Canada's Hidden Deficit: The Social Cost of Low Literacy Skills

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Contents 1 Summary 2 Key Findings 3 Recommendations for Future Research 4 What Do You Think? 5 Comments

Judith Maxwell and Tatyana Teplova
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Summary

This paper discusses the social cost of low literacy skills in the population and serves to provide a framework for thinking about social costs of low literacy skills over the life course of a Canadian citizen. While it is difficult to measure low literacy, the authors have collected significant data to prove that low literacy places a monumental burden on individuals and society.

These social costs imposed by low literacy have been divided into three categories in this paper:

1. Opportunity costs deal with the economic, social and cultural benefits that are necessary to cope with everyday challenges. Low literacy amongst a population lowers economic growth because people are less likely to vote and volunteer and fewer people are able to participate in ongoing learning and skill development.
2. Remedial costs involve the costs the government and communities pay in order to mitigate the damage of low literacy. This includes the costs incurred by those who are financially dependent on the government. These costs are also evident in the health care system where there is a link between higher health care costs and low literacy rates.
3. Inter-generational costs point out that the child’s capacity to learn basic literacy skills is strongly influenced by the mother’s education and the home environment. These costs show how the literacy gaps in one generation can be passed on to the next.

Low literacy skills impede wealth creation, undermine competitiveness and create significant cost burden on federal, provincial and municipal budgets which are large and ongoing. To avoid these costs, the improvement of literacy skills must be addressed. The authors outline the barriers to literacy and provide a cost-benefit analysis for each stage of acquiring basic literacy skills - early childhood, the primary school, adolescence and adulthood.

Key Findings

Maxwell and Teplova cite low literacy as Canada’s hidden deficit which in turn creates a barrier to the full participation of about 9 million people. The research shows that 42% of Canadians aged 16-65 do not have the literacy skills considered necessary to live and work in today’s society (Statistics Canada & OECD, 2005). Poor literacy leads to a lifetime of economic and social insecurity for individuals and their children. For a society, literacy skills are the foundation for productivity, wealth creation and competitiveness. These skills also contribute to civic participation, lower crime rates and a healthier population. The authors point out that literacy is a cumulative process and the foundation laid out in early childhood enables children to absorb complex language, communication and problem solving skills as they proceed through life. It is by far more cost and time efficient to acquire literacy skills in early childhood. The combination of effective parent involvement and supportive community services are essential for children to be able to reach their literacy potential. The rate of return from good quality investments in early childhood development can be $8 for every dollar invested or even higher. Canada is falling way short of its investments in early childhood and many school-aged children are not ready to learn and are heading towards a life of low literacy. Literacy is the basic pre-requisite to escaping poverty and dependency. It allows for more self-reliance and provides the tools to better deal with challenges and take advantage of opportunities that life offers. Higher literacy enables people to be more effective citizens. Two groups of Canadians are mentioned as being especially vulnerable to low literacy, Aboriginals and immigrants. The growth of these populations and their significant place in the future labour market make it essential that urgent action is taken to address their literacy needs. There are examples of successful interventions at three different points in order to change the life trajectory of individuals - primary education, adolescents going into high school and adults. Canada has fallen short and accepted the social costs of low literacy in the past for two reasons according to Maxwell and Teplova. It was believed that not much could be done to improve low literacy skills, and the unemployment rates were high and there appeared to be a surplus of labour. There are now programs that provide evidence that a determined government working with community leaders and employers can make a difference and improve literacy skills at all ages and stages of life.

Recommendations for Future Research

Canada will have to set and meet ambitious goals to overcome its hidden literacy deficit. Four fronts must be addressed with these goals: young children, school-aged children, adolescents and adults.

• More investment in research and programs that assist in the acquisition of basic literacy skills during early childhood through effective parenting programs and supportive community services.
• Research that supports well designed literacy training programs that involve a mix of teaching, tutoring and social supports.
• Research that provides the business case of developing improved literacy in the workforce will encourage employers to become alternative sources of literacy training.
• Strengthen and support adult education programs that are designed according to the diverse needs of adult learners.
• Research that addresses the policy vacuum that exists today and prevent long term literacy strategies from emerging.

What Do You Think?

1. Do you agree or strongly disagree with any of the evidence presented in the paper?
2. Were you surprised to read about the ‘costs’ of low literacy? Are there additional costs that were not mentioned in the paper?
3. Prior to reading this paper, did you think Canada had a higher literacy rate?
4. Do you agree that there has been an escalation in literacy requirements for daily living over the past decades? Can you give examples from your own experience?
5. What institutions should take responsibility for a) establishing targets and raising literacy skills in Canada and b) delivering those programs?
6. What supports for literacy development would you like to see established in your own community?
7. What are the barriers for overcoming low literacy in the Aboriginal and immigrant communities? What are practical solutions that can be introduced in addition to those presented in this paper?
8. Is there any evidence to support or oppose the arguments made in this paper?
9. What impact do you feel this research will have on addressing the social costs of low literacy?
10. Are there key points in this research that you feel need to be taken into consideration when developing a national literacy strategy?

Comments

March 26th, 2009 at 9:50 am, Andrea of JustOneMoreBook! KidLit Podcast Says:

I would love to see video-free daycares and camps. Imagine if children were read to (or read to each other) during all (or even half) of the time they now spend watching videos.

April 1st, 2009 at 7:28 pm, dianne Scouller Says:

Despite the claims of politicians and some educationalists, low literacy and numeracy skills are a real challenge in almost all western countries. Maybe it is time to reassess the Outcomes Based Education approach, and reconsider the evidence of successful programmes such as the Paidiea Project, KIPP, and the classical schools who are reversing the trend. Let’s be honest that although ‘traditional’ pedagogy was not perfect it did have some good points. We have thrown away the baby with the bathwater!