Nearly half of Detroit can't read

This is a sad report.

Report: Nearly Half Of Detroiters Can’t Read

According to a new report, 47 percent of Detroiters are ”functionally illiterate.” The alarming new statistics were released by the Detroit Regional Workforce Fund on Wednesday.

WWJ Newsradio 950 spoke with the Fund’s Director, Karen Tyler-Ruiz, who explained exactly what this means.

“Not able to fill out basic forms, for getting a job — those types of basic everyday (things). Reading a prescription; what’s on the bottle, how many you should take… just your basic everyday tasks,” she said.

“I don’t really know how they get by, but they do. Are they getting by well? Well, that’s another question,” Tyler-Ruiz said.

Some of the Detroit suburbs also have high numbers of functionally illiterate: 34 percent in Pontiac and 24 percent in Southfield.

“For other major urban areas, we are a little bit on the high side… We compare, slightly higher, to Washington D.C.’s urban population, in certain ZIP codes in Washington D.C. and in Cleveland,” she said.

No wonder most of Detroit is on welfare. How the hell can you get a job today when you can't read? The schools have failed the students and the students have failed themselves.

reply to post by Vitchilo


This is just sickening.. how the hell can you even live if you can't functionally read? I'm not talking college level stuff, just your basic street signs, instructions, etc. They must be relying on someone that can.. I've seen stories where the people's children read FOR their parents because the parents are illiterate. What a mom to be proud of, a mom that can't read!

reply to post by Vitchilo


Its sad and disgusting.
What is america coming to, when it can neglect to teach the basic's to the next generations.
If we cant teach the children to be better than us, then we have got this life all wrong.
Every child needs an education. Every child matters.
We need the world to wake up before it's to late.


S&F Op

Originally posted by Vitchilo
No wonder most of Detroit is on welfare. How the hell can you get a job today when you can't read? The schools have failed the students and the students have failed themselves.

edit on 4-5-2011 by Vitchilo because: (no reason given)

Simple solution I learned from our last election.
Cut funding to the schools.
Cut teacher pay.
Give tax breaks to the richest people in Detroit.

Magically that will fix things.

The schools have failed the students and the students have failed themselves

They cant read.
You cant understand.
You can speak PC though.

reply to post by Vitchilo


Well, I mean, the only people left in that city are people who can't get out, people of lower socio-economic status, or people who are too busy smoking crack to care.

And its a toxic dump anyway. One day it will be evacuated or Godzilla will come out of the lke and eat whoever hasn't mutaed.

reply to post by RRokkyy

They cant read.
You cant understand.
You can speak PC though.

I can't understand, but I know they have it real rough. My step mother lived in Detroit most of her life and she told me lots of stories about Detroit... and yeah... I often wonder why people still live there... as another poster said, it's people who can't get out.

Instead of spending 2 billion a year in Pakistan or in Israel, America should use that money to renovate the city... or move everyone and wipe it off the map.

I don't know if any of you have been to inner city Detroit lately but it is literally like something out of the movie "City of God" in many regards. There are places that police won't even respond to without having tactical gear on and/or travel in groups of 5-10 squad cars for simple domestic calls. There are areas that span 20 blocks in every direction that have no street lights, no grocery or retail stores and blocks upon blocks of abandoned houses that are rotting away. Gangs literally police the streets and tax people passing through, charging them anywhere from $10 to a few $100 dollars to walk or drive through. And if you don't pay or don't have money you better turn around quick or be faced with getting beat down or even shot. Chicago and Milwaukee are quickly becoming like this also. It truly is sad. And while our fed gov sends billions to rogue nations around the world they refuse to step in and help these people out. It really pisses me off because now 'they' are unable to help themselves at this point, especially since as you can now see most of them can barely read more or less start their own businesses or community programs. Americans send money to Haiti and Japan without even thinking twice about it but are either unaware or unwilling to help their own countrymen out.

S&F

reply to post by Vitchilo


There is some illiteracy present in all communities, but I wouldn't have throught it so high in any major city.

In the report (PDF) linked to by the news story, it states that half of those considered functionally illiterate are in posession of either a high-school diploma or GED.

The only definition provided as to exactly what level the researchers deemed to be illiterate was:

functionally illiterate, referring to the inability of an individual to use reading, speaking, writing, and computational skills in everyday life situations.

I wonder if this figure is skewed by elderly who are less comfortable with information technology, and deemed "illiterate"?

If you ever find yourself in Detroit and don't want to get mugged, find a library. They're deserted and in pretty much pristine condition.

thats crazy man I dont believe it

lol someone prove this wrong

in the mean time FnS for the OP

if its true lets make literacy the next great American battle

I know but did they all have to sign up at ATS ?

Originally posted by randyvs

I know but did they all have to sign up at ATS ?

lol well that explains why they dont all agree with me they just cant read me brilliant arguments

Originally posted by whatisanameanyway
In the report (PDF) linked to by the news story, it states that half of those considered functionally illiterate are in posession of either a high-school diploma or GED.

Sure, but how many of those can actually read their diploma. Social promotion is the normal in Detroit schools. Last year when an executive order was signed forbidding teachers from passing students who couldn't pass grade-level exams, it was called a "political" move. Hopefully these goons won't ever be able to get near a medical or flight school.

DPS Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb signed an executive order Friday immediately banning teachers from passing students who are not proficient at their grade level to the next grade -- to the outrage of Detroit school board members who called it a political ploy in the midst of a court battle between Bobb and the board over academic control of the district.
detnews.com

One other amusing note is that the Detroit School Board President can't even construct proper sentences when conducting official business on behalf of the school board. Here's a couple samples from an emails he recently sent out to his supporters.

"If you saw Sunday's Free Press that shown Robert Bobb the emergency financial manager for Detroit Public Schools, move Mark Twain to Boynton which have three times the number seats then students and was one of the reason's he gave for closing school to many empty seats."

"Do DPS control the Foundation or outside group? If an outside group control the foundation, then what is DPS Board row with selection of is director? Our we mixing DPS and None DPS row's, and who is the watch dog? "

Detroit News

Yes, he's a product of the Detroit public school system. Why do you ask? The scary part is that this individual is in charge of the edekashun of the children of Detroit. I some how doubt that adding more federal funds to this school district would improve the results unless that was tied to firing all teachers and school board members who were passing failing students and were half illiterate themselves. I suspect that the local, self-serving teacher unions have more to do with this failure than anything else.