>>>Almost 1/2 the people in Detroit are functionally illiterate? That's just nuts!
>>>
>>>http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2011/05/04/report-nearly-half-of-detroiters-cant-read/
>>
>>I'd say this is about right. Memphis is probably in similar shape, as are a lot of cities that have similar demographics. It is well known that black, inner city, kids try their best to dissuade learning. They are more into gang banging. Add the absence of a strong father figure to the equation and you have a very consistent formula for failure.
>
>I read from several sources that 1 in 7 USA adults is functionally illiterate. How in the heck can 1/7th of the adults in the USA be so uneducated? Isn't "functionally literate" mean like 7th grade reading ability? (which is like 4th grade reading ability when I was in school)

I agree with you on the changing standards. when my daughter was in the 4th grade she attended a private school and at the end of the year she tested out at the 9th grade reading level. The next year she attended public school and after her first week, she came home and asked me why her classmates couldn't read very well....and sadly, some of those kids still cannot.