Census Data Warn that Student Goals Must Reach Beyond the GED

A new report from the DC Fiscal Policy Institute reveals the uneven impact that the recession has had on the district.  DCFPI finds two trends that are particularly disturbing for our learners.  They write:

One in four residents with a high school diploma lives in poverty.  Among residents with a high school diploma or GED, poverty increased from 20 percent in 2007 to 25 percent in 2009.   Changes in poverty for other residents at other education levels were not statistically significant.

And:

The new Census data show that incomes are likely to be falling for DC residents with a high school diploma or less. From 2007 to 2009, median earnings for adults with less than a high school diploma fell from $23,300 to $20,400.  Those with a high school diploma or GED also saw a decline in earnings, from $29,000 in 2008 to $26,200 in 2009.  Earnings remained virtually unchanged for those with some college or beyond.  

Today is International Literacy Day

Today, September 8th, is International Literacy Day, which was first proclaimed by UNESCO in 1965.  The goal of this day is to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies.

The UN marks the day this year by noting that "Literacy is a cause for celebration since there are now close to four billion literate people in the world."  We are also nearing the end of the UN's Literacy Decade, proclaimed for 2003-2012, with the ambitious goal of "education for all."  With the close of Literacy Decade approaching, UNESCO informs us that today one in five adults is still not literate.