NEW YORK, April 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Scholastic
(NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children's publishing, education, and
media company, released the new Teacher & Principal
School Report: Focus on Literacy, which reveals that
the overwhelming majority of educators agree that "students should
have time during the school day to read a book of their choice
independently," but only 36% of Pre-K–12 teachers can set aside
time for their students to do this every day, adding that the
primary barrier to independent reading time is "the demands of the
curriculum." In addition, about half of educators (46%) say their
students do not have adequate access to books at home—with 69% of
educators in high-poverty schools saying the same—and 96% of
educators believe that "providing year-round access to books at
home is important to enhancing student achievement."
To download the full report, which includes the views of 4,700
public school Pre-K–12 teachers and principals representing all 50
states and the District of
Columbia, visit:
www.scholastic.com/teacherprincipalreport.
"It is critical for schools, families, and communities to come
together to support students' reading year-round, with access to
books and time for independent reading at the heart of these
efforts. In the Teacher & Principal School Report: Focus on
Literacy, educators tell us they agree that schools play
an important role in expanding this access at home and that they
wish they had more time for independent reading during the school
day," said Michael Haggen, Chief
Academic Officer, Scholastic Education. "My hope is that
educators across the country will use these findings to refine and
enhance their own comprehensive literacy plans to support all
students on their path to discover the joy and power of
reading."
Other key findings from the Teacher & Principal School
Report: Focus on Literacy include:
Reading in School
- Seventy-seven percent of teachers set time aside for
independent reading/read-aloud, but as previously noted, only 36%
do this every school day. Students who have this opportunity to
engage in independent reading/read-aloud time spend 22 minutes on
average on this activity.
- Many teachers (63%) wish independent reading/read-aloud time
occurred more often. Ninety percent of teachers identify demands of
the curriculum as the primary barrier to preventing independent
reading from occurring more frequently.
Reading & the Home-to-School Connection
- Sixty-nine percent of educators say encouraging reading at home
is among the most important things they do to help families be
engaged with children's learning, yet only 51% say this is
happening to the degree it should.
- As previously mentioned, 46% of educators say their students do
not have adequate access to fiction or nonfiction books at home,
with 69% of educators in high-poverty schools saying the
same.
- The majority of educators (91%) agree that schools play an
important role in expanding access to books at home, but many
teachers (54%) have fewer than 150 books in their classroom
libraries to serve all their students throughout the year—with 31%
of teachers having fewer than 50 books.
- Among all classroom libraries, relevancy may be lacking.
Regardless of classroom library size, many educators are in need of
culturally relevant titles, books published in the last 3–5 years,
multiple copies of popular titles, high-interest, low-reading-level
books, and magazines.
- Forty-seven percent of teachers can only update their classroom
libraries once a year or every couple of years, and 13% are never
able to.
Summer Reading
- Sixty-four percent of educators promote reading among students
by encouraging summer reading—particularly those in elementary
schools (77%).
- Educators also indicate that the public library is the number
one source of access to books for kids over the summer (77%).
The Teacher & Principal School Report: Focus on
Literacy is the second national report in the Teacher
& Principal School Report series, showcasing the views of
educators on critical issues affecting schools and districts across
the country. Survey questions were developed in collaboration with
the 2016 State Teachers of the Year through the Council of Chief
State School Officers' (CCSSO) National Teacher of the Year
Program.
Methodology, in Brief
The findings reported in
the Teacher & Principal School Report: Focus on
Literacy are based on a national online survey managed by
YouGov among public school Pre-K–12 teachers (3,694) and principals
(1,027). The survey was conducted between July 22, 2016 and August
26, 2016. The data was weighted on gender, years of teaching
experience (teachers only), school grade range, district
enrollment, school urbanicity, and percentage of students receiving
free/reduced-price lunch. School poverty levels were determined by
NCES definitions of high- and low-poverty schools, based on the
percentage of students eligible for free/reduced-price lunch, i.e.
low poverty (0–25%) and high poverty (76%+).
For more information about Scholastic, visit the Company's
online media room at http://mediaroom.scholastic.com.
About YouGov
YouGov is a leading international
full-service research and consulting company and a pioneer in the
use of technology to collect higher quality, in-depth data for the
world's leading businesses and institutions so that they can better
serve the people that sustain them. With offices throughout the US,
UK, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, YouGov leverages its online sampling,
research expertise and consulting experience to provide clients
with sophisticated market strategy, market analytics, and survey
and forecasting services. www.yougov.com
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SOURCE Scholastic