Reading at Risk

A national survey recently released by the National Endowment for the Arts reported that reading among adults is at an all time low. If the adults aren't reading, then what about the kids?

"This report documents a national crisis," NEA Chairman Dana Gioia said. "Reading develops a capacity for focused attention and imaginative growth that enriches both private and public life. The decline in reading among every segment of the adult population reflects a general collapse in advanced literacy. To lose this human capacity - and all the diverse benefits it fosters - impoverishes both cultural and civic life."

The NEA survey of 17,000 adults shows less than half read a work of literature - defined as a novel, short story, poetry or a play - in 2002, the lowest rate in 20 years. The drop-off was particularly steep for those between the ages of 18 and 34.

NEA officials said this was an alarming trend and represented "a national crisis" in reading.

"The decline in reading among every segment of the adult population reflects a general collapse in advanced literacy. To lose this human capacity ... impoverishes both cultural and civic life," said Dana Gioia.

"America can no longer take active and engaged literacy for granted," according to Gioia. "As more Americans lose this capability, our nation becomes less informed, active, and independent minded. These are not qualities that a free, innovative, or productive society can afford to lose.

A recent article in the Chicago Tribune by Margo Hammond and Ellen Heltzel notes that literary fiction "is more demanding and complex. Defined by most critics as any story in which character development and the use of words are as important as plot, it uses heightened language and allegory to speak to universal themes." Perhaps better understanding of some of these "universal themes" will make for a more peaceful society and school. Thinking about what you read is called "reflection." And, unfortunately, "reflection is a scarce commodity these days. Increasingly, Americans--even those educated yuppies with fancy degrees--have precious little time to exercise their imaginations."

Hammond and Heltzel point out that fiction "draws on our intuitive side instead of our intellect--an unfashionable tool for understanding in a society that puts its reliance on technology, but an essential one." The result? "People make their most important decisions with their hearts, not their heads."

Isn't this the cause of most of our student behavior problems in schools today?

Officials at the United States Department of Education say it remains a challenge to encourage children to read when there are so many electronic distractions. "I think it is clearly a concern, but I don't see it as a crisis," said an education associate for secondary reading and special education. "I think we are doing everything we can to encourage readers."

Are we?

Adult readership has been in steady decline ... for a long, long time. While the NEA survey only focused on literature, the survey probably reflects an overall drop in reading of all kinds. Are we, as educators, setting good examples for out students?

Reading at Risk is rich with carefully analyzed data, but the essential picture is that only 56.6 percent of Americans read a book in 2002, down from 60.9 percent in 1992. That's a 7-percent rate of decline. The relative decline in those who read a work of literature is even larger. In 2002, 46.7 percent of Americans read a literary book; in 1992, 54 percent had. The declines register in almost every demographic cross section: men, women, whites, African Americans, and Hispanics.

Jim Milliot, a senior editor at Publishers Weekly, agreed with the NEA. "Unit sales have been pretty flat for five to 10 years. I don't think it is wrong to call it a crisis." Milliot said. "There is no question that reading is losing market share to all other forms of electronic media. Publishers and publishing have been unable to turn around that trend and believe me, they are trying," he said.

Modern society just does not allow for the "slow, thoughtful imaginative process that goes into reading," he said.

But certainly we in school should do all we can to allow for this "thoughtful imaginative process."

Who cares if we read? The Reading at Risk study found a strong correlation between those who read literature and those who help their community; 43 percent of readers do charity work, while only 17 percent of nonreaders do. Whether that correlation translates to cause and effect can be debated, but surely immersion in great literature can give you the perspective to reach out beyond yourself. But the dominance of electronic media, say this and other studies, has meant a decline in social interaction, civic participation and cultural attendance.

The consequences of reading's decline on our society may be something we can't - and wouldn't want to - fathom, especially if, as a history professor told the New York Times, "we're returning to a medieval-like oral culture based on television."

Reading At Risk can be downloaded as a PDF document. Hard copies can also be requested free of charge through the Arts Endowment's web site.

The Behavior Learning Packets at the Advantage Press have have had a long history of using "fictionalized" stories or anecdotes to encourage students to think about their behavior and make plans for different, better behavior in the future. There is a need for all educators to encourage "reading across the curriculum." From physical education to cooperative education, Learning Packets can not only help improve student behavior, but they also play a role in helping students make those important decisions with their heads.