U.S. Department of Education's Major Accomplishment: Staggering Illiteracy
Zero Hedge recently published an article titled Department of Education - Our Work Here is Done. A few items from that article include:
The Department of Education was created in 1979 and now has an annual budget of $73 billion, with 5,000 government bureaucrats roaming its hallways. See U.S. Department of Education Budget Fact Sheet.
After 37 years and trillions of dollars "invested" in our children, here is a short list of some "achievements": 1) There are six million students in the California school system, and 25% of those students are unable to perform basic reading skills. 2) 50% of adults cannot read a book written at an eighth grade level. 3) 45 million adults are functionally illiterate and read below a 5th grade level. 4) 3 out of 4 people on welfare can't read. 5) 20% of Americans read below the level needed to earn a living wage. 6) School dropouts cost our nation $240 billion in social service expenditures and lost tax revenues. 7) 3 out of 5 people in American prisons can't read. 8) Approximately 50% of Americans read so poorly that they are unable to perform simple tasks such as reading prescription drug labels.