When you can’t read a medicine bottle: California immigrants struggle with low English literacy

Addressing Low Literacy Rates in California: A Focus on Sustainable Development Goals

Analilia Gutierrez, left, tutors Isabel Gutierrez, right, during a Spanish GED class at Tulare Adult School.

EdSource/Emma Gallegos

Introduction

Nine years ago, Analilia Gutierrez gave birth to her son, a micro preemie who needed intensive care.

At the time, Gutierrez, an immigrant from Mexico, spoke and read little English. Filling out health forms and trying to keep up with her son’s care was an overwhelming experience. Interpreters, if available, sometimes created problems with misinterpretation.

“There were so many barriers,” said Gutierrez, a resident of Tulare, in the Central San Joaquin Valley.

In California, an estimated 28% of adults have such poor literacy in English that they struggle to do anything more complicated than filling out a basic form or reading a short text, according to a survey, the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). California’s rate is worse than any other state except New Mexico, where the estimated rate is 29%.

SDG 4: Quality Education

1. California’s low literacy rates hinder progress towards SDG 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all.
2. The U.S. version of the survey was conducted only in English, and many immigrants, unsurprisingly, tend to struggle more with what is often not their home language: 19% of adults in California say they speak English “less than very well,” according to 2022 American Community Survey data.
3. Not being able to read English well doesn’t just make life difficult — it can be dangerous.

SDG 1: No Poverty

Low literacy is particularly acute in heavily agricultural regions, such as the Central San Joaquin Valley and the Central Coast, that rely on a largely immigrant labor force that may have little formal education, even in their home languages. More than 4 out of 10 residents in Imperial, Tulare, Merced, Madera, Kings and Monterey counties struggle with basic English literacy.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Significant emphasis must be placed on SDG 8, which focuses on promoting sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all.
• Adults who struggle to read face challenges in finding employment or advancing in their careers.
• Business owners who cannot complete paperwork for loans and grants may miss out on economic opportunities.
• Prisons often have a disproportionate number of struggling readers.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

No state has more immigrants than California: Over a third of adults over 25 are immigrants, according to 2022 American Community Survey data. Most are from Mexico and other Latin American countries, but an increasing number hail from Asian countries. Nearly half of children in the state have at least one parent who is an immigrant.

Immigrants make up a huge share of workers in key industries in California. While highly educated immigrants bring their in-demand skills to the tech industry, those who work in agriculture may have little or no formal education.

SDG 4: Quality Education (Continued)

• Experts say programs aimed at addressing poor literacy reach only a fraction of those who need help, such as courses that improve English skills, help students get a GED or their citizenship or even a basic education. In California, that is largely adult immigrants.
• In 2021-22, adult schools served over 480,000 students in California, while the state says more than 10,000 adults were served through library tutoring programs in 2022-23.
• Those numbers are dwarfed by the need for adult education from immigrants alone: 5.9 million Californians don’t speak English “very well” and 2.9 million immigrants lack a high school education, according to 2022 American Community Survey data.

SDG 4: Quality Education (Continued)

Programs that serve adult students are often plagued by long wait lists, a lack of funding or a lack of accessibility. Advocates say that one of the biggest problems is simply that adult education seems to fly under the radar in a way that TK-12 schools and colleges don’t.

“We are the best-kept secret in education,” said Carolyn Zachry, education administrator and state director of the Adult Education Office for the California Department of Education.

SDG 4: Quality Education (Continued)

As a new immigrant, Gutierrez didn’t have time to take classes while she was focused on raising young children. Now that her children are school-aged, she has been able to attend Tulare Adult School,

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 4: Quality Education

• Target 4.6: By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy.
• Indicator 4.6.1: Proportion of population in a given age group achieving at least a fixed level of proficiency in functional (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills, by sex.

• Target 8.6: By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training.
• Indicator 8.6.1: Proportion of youth (aged 15-24 years) not in education, employment or training.

• Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
• Indicator 10.2.1: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, by age, sex and persons with disabilities.

• Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.
• Indicator 17.17.1: Amount of United States dollars committed to public-private partnerships.

Analysis

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The SDGs addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article are SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

The specific targets under those SDGs that can be identified based on the article’s content are:
– Target 4.6: By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy.
– Target 8.6: By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training.
– Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
– Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, there are indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets:
– Indicator 4.6.1: Proportion of population in a given age group achieving at least a fixed level of proficiency in functional (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills, by sex.
– Indicator 8.6.1: Proportion of youth (aged 15-24 years) not in education, employment or training.
– Indicator 10.2.1: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, by age, sex and persons with disabilities.
– Indicator 17.17.1: Amount of United States dollars committed to public-private partnerships.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Fuente: edsource.org

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