OVERCOMING ILLITERACY IN NATCHITOCHES, LOUISIANA: A RESEARCH PROPOSAL Functional illiteracy is a growing problem is all parts of the United States. While the families in the higher socioeconomic levels of society continue to assure the development of literacy in their children, illiteracy appears to be becoming a family tradition in the lowest socioeconomic levels and the trend toward functional illiteracy is creeping steadily up the socioeconomic ladder in the United States.
The trend toward functional illiteracy is not only a tragedy for those individuals who are coming of age illiterate, but is also a societal tragedy. The tragedy for the individuals is that they will increasingly finding it difficult to compete for meaningful and remunerative work. This problem will not be restricted to competition with better educated Americans, as the illiterate in the developing world will be able to work more
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