Literacy Research News Great for Family Literacy

May 15, 2015

literacy research findings 2015Our friends at Reading is Fundamental just issued the results of a two-year study, funded by a grant from the Department of Education’s Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) program.

Read for Success: Combating the Summer Slide in America is enlightening AND a reason to rejoice! Check out the Key Findings from RIF’s literacy research.

  • On average, 57% of students improved their reading proficiency.
  • Nearly half of third graders increased reading proficiency.
  • Students performing below the 10th percentile showed the greatest gains.
  • Even students with strong reading skills, at or above the 90th percentile, increased reading proficiency.
  • Schools with the greatest improvements had a full culture change and strong parental involvement.

RIF calls them “Stunning Key Findings” and we’d have to agree. Yes, many of us knew these facts to be true – but now we have hard data! Two YEARS worth of hard data!

Literacy Research = Better Family Literacy

One of the points of RIF’s literacy research is the importance of engaging parents in the reading circle. That isn’t a new finding, but through the study, RIF identified ways to improve the home-school connection at a critical time: summer.

Family Literacy is our core mission at the Reading Tub. Yes, we get lots of books to at-risk readers. Yes, we review books as a ‘thank you’ to our donors.

But the pivotal focus of our organization is providing parents and caregivers literacy tips and ideas. In ways that make sense to them – or put another way “meets them where they are.”

What the study shows me is that giving parents the tools and giving kids books must walk hand-in-hand. That is what our Family Literacy Integration Project is all about. No longer will you visit the Reading Tub *just* to find a book.

In the new Reading Tub Literacy Portal, every book review comes with age-appropriate, parent-friendly literacy tips and activities.

Just as RIF’s research would not happen without a grant, FLIP cannot happen without funding support, either. Although our Crowdrise page doesn’t show it [because you can’t add offline donations], we have $500 in donations. That’s ten percent of our goal. Help us get to 100% so we, can keep these positive opportunities going.

Thank you, Reading is Fundamental for your commitment to literacy research! The findings are hopeful and inspiring!

 

 

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