I’ve been wondering about ways to improve global education outcomes around the world. In an ideal world, such a policy or initiative should: (1) help students to discover and unlock their potential; (2) not drain the public coffers; (3) be equitable to students from all backgrounds; and (4) not put undue burden on teachers and administrators.
The priority that I keep returning to is simple: we must cultivate a lifelong love and habit for reading in every student.
After all, books are timeless teachers. And students that love to read will devour everything they can on the topics they love. Reading for pleasure is learning in itself.
Perhaps the choice of text for a young student athlete might include the biographies of sporting legends like Serena Williams. Surely, this will appeal more to them than Shakespeare? It will also teach them about hard work, resilience, leadership, and other essential qualities for life. A budding student scientist, likewise, might find the books of great thinkers especially illuminating. The writings of Richard Feynman, for example, better conveys the beauty and joy of science than your average textbook.
I’m not suggesting, however, that we prescribe a new laundry list for students to work through. One-size-fit-all reading lists do not suffice. I am only suggesting that we work harder to encourage young people to make reading a lifelong habit and leisurely pastime. We have to give them the time and space and opportunity to discover the books that they enjoy.
Of course, this is easier said than done. Disparities in reading ability start from an early age and widen with time. Those who fall behind in literacy are less likely to enjoy reading, and therefore less likely to read on their own volition. This is symptomatic of broader educational inequalities that still need to be addressed. Nurturing the habit and love for reading will be especially difficult for children in homes where reading is unaffordable, inaccessible, and/or a non-priority. (I know as well that many teachers, parents, schools, and non-profit associations are working hard on this front already. But the goal deserves greater global attention and support.)
Still, the system's priorities appear worrying. Pen America recently reported, for instance, that there has been an “alarming spike in censorship of books in school districts across the [United States] over the past nine months, with individual books and even whole categories of books—many related to race, racism, sexual orientation and gender identity—disappearing from school library shelves and barred from classrooms and curricula.” Among the book bans and restrictions, “42 children’s books were censored, including biographies of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Ruby Bridges, Duke Ellington, Katherine Johnson, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Cesar Chavez, Sonia Sotomayor, Nelson Mandela, and Malala Yousafzai.” [1]
Perhaps it is naïve of me to assume that reading broadly and deeply is a non-controversial, apolitical goal that we ought to promote. Clearly, a lot more work and support is needed in this space.
Jan, as an education consultant and co-founder of ReadWa, might you share your reflections on these matters with non-experts like myself? Have you seen any local or global reading initiatives that were effective, especially among disadvantaged communities? What big policies, projects, or interventions in reading would you like to see over the next few years?
Warm regards,
Toby
[1] 1586 School Book Bans and Restrictions in 86 School Districts Across 26 States. <
https://pen.org/press-release/report-1586-school-book-bans-and-restrictions-in-86-school-districts-across-26-states/>