Multiculturalism in Action:
Half of Los Angeles Workers Are Illiterate

ass immigration from the Third World and a catastrophic failure of the public school system are rapidly turning Los Angeles into America's capital of illiteracy.

A study by United Way of Greater Los Angeles found that more than half the working-age population can't read a simple job application form.

In addition, only one out of every 10 illiterate workers is enrolled in a literacy class and half of those drop out within three weeks.

"It's an emergency situation," said Mayor James Hahn.

The study found that 53 percent of workers aged 16 years and older were functionally illiterate, according to a report in the Los Angeles Daily News.

"We're rapidly on our way to Third World status," said Howard Halperin, a retired school teacher.

In some communities in the San Fernando Valley, illiteracy soared to 85 percent where immigrants were half or a majority of the population.

The study measured levels of literacy across the region using data from the 2000 Census, the U.S. Department of Education, and a survey of literacy programs underway last year.

"It classified 3.8 million Los Angeles County residents as 'low-literate, meaning they could not write a note explaining a billing error, use a bus schedule, or locate an intersection on a street map," the Daily News reported.

Despite hundreds of millions of tax dollars spent in public schools over the past decade, functional illiteracy rates have remained flat. In the Los Angeles School District, the drop out rate is as high as 30 percent, and in some years, as much as half or more of the entire senior student population is unable to pass a standardized graduation exam.

"This is a ticking time bomb, a dirty secret we don't want to talk about," said Mark Drummond, chancellor of California's community college system.

"It's appalling," said Marge Nichols, author of the study. "A 50 percent drop out rate (for literacy classes) is pretty dysfunctional. We haven't kept up."

The National Right to Read Foundation said the cost to the economy of illiteracy nationwide is $224 billion. In Los Angeles, considered a model of multiculturalism and diversity, untold millions are lost to the local economy each year by would-be employers to move to other cities in search of workers with better skills.