Page 427 - Sociology and You

World View
Chapter 12 Education 397 Illiteracy Rates
One of the functions of education is to promote liter- acy—the key to continued learning, problem solving, and information analysis. This map shows rates of illit- eracy among persons fifteen years of age and older in various countries of the world. Because of cultural norms and discrimination, more women than men are illiterate.
World View
Illiteracy Rates Among People 15 Years and Older
North America
Europe
South America
> 70% 51%–70% 31%–50% 11%–30% ≤ 10%
No data
Africa
Asia
Australia
Interpreting the Map
1. Do you see a pattern in the rates of illiteracy? Explain.
2. How does the United States measure up?
Adapted from The State of the World Atlas, 6th ed.
How do schools help create a common identity? Although television is now a strong competitor, the educational system remains the major force in creating a common identity among a diverse population. Learning an of- ficial language, sharing in national history and patriotic themes, and being exposed to similar informational materials promote a shared identity. The re- sult is a society with homogeneous values, norms, beliefs, and attitudes. Schools in the United States contribute to this process. By attending local schools, newly arrived immigrant children, without the ability to speak and write English, soon learn to participate in the American way of life.
The current debate in the United States over bilingual education touches on the role that schools play in creating a common identity. People who em- phasize recognizing and honoring cultural diversity usually support teaching in the student’s own language, at least for some period of time. Opponents of bilingual education argue that bilingual education hinders the development of a common American identity and has not been proven to help students
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Education has in America’s whole history been the major hope for improving the individual and society.
Gunnar Myrdal Swedish economist
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