The Internet is this generation's defining technology for reading, but not one state in this country measures students' ability to read search engine results or to critically evaluate information found online.

Don Leu

And this missed opportunity is where librarians can play a crucial role, says Donald Leu, director of the New Literacies Research Lab at the University of Connecticut and a guest speaker Friday afternoon in Chicago at School Library Journal's Leadership Summit 2010: The Future of Reading. In his presentation, "The Future of Reading: Misalignments of Public Policy, Assessment, and Instruction in an Online World of New Literacies," Leu says that while the nature of reading may be changing, the biggest concerns aren't about new hardware or software. It's about the importance of professional development for educators. "For me, the ereader issue isn't an especially important one," says Leu. The main thing is preparing kids how to use online information, especially when Internet usage stats around the world are staggering. In North America, for example, 74.2 percent of the population is wired. In Europe that number is 52 percent, and in Australia it's 60.4 percent. That in turn has affected how students read. American kids between the ages of 8-18 spend more time reading online (48 minutes) per day than reading offline (43 minutes), according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Even in places like Accra, Ghana, 66 percent of 15-18 year olds report going online. And those numbers are likely to rise. In Japan, nearly all homes are equipped with broadband that's 16 times faster than the U.S. and a lot cheaper-at about $22 per month. However, few understand that online and offline reading comprehension may not be the same. Online reading comprehension is a "problem-based meaning construction process that requires additional reading comprehension skills beyond those required for offline reading," says Leu. Yet no state in this country measures students' ability to read search engine results during state reading assessments, students' ability to critically evaluate information that's found online to determine its reliability, or students' ability to compose clear and effective email messages in their state writing assessment, says Leu. And although a 1999 study by Boston College shows that 19 percent more students will pass writing samples if they use a word processor, not a single state allows them to do that. In fact, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), known as our nation's report card, made a deliberate decision to exclude online reading comprehension from the 2009 NAEP reading framework, he adds. "Neglecting research into online reading comprehension perpetuates public policies that help the rich get richer and the poor get poorer," Leu says, explaining that 63 percent of kids from households that earn more than $75,000 annually used the Internet at school. But only 36 percent of kids from households earning less than $15,000 annually used the Internet at school. "The Internet is this generation's defining technology for reading," says Leu, but when it comes to reading, studies show that today's students are "digital doofuses." That's where librarians come in. "One thing we do know" says Leu referring to his audience. "is that you as library media specialists in your school districts are going to determine the future our students achieve." States place their students at risk with heir continued inaction or poor public policies, he adds. So what needs to be done? We need to advocate for better standards, demand better reading assessments, support greater professional development and instruction, encourage school leadership, and build bridges with reading communities and online literacy, Leu says