WashingtonD-Backgrounder

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University of Maryland, University College *

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Communications

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Feb 20, 2024

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Backgrounder: State of Writing in the United States Introduction There is a general concern among educators and business leaders that Americans entering into today’s job market lack the necessary writing skills to be successful. There have been many stories about the decline in writing skills among American youth, and the different approaches seeking to rectify this terrible state of affairs. Similarly, the business press has also seen fit to pen stories about the travails employers endure in seeking candidates with superlative writing skills. While there is agreement on the nature of the problem, there is no such consensus regarding its origin or how to improve it. Some people cast blame on the soaring increase in ‘screen time’ Americans engage in, others the fact that formal writing is no longer a regular element of the educational curriculum, and others the widespread use of Twitter and other messaging apps. History Throughout the 19 th and early 20 th centuries, formal writing was a standard part of the American school curriculum. This course involved lessons on penmanship, memorization of grammar rules, sentence diagramming and the study of classic literature which provided students with the basic necessary skills to be proficient in writing Inspired by the progressive writings of John Dewey, educational reformers in the 1930’s began changing the manner in which writing was taught in American educational institutions. There was a move away from strict grammar drills and the rules of writing, and toward a move student- centric model, that stressed creativity and engagement. This reformation ultimately became the mainstream in US education and has only recently been challenged by concerns over the declining test scores of US students, versus their peers in other countries. State of Writing While writing is not as important as it was in the past, the ability of American’s to write correctly and effectively has declined. The National Assessment for Educational Process’ 2011 report on writing skills of eighth and 12th graders found that only three percent of both eighth and 12th graders tested at the advanced level for writing, and an additional 24% of each grade’s students tested at the proficient level. For eighth graders 54% were ranked at the basic level and 20% were below basic. The equivalent assessment scores for the 12th graders were 52% for basic and 21% for the below basic levels. The data was rounded which caused the total for the eighth graders to be less than 100%.

3% 24% 53% 20% 8th Graders Advanced Proficient Basic Below Basic 3% 24% 52% 21% 12th Graders Advanced Proficient Basic Below Basic Among those members of the high school class of 2016 who took the ACT writing exam, 40% did not demonstrate the reading and writing skills necessary to successfully complete a college- level English composition. This problem lingers into higher education as college students acknowledge lacking the necessary writing proficiency. The 2011 book Academically Adrift, found that of the 2300 students followed through college for four years, only half of them felt their writing had improved by the time they became a senior. Furthermore, according to a report from the Partnership for 21st-Century Skills, one fourth of college students had deficient writing skills and were considered poor writers and lacked communication skills by employers. A study of 848 public relations practitioners revealed that writing skills was number one of five core competencies should be taught in an undergraduate public relations curriculum. According to Richard Cole, “the results of the study may stimulate an intensified interest in strengthening college-level writing instruction for future PR practitioners.” Once students have completed their education and enter into the workforce, their lack of writing skills becomes an issue that American businesses have had to address. The National Commission on Writing’s report on writing skills and the workplace estimates that American businesses spend over $3 billion annually on remedial writing training. Of this budget, the vast majority, almost $2.9 billion is being spent on current employees, rather than newly hired staff. The ability to write well is clearly an issue, and likely many teachers lack preparation in teaching on this topic. Dana Goldstein from the New York times said that “a 2016 study of nearly 500 teachers in grades three through eight across the country, conducted by Gary Troia of Michigan

State University and Steve Graham of Arizona State University, found that fewer than half had taken a college class that devoted significant time to the teaching of writing, while fewer than a third had taken a class solely devoted to how children learn to write. Unsurprisingly, given their lack of preparation, only 55% of respondents said they enjoyed teaching the subject.” Why writing is important Writing is how most human knowledge is captured and taught to others. Without a written language, and people who are skilled in its use, it is hard to image the creation of civilization as we know it. Writing is communication, and whether this is a work of fiction written for pleasure, a scientific paper on a new discovery, a business plan or an advertising brief, it is critical that the text be clear, correct and appropriate to its purpose. If there are errors in the writing, it is possible that that communication will fail, resulting in the failure of whatever the writing was intended to support. From the perspective of modern business, writing skills are especially important as reliance on email as a primary means of communication has grown along with employee networks and virtual teams. The importance on writing in education was articulated clearly by The National Commission on Writing in their report “The Neglected R: The Need for a Writing Revolution”. What’s being Done In addition to recognizing the problem of lowering writing skills, educators, government and businesses have taken a range of steps to address this issue. As noted above, businesses have been investing into providing remedial writing training for their employees. Government and educators have developed ‘Common Core’ educational system, which has a strong focus on writing competencies, that stress formal mastery of the subject. Additionally, several organizations such as Writing Revolution and the National Writing Project have formed with the purpose of improving the teaching of writing by focusing on improving teacher education.

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