ViewpointsOpinionCredentialled but Illiterate: The Reading Crisis at the Heart of EducationSavePrintStudents study in the Perry-Castaneda Library at the University of Texas at Austin on Feb. 22, 2024. Brandon Bell/Getty ImagesPatrick Keeney4/20/2025|Updated: 4/20/20250:00X 1CommentaryIn his trenchant essay, “The Average College Student Is Illiterate,” Hilarius Bookbinder sounds the alarm over the precipitous decline in student literacy.We had a problem loading this article. Please enable javascript or use a different browser. If the issue persists, please visit our help center.Share this articleLeave a commentPatrick KeeneyAuthorPatrick Keeney, Ph.D., is an academic and columnist.Author’s Selected ArticlesThe Loss of Liberal LearningDec 06, 2025Buried by Our Own Knowledge: Donald Hebb and the Knowledge CrisisNov 27, 2025The View From Canada on Thanksgiving DayNov 26, 2025Victimhood as Virtue: Pascal Bruckner and the Cult of SufferingNov 14, 2025