U.S. Department of Education’s Major Accomplishment: Staggering Illiteracy

Zero Hedge recently published an article titled Department of Education – Our Work Here is Done.  A few items from that article include:

The Department of Education was created in 1979 and now has an annual budget of $73 billion, with 5,000 government bureaucrats roaming its hallways.  See U.S. Department of Education Budget Fact Sheet

After 37 years and trillions of dollars "invested" in our children, here is a short list of some "achievements":   1) There are six million students in the California school system, and 25% of those students are unable to perform basic reading skills.  2) 50% of adults cannot read a book written at an eighth grade level.  3) 45 million adults are functionally illiterate and read below a 5th grade level.  4) 3 out of 4 people on welfare can’t read.  5) 20% of Americans read below the level needed to earn a living wage.  6) School dropouts cost our nation $240 billion in social service expenditures and lost tax revenues.  7) 3 out of 5 people in American prisons can’t read.  8) Approximately 50% of Americans read so poorly that they are unable to perform simple tasks such as reading prescription drug labels.

See Also:

Arizona Joins Texas in Lawsuit to Stop Federal Overreach