In the 1983 report by the National Commission on Excellence in Education. "A Nation at Risk." we find that some 23 million Americans. or 1 in every 5. are functionally illiterate as defined by the simplest test of everyday reading. writing. and comprehension. This problem of adult illiteracy is found in virtually every segment of society. Close to 1 million teenagers drop out of high school every year. Refugees and immigrants with little or no facility with the English language are entering the United States at an accelerating rate. As a result. the annual cost of illiteracy to the Federal Government in the form of welfare programs and unemployment compensation is estimated at over $6 billion. The actual figure may be much higher. and this estimate does not include tax revenues lost by the Government as a result of increased unemployment.
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Refugees immigrants