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Literacy in Decline: Untangling the Evidence

Cornell University

National assessments of U.S. high school students' writing and other verbal abilities do not show that literacy has declined substantially in recent years. In fact, scores have been relatively stable since the 1980s. The proportion of students with solid writing and reading abilities has held fairly steady but remained small during the past 25 years. During this period, however, the proportion of high school graduates who enter higher education has soared. Thus, more students with weak verbal abilities now enter college. Initiatives that encourage people to continue their education have succeeded, whereas initiatives to improve writing, reading, and reasoning abilities have not. The complex causes of entering college students' weak verbal abilities include social and cultural forces as well as decisions by educational institutions. By understanding the complicated history of this issue and reframing it in positive terms, business and technical communication faculty can help effect change.

Key Words: literacy • writing assessment • reading assessment • verbal abilities • curriculum

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