[Libs-Or] New report from the National Center for Education Statistics - "Literacy of Foreign-Born Adults in the United States: 2003."

[Ann Reed]

The National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences has released the report "Literacy of Foreign-Born Adults in the United States: 2003."

This Issue Brief draws on data from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) to explore the English literacy of foreign-born adults living in households in the United States. The brief presents the English literacy scores of foreign-born adults age 16 and older by race/ethnicity, age of arrival in the United States, years spent in the United States, highest level of educational attainment, and language spoken before starting school. Scores are reported on three literacy scales: prose, document, and quantitative. Findings indicate that English literacy scores of foreign-born adults varied across a variety of background characteristics.  For example, Hispanics, who represented approximately half of foreign-born adults, had lower average prose, document, and quantitative literacy scores than their foreign-born Black, White, and Asian peers. In addition, foreign-born adults who had been in the United States the least amount of time (1 to 5 years) had lower average s  cores on each literacy scale than foreign-born adults who had spent the most amount of time (21 to 30 years and 31 years or more) in the country. 

To view, download and print the report as a PDF file, please visit:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2009034


To obtain hard copy of many IES products as well as hard copy and electronic versions of hundreds of other U.S. Department of Education products please visit http://www.edpubs.org or call 1-877-433-7827 (877-4-EDPUBS).
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Ann Reed, Federal Programs Coordinator
Library Development Services, Oregon State Library
250 Winter St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
phone: (503) 378-5027
fax: (503) 378-6439
ann.reed at state.or.us
website: www.oregon.gov/osl/ld/index.shtml