Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy’s Gap Map of the U.S.
At the end of 2020, the Barbara Bush Foundation published its literacy Gap Map. Using PIAAC survey data*, the interactive tool illustrates what literacy looks like across the United States. Not surprisingly, the Foundation notes that people often experience poverty, poor health, and low-income mobility where there is low literacy.
According to literacy scores, in Anne Arundel County, 15% of adults lack basic literacy skills. While this rate may seem low compared to numbers in other parts of the country, it means that here at home, there are tens of thousands of adult residents who score low enough to be at risk for not understanding written materials or even basic vocabulary. The ramifications of low literacy flow into all areas of life.
Visit map.barbarabush.org to explore nationwide findings and to examine literacy data for Anne Arundel County.
*PIAAC — Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies — is a survey of adult skills sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. It “examines a range of basic skills such as literacy, numeracy, and digital problem solving and assesses these adult skills in a consistent manner across participating countries.” The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) administers the program in the U.S. See more information here.
