Presentation Plan

Intended Audience

My intended audience for this topic would include parents, educators, nurses, and
caregivers. Anyone that is in a position of authority to children or interacts with the
parents/caregivers to children would benefit from this information. This information is
important to this audience to help bring an understanding and encourage the increase in
literacy and the effect through the lifespan.

Introduction

Reading was once an entitlement endowed upon the aristocracy or ruling elite and
used to create an insurmountable separation between the upper and lower classes. The
logic behind the creation and perpetuation of an under-educated, ill-informed, and
entrenched lower class was central to maintain order in a society that unfairly centralized
power in the hands of a privileged few. Historical advances in the economic status of the
lower classes can be directly tied to advances in literacy, and as a result literacy have
become closely tied to achievement and success at all socio-economic levels. Over time
literacy has surpassed illiteracy. Reading has become an integral component of all
curricula to the point where literacy is viewed as a key attribute of all first world
societies. Society’s decline in reading has and will continue to negatively affect personal
outcomes. Reading or a lack of reading will likely continue to affect every aspect of a
person’s life from childhood to old age. Our ability to communicate effectively directly
affects the type of jobs we acquire, our financial outlook, and will continue to affect us
well into our twilight years. Regardless of the difference in professional opinions
concerning the types of literature to read, what age to begin reading, or how often one
should read it is important to note that the professionals do agree that reading literature is
an important skill that is declining to the detriment of our society.

One might ask if books are so accessible now why do we see a decline the number
of people reading literature for pleasure? We now have access to a vast array of
alterative forms of entertainment product that consume less effort, require less thought,
and provide more immediate short-term gratification. Television, movies, and video
games require far less effort than reading and some may seem more exciting because they
add the dimension of direct interaction. Social media is also a phenomenon that demands
one’s constant attention as we consume and reveal every minute aspect of our daily
existence. Unfortunately, real-time media occurs so quickly that a person isn’t allowed
sufficient time to completely process what they are seeing. Adequate time to engage in
critical analysis is often non-existent and any deeper meaning contained in the content is
often lost.
 Modern neuroscience has demonstrated that different centers of the brain are
exercised when one reads. Reading is a bridge that compels a connection between the
abstract and the literal forcing us to employ coordinated centers scattered across both
hemispheres of the brain. One’s ability to process both visual and verbal information is
greatly enhanced through reading (Goldman, 2012).

Reading allows one to analyze situations and study how he or she feels about
what one has read with a degree of objectivity and detachment and is a vital aid in
teaching a person how he or she should interact with others. A study published by
Raymond A. Mar of York University identified that children of preschool age who read
were better able to recognize and identify other’s emotions than those that did not. That
same study showed that more adults identified themselves as less empathetic than those
of the same age thirty years ago (Psychology of Aesthetics, 2013). This coincides with a
study conducted by the National Endowments for the Arts that showed that in the same
period reading for pleasure has dropped approximately ten to fifteen percent (To Read or
Not to Read, 2007). According to researchers at The New School in New York City,
readers of literary fiction are more likely to better understand the emotions and thoughts
of others compared to those that do not read, only read non-fiction, or read genre fiction
(Scientific American, October 2013). As a sentient being, if one were to lose his or her
ability to empathize with others or understand the complex issues facing the world one
lives in how will a person know right from wrong or just from the unjust?

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in their PISA

2012 report indicates “socio-economic disadvantage has a notable impact on student
performance in the United States.” The report concludes that illiteracy in the United
States is generational – in other words, people who underachieve in reading are more
likely to come from poor households and that those individuals are then fed back into the
cycle of poverty through their own struggles with literacy.

The advocacy group ProLiteracy reports that 14% of adults 16 and older in the
United States read at or below a fifth grade level and 29% read no higher than an eight
grade level however among those with the lowest literacy rates, 43% live below the
poverty line. It is clear that a direct correlation can be drawn between deficiencies in
reading ability and poverty in America. The United States has implemented the Head
Start a program to address the income disparity that is found between children raised in
low-income homes compared with children of homes with a higher income.
Income disparities accompany a lack of reading in many ways and can follow from
generation to generation. Being poor does not guarantee that a person’s reading and
writing skills will be lower than children from higher income homes, but according to the
Annie E. Casey Foundation (2012) between 2009 and 2011 approximately eighty-three
percent of children raised in lower income homes have lower reading and writing skills,
possibly due to a lack of positive academic role models. Furthermore, the ProLiteracy
study indicates that 14% of Americans don’t have the necessary reading comprehension
skills to complete a simple job application.
 The American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that doctors discuss with
parents reading to their children at an early age to better the children’s understanding of
reading and develop the desire to begin reading on his or her own (High, 2013). Studies
have shown that children whose parents regularly read to them have a higher success rate
at reading at an earlier age. In most cases, as one begins to age, the milestones expected
are the same; begin kindergarten, graduate high school, get a job, and start a family. In
2011, a study released by Statistics Canada shows that children with higher reading skills
at age fifteen go further in education and have higher income by age twenty-five than
those that have lower scores (Statistics Canada, 2011).

Stuart Ritchie and Timothy Bates of the University of Edinburgh explored the
links between reading ability at age seven and socioeconomic status after approximately
thirty-five years using data from the National Child Development Study in the United
Kingdom. The findings show that children at age seven that read just one level higher
made approximately $7750 more a year at age forty-two than those that read at a lower
level (Mikulak, 2013). Between 1992 and 2005 there was a thirteen percent decline in
high school seniors reading at or above proficiency level. Studies have shown that
potential employers are looking for candidates with higher reading comprehension and
writing skills for management positions. Those same employers report that they now see
writing and reading as the top deficiency in potential new hires (Sullivan, 2007). People
employed in management positions have a significantly higher income than those that are
not. With employers looking for better reading and writing skills and fewer people
possessing those skills the income for better positions increase. This can easily be seen
as a vicious circle since studies show that it is harder for lower income families to move
into a higher income bracket. People in lower income brackets have a more difficult time
saving for retirement or emergencies thereby risking the future of themselves and their
families. This cycle will continue as one ages since the amount of income made during
the years he or she works reflects in the amount of Social Security benefits one receives
after retirement and the type of medical care they are able to afford.

In conclusion the trend away from reading toward more immediate forms of
sensory gratification has had a deleterious effects on the fabric of any developed society.
Illiteracy has been proven to have a perniciously destructive effect on the economic,
cultural, social, developmental, and physical resources of all global societies and remains
a key leading indicator in the present and future potential of a culture or society. Global
bodies like the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization, World
Health Organization, and the World Bank all employ literacy as a metric for measuring
positive or negative trends in the social, economic, and physical viability of nations and
the data overwhelmingly supports the thesis that countries with high illiteracy rates are
less healthy, less wealthy, more politically unstable, and far less economically viable than
countries with higher literacy rates. At a micro level, illiteracy leads to higher
imprisonment rates, higher mortality rates, higher unemployment, higher poverty rates,
and a less educated populace with a shorter life expectancy.
 One might ask if books are so accessible now why do we see a decline the number
of people reading literature for pleasure? We now have access to a vast array of
alterative forms of entertainment product that consume less effort, require less thought,
and provide more immediate short-term gratification. Television, movies, and video
games require far less effort than reading and some may seem more exciting because they
add the dimension of direct interaction. Social media is also a phenomenon that demands
one’s constant attention as we consume and reveal every minute aspect of our daily
existence. Unfortunately, real-time media occurs so quickly that a person isn’t allowed
sufficient time to completely process what they are seeing. Adequate time to engage in
critical analysis is often non-existent and any deeper meaning contained in the content is
often lost.

Society’s decline in reading has and will continue to negatively affect personal
outcomes. Reading or a lack of reading will likely continue to affect every aspect of a
person’s life from childhood to old age. Our ability to communicate effectively directly
affects the type of jobs we acquire, our financial outlook, and will continue to affect us
well into our twilight years. Regardless of the difference in professional opinions
concerning the types of literature to read, what age to begin reading, or how often one
should read it is important to note that the professionals do agree that reading literature is
an important skill that is declining to the detriment of our society.
 References

Annie E. Casey Foundation (2012). “EARLY WARNING! Why Reading By The End Of
Third Grade Matters” Retrieved From
http://www.aecf.org/~/media/Pubs/Initiatives/KIDS%20COUNT/123/2010KCSpe
cRepo rt/Special%20Report%20Executive%20Summary.pdf
Brummitt-Yale, J. (2012). “K12 Reader”. Retrieved from http://www.k12reader.com/the-
relationship-between-reading-and-writing/
Chiaet, J. (2013-10) “Novel Finding: Reading Literary Fiction Improves Empathy”
Scientific American retrieved from
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=novel-finding-reading-literary-
fiction-improves-empathy
Crain, C. (2007-12-24). "Twilight of the Books". The New Yorker retrieved from
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2007/12/24/071224crat_atlarge_cr
ain
Fong, K., Mullin, J., & Mar, R. (Nov 2013) “What You Read Matters: The Role of
Fiction Genre in Predicting Interpersonal Sensitivity” Psychology of Aesthetics,
Creativity & the Arts, Vol. 7 Issue 4, p370-376

Goldman, C. (2012, September 7). This is your brain on Jane Austen, and researchers at

Stanford are taking notes. Retrieved from

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2012/september/austen-reading-fmri-090712.html

High, P., LaGasse, L., Becker, S., Ahlgren, I., & Gardner, A. (2000). “Literacy
Promotion In Primary Care Pediatrics: Can We Make A Difference” Pediatrics Vol.
105 No.3 p.927 - 934
Kavli Foundation (2009) Retrieved from
http://www.kavlifoundation.org/science-spotlights/columbia-kibs-fantastic-plastic-
brain
Lemonick, M. & Park-Mankato, A. (2001). THE NUN STUDY. (cover story). Time,
157(19), 54. Retrieved from
http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,999867,00.html
Mikulak, A. (2013-05) “Early Math and Reading Ability Linked to Job and Income in
Adulthood” retrieved from
http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/early-math-and-
reading-ability-linked-to-job-and-income-in-adulthood.html
National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families (2012) 1255 23rd Street, NW, Suite
350, Washington, DC 20037 retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org/early-care-
education/early-language-literacy/communication-skills.html
Nuns Offer Clues to Alzheimer's and Aging - New York Times. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/07/us/nuns-offer-clues-to-alzheimer-s-and-
aging.htm
Organization For Economic Co-operation and Development Programme for International
Student Assessment retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/PISA-
2012- results-US.pdf
Patterson, K., Graham, N., & Hodges, J. (1994-07)“Reading in dementia of the Alzheimer
type: A Preserved Ability?” Neuropsychology, Vol 8(3)
Pence, J. (2004, Fall) “Journal of Narrative Theory” Volume 34, Number 3, pp. 273-276
| 10.1353/jnt.2005.0005
ProLiteracy Adult Literacy Crisis retrieved from http://www.proliteracy.org/the-
crisis/adult- literacy-facts
Stephens, M. (1991-9) “The Death Of Reading” Los Angeles Times Magazine retrieved
from
http://www.nyu.edu/classes/stephens/Death%20of%20Reading%20page.htm
Sullivan, S., Nichols, B., Bradshaw, T., & Rogowski, K. (Nov. 2007). “To Read Or Not
To Read A Questions Of National Consequence” Retrieved from
http://arts.gov/sites/default/files/ToRead.pdf
University of California - Los Angeles (2009, January 29). “Is Technology Producing A
Decline In Critical Thinking And Analysis?” ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 2,
2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090128092341.htm
Wilson, R., Boyle, P., Yu, L., Barnes, L., Schneider, J., & Bennett, D. (2013-07-03)
doi:10.1212/WNL.0b013e31829c5e8a Neurology
10.1212/WNL.0b013e31829c5e8a
Youth In Transition Survey (2011) Statistics Canada retrieved from
http://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p2SV.pl?Function=getSurvey&SDDS=4435&la
ng=en &db=imdb&adm=8&dis=2