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Appalachian Virginia Lags Behind Rest of State

Marcus J. Hopkins
Dec 2, 20244 min read
"Appalachian Learning Initiative Nearly 2 out of 3 adults living in Virginia's Appalachian counties read below an 8th Grade level APPLI is building solutions APPLI Appalachian Learning Initiative www.appli.org National Center for Education Statistics, 2020 Follow us @APPLlOrg"
More than 6 out of every 10 adults living in Virginia's Appalachian counties and cities struggle with reading

By: Marcus J. Hopkins

December 2nd, 2024


Adults living in #Virginia's 33 #Appalachian counties and independent cities are more likely to struggle with reading and basic math than their peers in the rest of the state.


According to results from the 2018 Programme from the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (#PIAAC), more than 6 out of every 10 adults (61.6%) living in Appalachian Virginia read at or below an 8th Grade level, compared to the statewide average of just under half (49.5%).


People living in Virginia's Appalachian counties face similar barriers to accessing educational opportunities as those living throughout central Appalachia, including those living in southeastern Kentucky, western North Carolina, northeastern Tennessee, and West Virginia:


  • Geographic barriers, such as the mountainous terrain and the relative isolation experienced in more rural counties, may hinder the ability of both school-aged children and adults to access quality educational opportunities, limit their ability to work collaboratively with peers, and result in long travel times to and from schools which may negatively impact the ability of students to focus on learning or to access educational opportunities due to the distance they must travel between work and school if classes are not offered in an asynchronous learning model that allows learners to complete their work at their own pace without attending classes at specific times;

  • Financial barriers, including the inability to afford stable housing, to afford sufficient nutrition to sustain concentration during classes, to afford courses that require payment, or to afford costs associated with transportation, may place potential learners in the position of having to choose between meeting their basics needs and improving their reading or math abilities;

  • Transportation and infrastructural barriers, such as the lack of a personal vehicle, poorly maintained roads, and inadequate access to reliable and timely public transportation, may prevent learners from being able to take advantage of educational opportunities, even if they're free, because they are unable to make to to classes at the times they're offered, because they have to dedicate entire days to attending sessions which would require them to miss work, or because they are simply unable to reach the locations where sessions are offered;

  • Educational infrastructural barriers, such as the lack of available educational opportunities, the lack of adequate funding to support such programs, insufficient advertising and awareness about programs, inadequate educational staffing, or opportunities that are limited because of the times their offered, may prevent learners from identifying, accessing, and/or actively participating in educational programs; and,

  • Technological barriers, such as a lack of access to the types of technology needed to participate in educational opportunities (e.g., home computers, laptops, or tablets), a lack of access to any or sufficient Internet services needed to access distance learning opportunities or to complete online assignments, or unfamiliarity with how to properly use newer technologies, may prevent learners from accessing or participating in educational sessions.


The image is an infographic from the Appalachian Learning Initiative. It features a bold, black text stating "More than 2 out of 3" at the center of the image. Below this text, it reads "adults living in Virginia’s Appalachian counties struggle with basic math." The background contains a yellow silhouette of Virginia on the right side. Below the text are five stylized human figures, three in white and two in dark gray, symbolizing the statistic mentioned. At the bottom of the image, the text "APPLI is building solutions" appears prominently. The lower part of the image includes the Appalachian Learning Initiative logo, featuring the acronym "APPLI" with a black and gold graphic above it. The bottom left corner contains the text "www.appli.org." On the bottom right, it instructs followers to connect via social media with icons for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, followed by the text "Follow us @APPLIORG." The text at the bottom reads "National Center for Education Statistics, 2020."
More than 7 out of 10 adults struggle with basic math

Similar to literacy attainment, more 7 out of every 10 adults (70.8%) in Appalachian Virginia struggle to solve math problems with more than three steps, compared to 59.7% statewide.


Similarly, more than 1 out of every 9 adults (11.1%) have not graduated high school or attained a comparable certificate, compared to the statewide percentage of 9%.


These educational outcomes indicate the need for additional resources that are more easily accessible throughout the western part of the state.


That said, we have found several organizations that provide educational services for little or no cost throughout the region, many of which are centrally located and serve multiple counties.


You can find these resources on our page dedicated to the state of Virginia: https://www.appli.org/virginia


 

In addition to disparities in educational outcomes, people living in Virginia's Appalachian jurisdictions face significant financial and health barriers that may hinder their abilities to achieve better educational outcomes, including:


  • Nearly 1 out of every 4 residents (22.8%) earn 150% or less of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) compared to the statewide percentage of nearly 1 out of every 6 (16.8%).

    • When examining households earning 100% of the FPL or less, more than 1 out of every 7 residents (14.4%) live in extreme poverty compared to the statewide average of 10.6%

The image is an infographic about Adult COPD in Virginia, focusing on Appalachian counties. The upper part displays a map of Virginia emphasizing the Appalachian region, with different counties shaded in colors ranging from yellow to dark red, indicating COPD prevalence from 5.1% to 14.2%. Buchanan County is highlighted with the darkest shade and marked at 14.2%, being the highest rate. A legend in gradient color, from yellow to dark red, is shown below the map. To the right, an icon of five stylized human figures, with one in red and the rest in orange, indicates that more than 1 out of every 10 adults lives with COPD. A text section highlights Buchanan as having the highest COPD rate. Below the map, text in white states the overall statistic for Appalachian adults with COPD. Icons and contact information for APPLI are at the bottom right.
Adults living in southwestern Virginia are significantly more likely to be living with COPD than adults living elsewhere in the state. Nearly 1 out of every 7 adults (14.2%) in Buchanan County are living with the condition.

  • More than 1 out of every 10 adults (10.5%) living in Appalachian Virginia are living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD), compared to just 1 out of every 14, statewide.

  • Similarly, nearly 1 out of every 11 adults (9%) are living with Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), compared to the statewide prevalence of 1 out of every 25 (4%).

  • People living in Appalachian Virginia were also significantly more likely to die from a drug overdose in 2022, with a rate of 42.6 deaths (per 100k residents) in Appalachia, compared to the statewide rate of just 28.8.

  • More than 1 out of every 6 adults (18%) living in Appalachian Virginia report being current smokers, compared to just 12.1%, statewide.


Housing in Virginia APPLI Appalachian Learning Initiative www.appl.org American Community Survey, 2024 & Greenlink Analytics, 2024 37.2% of households in Virginia’s Appalachian counties spend more than $200 per month on electricity compared to the 34.2% national average 29% of residents in Virginia’s Appalachian counties rent their homes compared to the national rate of 35.2% 18.6% of residents in Virginia’s Appalachian counties spend more than 50% of their annual incomes on housing compared to the national rate of 25.9%
Nearly 1 out of every 5 adults living in Virginia's Appalachian jurisdictions pay at least 50% of the annual incomes on housing, compared to just 12% of residents statewide

  • Nearly 1 out of every 5 residents (18.6%) in Appalachian Virginia spend 50% or more of their annual income on housing compared to the statewide average of 12%.


These barriers, while not necessarily causative, may be contributing factors that result in worse educational outcomes, particularly in Virginia's more rural areas.


As we have previously reported in our 2023 research, Adult Literacy Proficiency and Public Health in Appalachia, adult literacy proficiency is moderately or strongly correlated with many of the negative public health outcomes experienced in Appalachian Virginia.


APPLI will be working to update these data in 2025 to ensure that they are current.

 
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Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support our work: www.appli.org/donate

This #GivingTuesday, we're working to raise $500 to support our research, reporting, and advocacy work.


We know that many people living and working in Appalachia are struggling, and hope that you will consider making a donation, if you are able to do so. APPLI operates entirely off of donations, which cover all of the costs associated with running a non-profit, including website hosting, content creation, research, and software licenses. We try to keep costs as low as possible, with the entirety of APPLI's team serving in a volunteer capacity.


To make a donation, please visit our donation page:




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