ABSTRACT

Recent studies have highlighted the literacy challenge faced not only by state employees, but also by college graduates. The National Commission on Writing (2005) reports that about 30% of state employees at various levels lack the critical writing skills demanded by their jobs and require remedial writing training, at an annual cost to taxpayers of a half billion dollars. Likewise, the Association of American Colleges and Universities (2005) disseminated the outcomes of a study which revealed that a dismal 11% of college seniors can write at the “profi cient” level. When surveyed, those same students expressed the belief that college was a contributor to their developed literacy skills.