College students lack literacy for complex tasks

Originally Posted By melekalikimaka

<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/01/20/literacy.college.students.ap/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCAT
ION/01/20/literacy.college.students.ap/index.html</a>

Excerpt:
WASHINGTON (AP) -- More than half of students at four-year colleges -- and at least 75 percent at two-year colleges -- lack the literacy to handle complex, real-life tasks such as understanding credit card offers, a study found.

The literacy study funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the first to target the skills of graduating students, finds that students fail to lock in key skills -- no matter their field of study.

The results cut across three types of literacy: analyzing news stories and other prose, understanding documents and having math skills needed for checkbooks or restaurant tips.
__________________

Well, this isn't entirely surprising but it is still scary.

 

Originally Posted By cape cod joe

I saw that and made me feel that with my lack of talents in so many areas e.g computer skills, writing ability, etc I'm not THAT bad off.

 

Originally Posted By peeaanuut

I blame it all on Kindercare. The Dont do that until this is done mentality has slowed the learning curve drematically.

 

Originally Posted By gurgitoy2

Also, I blame the passing of students to higher grades despite not knowing how to read. I know several kids who were failing miserably in elementary school, but were passed anyway just to get them out of that class and through the system. It was pretty pathetic. It took one of them until they were 12 to learn to read.

 

Originally Posted By gurgitoy2

Also, living in NYC, I encounter many, many kids who can't even handle basic verbal communication. It's sad, and I have to wonder at where we will be when they are old enough to run the country...

 

Originally Posted By RoadTrip

<<Also, living in NYC, I encounter many, many kids who can't even handle basic verbal communication. It's sad, and I have to wonder at where we will be when they are old enough to run the country...>>

Same place as we are now...

;-)

 

Originally Posted By cape cod joe

Pardon my french trip but the answer is SCREWED!

 

Originally Posted By TomSawyer

Like he said, the same place we are now.

 

Originally Posted By goodgirl

I'm trying to fill an IT position. Posted the job description on a couple popular sites in my area. Received over 300 resumes. Narrowed it down to 40 some that look good. Sent these people a questionnaire to complete so I can narrow it down further for actual interviews.

Here are the responses I received from three of them. I was a little shocked, although its been about 7 years since I've had to hire anyone. I perused their resumes and based on their schooling and so forth, they are fresh out of tech school or college. Here's how they responded to my questionnaire:

One emailed back and said: "I don't want to do this. I would rather come in and talk to you in person."

One replied: "I don't feel I need to anwser these quetsions. It would take too much of my time. But I'm still intersted in the job." Note the spelling; I did a copy and paste.

And the last replied: "These are interesting questions but before I answer them I want to be sure you would pay me the maximum salary of $xx,xxx."

 

Originally Posted By StillThePassHolder

Ahhh, the sense of entitlement of today's younger crowd. We get the same thing where I work as well.

 

Originally Posted By RoadTrip

<<"We expect the states to show us whether or not we're achieving simple objectives — like literacy, literacy in math, the ability to read and write." —George W. Bush, on federal education requirements, Washington, D.C., April 28, 2005>>

 

Originally Posted By melekalikimaka

Holy cow, goodgirl. That is awful!

Any chance you can tell us what your responses to them were?

 

Originally Posted By goodgirl

<<Any chance you can tell us what your responses to them were?>>

I'm not bothering to respond personally. I just moved their resumes from the pretty blue "Look Good" folder into the plain manila "No Thanks" folder. They'll get the canned "Thanks for applying; we found someone; good luck with your career" email after I hire someone.

 

Originally Posted By StillThePassHolder

"...literacy in math, the ability to compute in the english language, it's hard work."

 

Originally Posted By peeaanuut

we get so many temps here at work that just dont want to do any work. They think its beyond them to fax or do the mail or fill parts envelopes. That stuff isnt even close to my job description but if I run out of things to do I go do them. I just dont get it.

 

Originally Posted By RoadTrip

I have to stick up for young people here. Maybe it's just because I live in Minnesota and we are known for having an educated and productive workforce. Maybe it's because our personnel department screens all applications and we never see the really bad ones.

But I've hired people under 30 for the last two positions I've had open and both worked out great.

One was easy. He had worked for us as a student employee for over two years and just graduated with a degree in Computer Science. That one was kind of a no-brainer.

The other was a guy that I would estimate to be somewhere in the 25-30 age range. He did not come to us fresh out of school, but had some decent experience in the field.

Both of these guys have done fantastic work for us. It is incredible to see how they are not only eager to develop the applications they are assigned to; they just LOVE the opportunity I give them to learn and try cutting edge stuff. They've come up with some things that just blow me away.

So I won't dismiss the young people of today as having a sense of entitlement and not working. At least some of them do WAY MORE than I would expect. Good thing too, because with the University's low salary range it is almost impossible to attract anyone with any experience. We are really in a position of having to "grow our own".

 

Originally Posted By StillThePassHolder

At present, why wife is screening applications for management interns for her employer, a large city in California. She's got about 30 or so. Without fail, each is riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. She's afraid it will once again come down to who is the best of a bad lot. Maybe it has something to do with geographic regions. Beats me....

 

Originally Posted By Dabob2

What's the excuse for someone edumacated 30+ years ago?

(Our president "explaining" social security - and yes, this is verbatim):

WOMAN IN AUDIENCE: 'I don't really understand. How is it the new plan going to fix the problem?'

Verbatim response: PRESIDENT BUSH:

'Because the — all which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculated, for example, is on the table. Whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There's a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those — changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be — or closer delivered to that has been promised. Does that make any sense to you? It's kind of muddled. Look, there's a series of things that cause the — like, for example, benefits are calculated based upon the increase of wages, as opposed to the increase of prices. Some have suggested that we calculate — the benefits will rise based upon inflation, supposed to wage increases. There is a reform that would help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those — if that growth is affected, it will help on the red.'

You had me at "it's kind of muddled."

 

Originally Posted By StillThePassHolder

Bush just doesn't know what the hell he's talking about.

 

Originally Posted By gurgitoy2

I do agree with RoadTrip about there being a few. I'm in that age bracket...well, maybe upper age bracket. Where I work we have had some temps helping me and my supervisor out, and they have been horrendous. Even basic common sense things they just can't comprehend. However, every once in a while we get a really great person who just "gets" it, and we never want to let them leave!