 250,000 and above). This study focuses on six key indicators of literacy: number of bookstores, educational attainment, Internet resources, library resources, periodical publishing resources,and newspaper circulation.
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mgrayar
enthusiast
Posts: 3861
Reg: 09-25-09
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02-26-14 10:27 AM - Post#166398
In response to Jimi Ray Clapton
Ah. I missed that. Not sure what that encompasses.
Learn more about Cystic Fibrosis and how you can help at:
http://www.cff.org
Everyone can make a difference! |
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