In Lexington, Mass., my hometown, teens are reading books like “Into the Wild” (Jon Krakauer), “The Awakening” (Kate Chopin) and “A Street Car Named Desire” (Tennessee Williams, of course). But they’re not necessarily at the local library or bookstore because they’re bibliophiles – this literature is required reading at the Lexington High School.
When my son had required reading lists during the summer, he looked at it as a fun-in-the-sun intrusion. You know the saying when school lets out: “No more pencils, no more books…” But no matter how much students may moan and groan about summer reading must-dos, now new research shows the positive impact of summer reading programs.
Summer reading programs have existed in one form or another for more than a century, and can combat what Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has called the “devastating impact” of the summer slide, in which the average student loses the equivalent of almost a month of instruction. The latest research confirms that summer reading programs boost student test scores, self-confidence, and participation in the classroom.
We need to expand the definition of reading beyond books to include graphic novels, magazines, and even comic books, especially as the allure of video games and television competes for page time. Programs such as First Book and Reading is Fundamental are to be applauded, as they help children in low-income neighborhoods build home libraries.
I admit, although I read every night, my own reading tends toward mindless fluff such as my own bird-brained assortment of what my husband likes to call, “parrot books” (“The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill” “The Parrot that Owns Me.”) But at least I don’t refudiate the fact that one should read, summer and winter. I think Shakespeare said that.
