Introduced By: Senators Kelly, Algiere and O'Leary
Date Introduced : May 22, 1997
Referred To: Senate Read and Passed
WHEREAS, "Promoting literacy unlocks the door to America's future, and each one of us holds the key. As Miss America, I will reach out to all people, encouraging each of them to connect with > one person or participate in one program that will not only make a difference in their own lives, but will contribute to improving the overall literacy of our nation." With this erudite statement, Tara Dawn Holland launched her reign as Miss America 1997, and energized her crusade to publicize the chronic deterioration of this nation's literacy as we all face the daunting, yet exciting, challenges of the onrushing 21st century; and
WHEREAS, A magna cum laude 1994 graduate of Florida State University, with a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education, Tara Dawn Holland is a 2nd year graduate student at the University of Missouri in Kansas City. An All-American Scholar Collegiate Award winner, she is a distinguished member of Omicron Delta Kappa, Mortar Board and Phi Kappa Phi. A Volunteer of the Year for adult and community educators of Florida, Miss America is currently spearheading a national campaign to promote literacy awareness and volunteerism; and
WHEREAS, "So often, we throw money at Welfare and homeless shelters and prisons. Or we go out and tell them to get jobs, but we don't provide them [with] the skills they need to get those jobs. If you can't read, you can't fill out a job application or even understand the manual that tells you how to fry fries at McDonald's. We forget how reliant we are on our ability to read."; and
WHEREAS, The alarms that Tara Dawn Holland is sounding warns us that if we neglect the problem of adult illiteracy, we do so at our great peril. The statistics are absolutely frightening: Rhode Island ranks in the bottom 40% of the states in literacy proficiency; 58% of Providence adults are in the lowest 2 of 5 literacy levels; and more than half of the adults in level 1 are not employed and are not looking for work. Nationally, 76% of the unemployed are functionally illiterate, and the United States economy suffers an estimated $140 to $300 billion annual productivity loss that can be traced directly to adult worker illiteracy; and
WHEREAS, Adult education consists of programs, courses of study, training, instruction and other learning experiences, as well as counseling and services enabling persons above the age of mandatory school attendance to acquire the basic knowledge and skills needed to become informed, responsible and productive citizens; and
WHEREAS, Some 50,000 Rhode Island adults between the ages of 18-25 have yet to complete their high school education or its equivalent. This is approximately 25% of this adult population group. Alarming as this statistic is, even more startling is the fact that adult education in the Ocean State receives approximately one-tenth of one percent of the annual elementary and secondary education budget. With the reality of Welfare reform, and thousands of recipients becoming ineligible for benefits, Rhode Island and the rest of the nation will soon face the grave fact that these largely uneducated people will need adult education programs to survive in an increasingly competitive economy; and
WHEREAS, An educated, informed populace is a prerequisite for achieving many public policy goals, including economic development, education reform and enlightened family policies; and
WHEREAS, Parents are the most important role models in the lives of children. Parents who stress the importance of education, and seek education and training for themselves, become powerful examples to their impressionable sons and daughters; and
WHEREAS, School must help all students to develop the ability and commitment to read, write and compute; all adults must be afforded the opportunity to acquire the basic tools of education; and every community in Rhode Island must commit itself to making adult education a priority endeavor; and
WHEREAS, Now, not later, is the time that we need to reach a consensus concerning adult illiteracy. If this problem is not quickly addressed, our society may well be overwhelmed by a greater and greater percentage of its population that is simply incapable of functioning at any meaningful level. The social and economic consequences of neglect are, frankly, too apocryphal to ignore; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby joins Tara Dawn Holland, Miss America 1997, in supporting a necessary investment in tomorrow by working to adequately fund and support adult literacy programs in Rhode Island and throughout the rest of the nation. Such a wise investment will pay great dividends, as the community comes together to help adult learners achieve their maximum potential as individuals, workers, parents, and productive citizens; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Tara Dawn Holland, Miss America 1997.