But it is not just our youngsters who are experiencing educational difficulties. Conservative estimates now place the number of adult illiterates at about 23 million. with an additional 2.3 million adults joining that number annually. These newcomers to the illiterate adult pool come from the ranks of high school dropouts and legal and illegal immigrants. These millions of adults are functionally illiterate. they do not possess the skills and the essential knowledge they need to enable them to carry out the social. economic. and civic roles required of them as citizens. These millions of adults are either unable to escape from lowskilled and lowpaying jobs or they are unable to get a job because functional literacy is essential to obtaining and retaining productive employment and to job advancement as well.
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illegal immigrants