AP: Poor Writng Costs Taxpayers Millions

By JUSTIN POPE, AP Education Writer

States spend nearly a quarter of a billion dollars a year on remedial writing instruction for their employees, according to a new report that says the indirect costs of sloppy writing probably hurt taxpayers even more.

The National Commission on Writing, in a report to be released Tuesday, says that good writing skills are at least as important in the public sector as in private industry. Poor writing not only befuddles citizens but also slows down the government as bureaucrats struggle with unclear instructions or have to redo poorly written work.

"It's impossible to calculate the ultimate cost of lost productivity because people have to read things two and three times," said Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, vice chairman of the National Governors Association, which conducted the survey for the commission.

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As a former remedial writing teacher, I want to stress the need to improve reading comprehension as well. Writing fundamentals can be taught, but writing style is unique to the individual. People need to be equipped to understand as much as possible. They need to develop the desire to learn beyond their school years, or any piece of writing may confuse just the same.