We be in fact stupid and can’t read

The number of American adults who read below a sixth-grade level is at its highest point ever, creating what experts call a “silent crisis” that affects the economy, health care and communities nationwide.

Around 50% of American adults read below the equivalent of a sixth-grade reading level, according to Andrew Roberts, president of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.

“We call it a silent crisis because it’s not talked about that much,” Roberts said.

The problem extends beyond individual struggles.


In the Kansas City, Missouri, area alone, 680,000 adults have low literacy, ranging from a very basic understanding of words and phrases to no understanding at all.

Economic impact reaches trillions
People without strong reading skills struggle to find good-paying jobs or sometimes any job at all.

The group ProLiteracy estimates as much as $238 billion in health care costs are linked to low adult literacy skills because those adults misunderstand treatment regimens and preventive care that can lead to more serious health issues.

Generational cycle of illiteracy
Roberts said poverty and literacy rates are connected, creating a multi-generational problem.


“When we see adults with low literacy, children raised in those households, they have a 72% chance of growing up with low literacy themselves,” Roberts said.

Bernadette Graves, 61, went through 12th grade without learning to read.

“Couldn’t read. Still can’t spell,” Graves said.

“They were just passing us back then,” she added.


Graves worked as a custodian and cafeteria server for 20 years, but doesn’t know what her earning potential could have been.

Local programs show success
Despite the challenges, Roberts said the problem is solvable.

“This is a solvable problem, right? We know how to teach people to read,” Roberts said.

Literacy KC, the largest adult education facility in Kansas City, Missouri, serves 2,000 adults a year and graduated 100 of them in 2024.


Gillian Helm, chief executive officer of Literacy KC, said their data shows the program works. Students are more stable, work in jobs that pay above $17 an hour and they continue on tracks for postsecondary or certification programs.

Success stories offer hope
Graves is one of those success stories.

When she started at Literacy KC, she was reading at a first-grade or kindergarten level. Today, she said, she reads at a fifth-grade level.

“It feels good. I keep books in my car so if I’m waiting on somebody I can read,” Graves said

This is nuts, all my children could read at a high school level by 3rd grade. The number of American adults who read below a sixth-grade level is at its highest point ever, creating what experts call a “silent crisis” that affects the economy, health care and communities nationwide.

Around 50% of American adults read below the equivalent of a sixth-grade reading level, according to Andrew Roberts, president of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.

“We call it a silent crisis because it’s not talked about that much,” Roberts said.

The problem extends beyond individual struggles.


In the Kansas City, Missouri, area alone, 680,000 adults have low literacy, ranging from a very basic understanding of words and phrases to no understanding at all.

Economic impact reaches trillions
People without strong reading skills struggle to find good-paying jobs or sometimes any job at all.

The group ProLiteracy estimates as much as $238 billion in health care costs are linked to low adult literacy skills because those adults misunderstand treatment regimens and preventive care that can lead to more serious health issues.

Generational cycle of illiteracy
Roberts said poverty and literacy rates are connected, creating a multi-generational problem.


“When we see adults with low literacy, children raised in those households, they have a 72% chance of growing up with low literacy themselves,” Roberts said.

Bernadette Graves, 61, went through 12th grade without learning to read.

“Couldn’t read. Still can’t spell,” Graves said.

“They were just passing us back then,” she added.


Graves worked as a custodian and cafeteria server for 20 years, but doesn’t know what her earning potential could have been.

Local programs show success
Despite the challenges, Roberts said the problem is solvable.

“This is a solvable problem, right? We know how to teach people to read,” Roberts said.

Literacy KC, the largest adult education facility in Kansas City, Missouri, serves 2,000 adults a year and graduated 100 of them in 2024.


Gillian Helm, chief executive officer of Literacy KC, said their data shows the program works. Students are more stable, work in jobs that pay above $17 an hour and they continue on tracks for postsecondary or certification programs.

Success stories offer hope
Graves is one of those success stories.

When she started at Literacy KC, she was reading at a first-grade or kindergarten level. Today, she said, she reads at a fifth-grade level.

“It feels good. I keep books in my car so if I’m waiting on somebody I can read,” Graves said is why you read to kids every night until they are big enough to read on their own.


Most adults can’t read above a 6th grade level