Time to break cycle of no skills, no jobs (Detroit Free Press)

http://www.freep.com/article/20090731/COL10/907310368/Time-to-break-cycle-of-no-skills--no-jobs

One out of three working-age adults in Michigan — 1.7 million people — cannot read well enough to be hired for a job that will support a family. More than 40% of those potential workers, who all read below a sixth-grade level, also lack a high school diploma or GED.

snip

A 52-page analysis adopted by state officials in December shows that a stunning one out of three working-age Michigan adults -- 1.7 million people -- lack the basic skills to get a family-sustaining job. It also shows that 44% of all Michigan's adults read below a sixth-grade level and that 60% of the students entering community colleges require remedial classes before they can start taking the postsecondary courses that lead to jobs.

snip

The result is an enormous population that is not educated enough to enter job-training programs that require reading at a sixth-grade level. The crisis also is fueling the run on Michigan's unemployment system, which provides benefits to 450,000 people and has received nearly 600,000 new claims since December.

snip

"We're talking about people who read below a sixth-grade reading level and in some cases lower," Duthie said. "They may recognize a stop sign or work their cell phone, but they certainly couldn't read directions."

Some interesting statistics (from the article)

44% of Michigan residents read below a sixth-grade level
60% of community college students need remedial education before they can take post secondary courses

twenty years ago. Apparently, nobody listened.

and have done pretty well. The trick was getting the hell out of Michigan after I graduated!

I think, anyway. I have been teaching for DPS for most of my career and still take pride in my work even with increasing challenges within our community.

One might expect that someone, somewhere, had finally decided our right to shelter, food, healthcare and security shouldn't be tied to our labor.

But no, the article is three pages of bash, bash, bash the people, and then carry on about how much $$ the states need to educate and 'remediate' them.

Whatever.

If these stats were true, companies would be BEGGING
literate people to come and work for them.

(They're NOT)

This is my state pandering for more federal education
dollars.

Not that there's anything WRONG with that, but I've
HEARD the "education strategy" before:

With the auto industry dying, powers-that-be
want Michigan to become the "Education State",
much like North Carolina.

It is believed that ultimately, graduates would
DRAW business to Michigan, and that immediately,
more service industries would be created to serve
the campus models.

at this site: http://www.psk12.com/rating/USthreeRsphp/STATE_MI_level_High_CountyID_0.html

NCLB original study showed that there was almost a 50% dropout rate for the first study..