NLA Discussion: Advocates' talk

[JENNIE OLEARY]

".. as Dr.  Sticht indicates (pg 22, Hudson Institute Report) that 65-75% of 
the new jobs in the fastest growing occupations will only require Language 
and math skills below the 8th grade level! . . . Nor can I see Federal support 
growing to support a program that is unable to produce sustainable gains under 
the current set of constraints as Congress takes a critical look at the 
"literacy surplus" of the U.S. as we enter the new century where our workers' 
literacy skills exceed that needed in the work-place (pg 22)."

I always thought that the concern was the opposite, that we needed to raise the
literacy level to meet the needs of occupations in the world of the information
highway, i.e., more high tech.

I don't know about you but this "literacy surplus" scares me as much if not 
more than a "literacy deficit".  What will this mean for our society?  Our 
system of government?  Does this mean we will see "dumping down" of education? 
That we will only be concerned about educating people to the eigth grade level?
How can we keep kids in school when they can get a job with less than an 8th 
grade education?  How will this affect the divide between the rich, who can 
afford to send their children to good schools and to college and the poor, who 
can't?
                                                                               
JENNIE OLEARY 
<JOLEARY at adc.state.az.us>