Policy

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BB8 will inform state and local policy that: makes literacy a goal for every child in California; expands teacher training in structured literacy, social-emotional literacy and equity and inclusion practices; and expands children’s access to community and mental health services. 

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Low literacy rates come with a high cost to California. The cost to California is 12 billion dollars a year or 1 trillion dollars in 60 years. In addition to the cost to the state’s budget, California will miss out on nearly $340 billion in GDP due to unemployment caused by illiteracy over the next 60 years. In relation to today’s GDP, this is a 0.3% boost in GDP if the barriers to literacy are properly addressed.

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The costs are not only incurred by the educational system but also by the criminal justice system, litigation, health care and unemployment. People with low literacy skills are up to 3 times more likely to experience poor health outcomes, ranging from having less health knowledge, lower general health, a higher likelihood of disease, shorter life spans, and experiencing costly dementia later in life.

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Low literacy also impacts happiness--people in poverty tend to experience more depression than their wealthier peers. Researchers have also found a link between literacy and safety for females--lower levels of literacy were associated with favoring violence towards women, and women who were married to an illiterate spouse were more likely to experience violence.