A recent study looked at literacy rates among African Americans and found that about 88% of African American adults in the United States have high literacy skills, which is a bit higher than the national average of 86%, per WordsRated. However, the rate for White Americans is even higher at around 90%.

Thanks to better access to education, improved quality of schools, and government programs to address racial and economic inequalities, African American literacy has increased by 28% since the 1960s. 

However, there are still some challenges. Even though African Americans make up only 12.1% of the population, they account for 23% of people with poor literacy skills. And there are gaps in education levels too. In 2019, about 84.2% of African Americans aged 25 and older had a high school diploma or higher. And only about a third of black adults aged 18-24 were enrolled in college.

When it comes to childhood literacy, the disparities are even more noticeable. Black students often have fewer black teachers, and they don’t read as well as white students. There are also differences in access to books at home and participation in advanced classes.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made things even harder. Kindergarten readiness for African American students dropped from 56% before the pandemic to 30% during it. Although there has been some recovery, with readiness increasing to 42%, black students still lag behind the general population.

It’s important to address these disparities and make sure that everyone has the same opportunities for a good education. That way, African American students can succeed in reading and life.

Clique, what are your thoughts?