How Many Incompetents?

The stereotypical definition of "illiteracy" has been the simple inability to read and write. But how many Americans are there who lack, as a Government study put it rather harshly last week, "those skills and knowledges which are requisite to adult competence"? The projection provided by the U.S. Office of Education: more than 23 million, or about one adult in five.

Some specifics from an in-depth survey of 1,500 Americans, designed by a University of Texas team:

> 20% of those surveyed did not know the meaning of the sign: "We are an Equal Opportunity Employer."

> 14% could not properly write a bank check.

> 27% were unaware that normal body temperature is 98.6DEG F.

> 34% believed that police had the right to detain a suspect for as long as a week without bringing charges.

U.S. Commissioner of Education Terrel H. Bell described the findings as "rather startling," and said they "call for some major rethinking of education on several levels."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.