Barely a week goes by without the release of a new report highlighting the growth of the literacy crisis in the U.S. At the same time, we are constantly hearing about the achievement gap between white and minority students. And then, there is the dilemma of the digital divide. Of course, all three of these problems are inextricably linked, but their relationship may be more complex than at first glance.

We need to look at our definition of literacy and decide if it is appropriate in a 21st century multicultural society. Our definition of literacy is based on the ability to read and comprehend in English. While it would be beneficial for all of us to be literate in a common language (in addition to our mother tongue, see World Languages, page 16 for the European “personal adoptive language” proposal), and, in the U.S. it would be logical for that language to be English, the reality is that there are hundreds of thousands of people in this country who are literate in their own language but not English. It is not only arrogant, unfair and incorrect to classify someone as illiterate just because they do not understand the language of the majority; it is damaging as it diminishes the importance of their acquired skills and discounts their use as a bridge to English literacy. Research has shown and practice has proven that literacy in one language accelerates literacy in another, especially if both languages have similar roots as in English and Spanish. However, educators are often asked to ignore this advantage and teach students as though they have no literacy skills. This policy of refusing to build upon literacy in other languages must actually slow down the acquisition of English literacy.

The advent of the digital age should also cause us to reevaluate our perception of literacy as the printed page is no longer the sole source of information and means of written communication. Texting, instant messaging and email are now the preferred communication form of affluent youth. In middle-class suburbs, you can hardly walk two minutes down the street without seeing a kid texting— all fingers and thumbs a blur — while in less affluent areas, children are lucky if they have a public library within walking distance.

While it would be wonderful for our children to be reading the classics, or even Nancy Drew, we have to accept that reading habits have changed and will continue to change further. This in itself is not a problem as long as all children have access to these new literacy tools, but the reality of the digital divide is that those children who need them the most – minorities, English language learners — are least likely to have them and least likely to have access to their predecessors — books, magazines and comics.

We need to rethink our literacy strategies to embrace existing skills, work with technology companies to give all children access to modern tools, and adapt to the reality of our multicultural, multilingual, digital society so that the joy and value of reading and writing do not become a privilege but remain a right.

“We must embrace the reality that with opportunity comes challenge, and that retooling our competitiveness requires a commitment and investment in the future. Inherent in our children is the innovation, drive, and imagination that have made, and will continue to make, this country great. By investing energy, talent, and dollars now in the education and training of young Americans — the scientists, statesmen, industrialists, farmers, inventors, educators, clergy, artists, service members, and parents, of tomorrow — we are truly investing in our ability to successfully compete in, and influence, the strategic environment of the future. Our first investment priority, then, is intellectual capital and a sustainable infrastructure of education, health and social services to provide for the continuing development and growth of America’s youth.”

The source of this quotation is not the National Education Association but the Pentagon. During the first week of April, as Congress engaged in last-minute bluffs over the budget, the Pentagon issued a report entitled “A National Strategic Narrative” under the pseudonym of “Mr. Y,” a play on George Kennan’s 1946 “Long Telegram” from Moscow (published under the name “X” the following year in Foreign Affairs) that recommended containment as the key strategy for dealing with the Soviet Union. Although the report was written by two senior members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in a “personal” capacity, it must have had some official approval which makes its argument all the more compelling.

The report argues that the U.S. has confused its spending priorities, saying that we are overreacting to Islamic extremism, under-investing in youth, and failing to embrace the sense of competition and opportunity that made America a world power. The authors fear that the nation has been increasingly consumed by seeing the world through the lens of threat, while failing to understand that influence, competitiveness, and innovation are the key to advancing American interests in the modern world.

Surprisingly, the authors bravely suggest that America relies far too heavily on its military to engage with the rest of the world instead of investing in the education of its people. In stark contrast, the Pentagon budget has almost doubled in the last decade while spending on education and other so-called social services are increasingly coming under attack.

Although language education is not specifically mentioned, the report concludes with a call for America to look forward in today’s interconnected world, claiming that we have misunderstood interdependence as a weakness rather than recognizing it as a strength, and that the key to being competitive is credibility which requires “engagement, strength, and reliability — imaginatively applied through the national tools of development, diplomacy, and defense.”

Last month’s federal budget compromise cut $8 billion in funding from the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development. In Los Angeles, Calif., over five thousand teachers have been issued layoff notices. Education budgets are so tight across the nation that we are being led to believe that language education is an unaffordable luxury while those in the know see international engagement as the one necessity in which we need to invest. Know­ledge of world languages and cultures is a prerequisite to international engagement so let’s follow this advice from the frontline and divert just a small fraction of defense spending to the education we need to communicate, understand, and engage.