If most papers in conference settings present success stories, I propose to share with the ECIL participants a continuing alarming situation which occurs in one of America’s largest urban areas, the City of Detroit, where the literacy rate is one of the lowest in the United States, amounting to only 47%. The 2020 US Census counted 639,111 inhabitants in the City of Detroit, the largest in the State of Michigan, ranking it the 18th largest in the country. The racial makeup of Detroit is 77.17% blacks, 9.51% whites, 8.02% Hispanics, 3% multiracial, 1.58 Asian, and .72% other. The education level of Detroit’s population age 25+ consists of 82.6% being graduates of a high school and 16.2% holding a bachelor’s degree. The median household income in the City of Detroit is $34,762 as opposed to almost double in the state of Michigan, where it amounts to $63,202.
Despite of highlights one can find in tourist guides where Detroit is presented as a major cultural center, known for its contributions to music, art, architecture and design, in addition to its historical automotive background, several higher learning institutions, a national research university with medical and law schools, the City has been facing a continued exodus of population which led to the closing of many public schools. With 48,615 students enrolled, the graduation rate for Detroit’s 107 public schools is 76%, with reading proficiency of only 18% for the 2020/21 academic year. Traditional public and charter school students in the City have performed poorly on standardized tests. Circa 2009 and 2011, Detroit traditional public schools scored a record low on national tests.
Based on the corroboration of census data and the examination of socio-economic factors, the paper seeks to determine the root causes which have led to the declining of literacy rates in Detroit (neighborhood disinvestment, politics of abandonment, crime dynamics, high incarceration rates, unemployment, low median house income) and to discuss rescue efforts several types of organizations and agencies along with policy makers have been engaging in to address the endemic issue of illiteracy in Detroit and to provide solutions for better access to information literacy programs through classes, library services and even financial incentives aimed at attracting disadvantaged groups.
The Detroit Literacy Project Coalition (DLPC) was born out of a desire to create a hub for all kinds of resources that aid reading learners of all ages and backgrounds. DLPC is a constantly evolving and growing network of organizations with the same mission: to improve literacy and foster love of reading for all Detroiters. ModEL Detroit is a project aimed at sharing tools and resources to support teachers in implementing English Language education. Additionally, the project seeks to prepare students enrolled in the Detroit Public School system to be successful in their studies, career, and life. Starting from the premises that 60% of the unemployed lack the necessary skills to train for high-tech jobs, the Pro-Literacy Detroit offers programs that address the severity of this issue. The non-profit organization aims to assist adults 16 and over to become independent readers, writers, and speakers of English, with the ultimate goal to solve adult illiteracy in Detroit. The Detroit Future Media (DFM) program is an intensive digital literacy training program to support the revitalization of Detroit communities through the use of media and technology as pathways to interconnect the City’s communities. The Detroit Future Media Guide to Digital Literacy is an open-source handbook to be used by community members to enhance their media literacy skills alongside entrepreneurship and community organizing competencies. The Siena Literacy Center is a non-profit organization with a mission to improve the lives of families in metropolitan Detroit by providing reading, math, English language, and digital literacy programming for adult learners.
With private and government support from local and national entities, programs like those mentioned above aim to address the disparities and the challenges of illiteracy in Detroit and to bring the City to par with other American cities. The efforts of diverse entities engaged in improving literacy per se to be followed by developing basic information literacy skills in Detroit could serve as a model for other parts of the world facing similar challenges.
Hermina G.B. Anghelescu
Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
English 
French