[AAACE-NLA]Boston Globe Online / Metro | Region / US fares well in world reading test

[David J. Rosen]

AAACE-NLA and NIFL-Family Colleagues,

An article in yesterday's Boston Globe (Megan Tench, Globe Staff, 
4/9/2003) entitled "US fares well in world reading test, BC study finds 
parents with books have impact" highlights that a Boston College 
international study shows that parents' literacy is important to 
children making literacy gains. Three of the study's seven findings (see 
below) relate to parent and home literacy and, curiously, one finding 
shows that direct children's literacy instruction may >not< be related 
to success!


"Key results from the study show that overall:

Girls had significantly higher average achievement than boys, with 70 
percent of girls reporting that they read weekly for pleasure, compared 
with 55 percent of boys.

Better readers engaged in early literacy activities before starting school.

Fourth-graders from homes with many children's books had higher 
achievement than those from homes with few books.

Students with the highest reading achievement had parents who read for 
at least six hours per week.

More students are comfortable reading for pleasure than reading for 
information.

In every country, schools view teaching their students how to read as 
their highest priority.

Hours spent teaching literacy are not directly related to success, 
according to the study."

You will find the article -- today at least -- at


<http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/099/metro/US_fares_well_in_world_reading_test+.shtml>


David J. Rosen