From https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/14phpbq/how_is_it_possible_that_roughly_50_of_americans/

Question above is pretty blunt but was doing a study for a college course and came across that stat. How is that possible? My high school sucked but I was well equipped even with that sub standard level of education for college. Obviously income is a thing but to think 1 out of 5 American adults is categorized as illiterate is…astounding. Now poor media literacy I get, but not this. Edit: this was from a department of education report from 2022. Just incase people are curious where that comes from. It does also specify as literate in English so maybe not as grim as I thought.

  • Thormjolnir@lemmy.fmhy.ml
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    1 year ago

    If you want to know the truth, it’s because America prioritizes almost everything above education in the money department. And while I enjoy making sure that Putin can’t take over countries do to America’s astronomically large defense budget, and help from other countries, we could probably use some of that money to help education, but you can’t do that because what is cheaper/free college going to do for the military? That’s right, cut in to the people who go to the military for free/cheap education. there’s more to it but that’s the gist, is that military eats up most of the federal spending, and then what trickles down to states, counties, and cities, is done as those people see fit. Some schools, cities and counties do well, but Michigan, and the south really aren’t helping things, plus you have teachers paid poorly, who may of had a love for teaching, be stressed out all year around, and they may tell that kid who is an annoyance in class that he can have the easy book because they won’t shut up and bring a nuisance, to let them read some small chapter book or something for a report than not. I’ve seen it happen plenty when I was in high school. But it boils down to money mostly.

    • Hazzardis@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      What’s up with Michigan? I went to school there and it was great, I mean it could have been better but it certainly wasn’t bad

      • Thormjolnir@lemmy.fmhy.ml
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        1 year ago

        I had heard a stat something like 40% of people in Michigan can’t read and of those 40% it was like 70-80% were from Lansing I think. If I’m wrong, I’m very sorry. And to be fair, I think my schooling was okay, but I don’t think it was great or above Average either

        • Hazzardis@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Sorry I don’t think those numbers are accurate, there’s definitely some dummies in Michigan but nowhere near that many lol. I lived in Lansing and people there weren’t any dumber than they are up north where I am now. In fact, it really feels like the farther north you go the farther south it feels, if you catch my drift