54% of American adults can’t read above a 6th-grade level
54% of American adults can’t read above a 6th-grade level
How do YOU react to that fact?
Yesterday I shared a statistic: 54% of American adults can’t read above a 6th-grade level. I thought it was pretty shocking so I wanted to note it so I could start investigating it. That’s why I shared it.
But it’s the responses (some had to be hidden/deleted) that I want to talk about.
The comment replies quickly turned into assigning blame to either teachers or parents. It had to be one of them!
And of course, some assumed that I was making a political statement. I wasn’t.
I was just pointing out an uncomfortable truth that I had just learned and wanted to investigate.
This kind of reaction happens a lot nowadays, and it’s a sign of our polarization. It’s tied to something called motivated reasoning and false dichotomy.
Motivated reasoning is when we process information in a way that supports what we already believe, instead of looking at the facts objectively. It’s similar to confirmation bias.
False dichotomy is when we reduce an issue to only two opposing sides, ignoring the nuances and other possible explanations.
We need to be careful about this. I need to be careful about it.
When it comes to the reading issue that I mentioned in my post, it’s possible that both parents and teachers play a role, but it could also be other factors, or none of them at all.
To truly understand an issue like this, we need to keep an open mind and look at the entire history, not just our preferred explanations.
For example, the shift from phonics to the whole language model education seems to have had a significant impact. But no one mentioned that.
Changes in educational policy, and even the metabolic health of children & adults today, could also play a part.
Poverty, screen time, family structure, child care, two parents working—these all could play a role.
The point is, when we’re faced with uncomfortable truths, it’s easy to retreat into our tribes and defend our positions. But real progress comes from being willing to explore the full picture, even when it challenges our assumptions.
So, let’s stay open-minded and avoid jumping to conclusions. Instead of debating who’s right or wrong, let’s focus on understanding the issue in all its complexity.
As always, these aren’t lectures they are reminders to myself.
On another note, that last post upset a lot of people and I had a lot of unsubscribes. No worries.
But if you get ANY value out of this, could you consider sharing it with 2 friends?
Also, ignore any typos. Typing on my phone isn’t easy with these giant thumbs. 😂
Hi Travis! Are American adults testing lower than they have in the past? Have the testing methods stayed consistent? As for this stat, I’m not surprised at all. I was raised by a stepdad I’ve certain is functionally illiterate but had an award-winning and exemplary lifelong white-collar career (and was somehow an avid reader of fiction) and as the mom of a special-needs child with severe learning disabilities all related to reading (yet is starting grad school today thanks to the many tools and accommodations available to ensure people with disabilities can contribute their skills and talents to society), I am personally confronted with adult reading levels daily. And as a professional communicator, I use this awareness every single day in my job and construct every communication with it in mind. I know the reaction to your post was your point here, but I think I need to know who’s deciding what 6th grade level even means, how they’re testing people and if that’s a moving target based on who’s testing before I can decide how alarmed I should be. I have a degree in English so I think everyone should care as much as I do about literacy! But I’m also realistic. I’m sure an economist wishes we all had the aptitude for and interest in financial literacy.