While 98 percent of Americans believe that good writing skills are very important to succeed in today’s economy, roughly half believe the quality of students’ writing skills has declined over the past 20 years, a report released by the Berkeley, Calif.-based National Writing Project says.
Two-thirds of the people surveyed wanted more resources earmarked for writing instruction, and almost three-fourths thought writing should be taught to students in every subject at every grade level. Seventy-four percent of respondents thought good writing skills were important regardless of what career students pursue. The study surveyed a representative sample of 1,501 adults in the United States.
More information on “The 2007 Survey on Teaching Writing” is posted by the National Writing Project.