https://www.newsweek.com/map-reveals-us-adult-literacy-rates-state-2010175
The map in the linked page is more revealing. No surprise at all that illiteracy rates correspond almost perfectly with poverty rates. Filtering for education is revealing too, it will be interesting to revisit this data in 10 years after the newer attacks on public education have a chance to settle into the data.
I think the standardized testing has gotten ridiculous. Teachers have to teach to the test to get federal funding resulting in kids who don't learn how to figure things out. Not everything has a multiple choice answer.
QuoteTrump's plan to "dismantle the Department of Education" will be the first step to fixing low literacy rates in the U.S.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doublespeak