M.T. Anderson brings to our attention...
In USA TODAY:
High School reading skills have worsened since 1992.

"U.S. high school seniors are taking more challenging coursework and earning higher grades than ever, but their reading skills have actually worsened since 1992, data released Thursday by the U.S. Education Department suggest....

The average high school senior doesn't read as well as in 1992, the first year the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) was given to 12th-graders. In 2005, 35% of students scored "proficient" or better, down from 40% in 1992. Reading at a "proficient" level means students can make critical judgments, and read at a more sophisticated level, describing for instance, how two editorials argue different viewpoints. "Basic" means students can read and retrieve information from a document and recognize a sequence of plot elements."
Read more in USA TODAY at:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-02-22-math-reading-scores_x.htm?csp=24