In celebration of International Literacy Day last week, Scholastic has some great news: kids are reading. Despite the naysayers and gloom and doomers who think the entire juvenile world is too busy with their faces buried in digital devices, the self-response survey indicates that as many as 86% of kids up to age 17 think reading is an important key to their future goals.
“Children need access to a large variety of books: Fiction develops a child’s love of stories, empathy for others, and strength of character, while nonfiction allows them to explore the world and learn about others,” said Michael Haggen, Chief Academic Officer, Scholastic Education, in a press release. “With only 100 children’s books on average for the entire family, kids are unlikely to find all the stories and knowledge needed to spark a love of reading, increase their confidence as learners, and discover themselves. This International Literacy Day we highlight the importance of children having increased access to books at home and provide easy-to-implement solutions for families to make that happen.”
Some of the key findings of the report showed some very promising news. Almost half of the parents surveyed were not only aware of the concept of the “summer slide” in which students’ reading scores drop after returning to school in the fall, but were focused on taking action to prevent it. Also, kids and parents alike showed some measure of diversity awareness when selecting books, and households broken down by race and ethnicity had favorable numbers when it came to filling the home with a variety of reading options.
To take a look at the complete report from Scholastic, visit the Kids & Family Reading Report by clicking here.
Mercy Pilkington is a Senior Editor for Good e-Reader. She is also the CEO and founder of a hybrid publishing and consulting company.
