The research was conducted by IOE researchers Dr. Alice Sullivan and Matt Brown, who analyzed the reading behavior of approximately 6,000 children being followed by the 1970 British Cohort Study, which is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. They looked at how often the teenagers read during childhood and their test results in math, vocabulary, and spelling at ages 5, 10 and 16.

“It may seem surprising that reading for pleasure would help to improve children’s maths scores,” Sullivan says. “But it is likely that strong reading ability will enable children to absorb and understand new information and affect their attainment in all subjects.”

The researchers compared children from the same social backgrounds who had achieved the same test scores as each other at age 5 and at age 10. Their finding? Kids who read often at age 10 and more than once a week at age 16 gained higher results at age 16 than those who read less regularly.

The study also found that reading for pleasure was found to be more important for children’s cognitive development between ages 10 and 16 than their parents’ level of education. The combined effect on kids’ progress of reading books often, going to the library regularly, and reading newspapers at 16 was four times greater than the advantage kids gained from having a parent with a degree.

In addition, the study found that kids who were read to regularly by their parents at age 5 performed better in all three tests at age 16 than those who were not helped in this way.

Photograph by Rebecca T. Miller

“The most exciting time for a kindergarten teacher is when a kid looks up and says, ‘Hey, I can read!’” This is my favorite line from a conversation between two educators at the daylong “Fostering Lifelong Learners” event held April 25 at the Cambridge (MA) Public Library. The speaker, Jim St. Claire, a 39-year veteran of the classroom, teaches at the Amigos School in Cambridge, a dual-language immersion program. His counterpart on the stage was Anne Mackay; with 13 years under her belt, she’s a lower school reading specialist at nearby Buckingham Browne & Nichols School. The two shared many insights to apply in working with babies and toddlers.

The day itself was structured to reflect the partnerships needed to give wee ones and their caregivers what they need to arrive at that “aha!” moment. It was organized by SLJ’s sister publication, The Horn Book, in collaboration with the Cambridge Public Library, and Reach Out and Read, a nonprofit that integrates early literacy training into pediatric examinations. The goal of the event, sponsored by Penguin, DK, Junior Library Guild, and Charlesbridge, was to foster early learning—be it in the library, the doctor’s office, at daycare, or at home.

Mackay, for her part, noted the need to build the ability to hear the sounds in words—calling that the “biggest predictor of reading later in life.” She also stressed teaching early print concepts, comprehension of plot, and the development of writing skills. “Encourage parents to get rid of markers,” she said. Instead, use chalk, on the blackboard or sidewalk, as it gives “a ton of feedback” and “really works fine motor skills.”

Technology, too, has its place. “Kids can get a sense of mastery if they know more than the teacher,” said St. Claire, “but we have to be aware of the kids who don’t have tech.” Mackay acknowledged that the digital age has changed many things, not all for the worse, adding, “there are lots of good apps.”

Meanwhile, we at SLJ were developing this special issue dedicated to early learning. I was excited to see so many of the themes of the Lifelong Learners event dovetail with what we were planning. From the essential tastiness of board books (“Built to Last,” p. 28) and the tactile pleasure of play at Brooklyn Public Library (“Read, Play, Grow,” p. 24) to the thoughtful development of apps at Sesame Workshop (“The Early Bird,” p. 18), may the ideas presented here inspire you toward achieving your own “aha” moment in your work with the youngest among us.

SLJ’s new look

Print readers will see a few changes in the magazine this month. They derived, in part, from our migration to the K4 cross-media publishing platform and WordPress content management system. This issue was produced via K4, which will enable us to be more nimble across print, e-newsletters, and the Web.

A migration like this inspires an evaluation of what we do, where, and why. For SLJ, it meant a reconsideration of aspects of the all-important reviews section. A small fix: book titles are enhanced to be more readable. A pragmatic but difficult decision: we will no longer produce the review index, which had appeared in each issue. We recognize the value of this index, especially to researchers, but now offer the BookVerdict database of reviews to subscribers as an alternate way to find SLJ reviews. A vast improvement: fiction and nonfiction now have their own sections, with more specific grade-level groupings.

Faced with creating new templates, our creative director, Mark Tuchman, seized the opportunity to update the look and feel of the magazine with new colors and tweaks to the layouts of everything from the contributors’ page to the stars page. We hope you approve.

Rebecca T. Miller
Editor-in-Chief
rmiller@mediasourceinc.com

Only one in three parents of children ages eight and under reads stories to their kids each night, according to a new survey by the literacy organization Reading is Fundamental (RIF) and Macy’s. Overall, 87 percent of the parents who participated in the online poll read to their kids at bedtime—but not every night. Half the parents said that their children spend more time watching TV and playing video games than reading.

The national online survey of 1,003 parents, conducted in April, also found that in households with salaries under $35,000, 40 percent of kids under nine watched TV, while 35 percent read books.

Parents still favor reading print over ebooks with their kids, as 76 percent choose print while reading with their children, the poll showed. Kids also like paper better: nearly twice as many (20 percent) of those whose parents read from both formats would choose print over ebooks (nine percent). 

In its release, RIF noted that kids who are poor readers by the end of third grade  are four times more likely to drop out of high school than their more proficient peers, according to statistics. Two-thirds of all American fourth graders don’t read proficiently, and among lower-income families, that number rises to four fifths.

The results were released as RIF, which delivers free books and literacy materials to underserved children from birth to age eight, kicks off its 10th annual month-long “Be Book Smart” campaign. From June 21 to July 21, shoppers at any Macy’s store can donate $3  at the register to provide a book to a child in their community.  Contributors receive $10 off a future Macy’s purchase of $50 or more. In a concurrent sweepstakes campaign, Macy’s will give a $500 gift certificate each week to one person who promotes RIF and reading on a Facebook app. Details: facebook.com/Macys or rif.org/sweeps.

Survey figures for race, ethnicity, education, region, household income, and number of children were weighted to be proportional to the overall population, according to an executive summary from Harris Interactive, the market research firm that compiled the online poll. Data was also weighted to reflect the mix of U.S. families nationally who have children under nine. Participants were chosen from those who agreed to participate in Harris Interactive polls.

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Ever help a guy find food in the refrigerator? In this fun and informative webinar, you’ll discover how some everyday observations – like that time you maybe helped a guy find the mayo that was right in the front of the fridge – are really vital clues for thinking about getting boys to read in your library.

In addition to the fun, the serious side of the topic will be addressed, including why the gap between boys’ and girls’ reading levels is a major concern among health experts and educators, and why the vast majority of reluctant readers are boys. Attendees will learn some tips to promote and support genres that boys like, including comic books, graphic novels, sports, and nonfiction, as well as some ideas for creating reading role models and communities for boys grades K-12. If you want ways to get books in the hands of your guys – and take a different look at how we think about getting boys to read – this session will inspire you.

Panelists include author and education writer Richard Whitmire and graphic novels reviewer and librarian M. Brandon Robbins. The webcast will feature information on the March 2010 Center on Education Policy report on the reading gap for boys, a “Comic Books & Literacy” research compilation, a white paper called “Football Literacy” on how sports have a greater reach than ever among young boys, and related research and materials.

Panelists:

Dan Verdick – Vice President of Marketing & Communications, ABDO Publishing

Dan Verdick is an author and library speaker who has led sessions at dozens of district- and state-level meetings across the US, including the CSLA (California), FAME (Florida), Minneapolis Public Schools, Atlanta Public Schools, Dallas ISD, New York Public Schools, the AZLA, NVLA, and more. He’s been featured on the NBC Today Show and in the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Dan is the Vice President of Marketing & Communications for educational publisher ABDO Publishing Group. He and his wife live in a suburb of Saint Paul with their two school-age readers.

Richard Whitmire – Author, The Achievable Dream: College Board Lessons on Creating Great School (The College Board)

Richard Whitmire, a veteran newspaper reporter and former editorial writer at USA Today, is the author of Why Boys Fail: Saving Our Sons from an Education System That’s Leaving Them Behind (Amacom, 2010, now in paperback), and The Bee Eater: Michelle Rhee Takes on the Nation’s Worst School District (Jossey-Bass, 2011).  In June, 2012, his latest book, co-authored with Gaston Caperton, was released. Called The Achievable Dream: College Board Lessons on Creating Great Schools (The College Board), the book contains stories that provide hope for the future through specific lessons of educational success that can be replicated in schools across the country – featuring students, parents, educators, policy-makers and communities. His commentaries appear frequently in publications including The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Whitmire is a former president of the National Education Writers Association.

M. Brandon Robbins – Reference Librarian and Teen Service Coordinator, Wayne County Public Library (NC)

M. Brandon Robbins is a Reference Librarian and Teen Services Coordinator at Wayne County Public Library in Goldsboro, NC. He reviews graphic novels for Library Journal, he also writes the Games, Gamers, and Gaming column for Library Journal. A lifelong fan of comic books and superheroes, Brandon also works at his friendly local comic shop, Heroes Are Here, and handles collection development for graphic novels at his library.

Can’t make it on October 4 No problem! Register now and you will get an email reminder from School Library Journal post-live event when the webcast is archived and available for on-demand viewing at your convenience!

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