Politics and School Libraries Study

 

A national study of school libraries found that most school libraries have some controversial titles, but the collection reflects local politics and policy makers. There continues to be a gap  in library resources between schools in low- and high-income communities, which may affect students in ways not reflected in test scores, including by exposing children to stories that expand their horizons or affirm their lived experiences.  

Mumma, K. (2023). Politics and children's books: Evidence from school library collections. Boston College. https://wheelockpolicycenter.org/high-quality-education/school-libraries/

Summer Reading Programs Help Low-Income Students in Reading

According to a study by MIT, students from low-income families are more likely to benefit from summer reading programs. Researchers found that about half of 6- to 9-year-olds had higher test scores after participating in such a program -- with the majority coming from low-income families. Lower socioeconomic status (SES) was associated with both greater reading improvements and greater cortical thickening across broad, bilateral occipitotemporal and temporoparietal regions following the intervention. The findings also indicate that effective summer reading intervention is coupled with cortical growth, and is especially beneficial for children with RD who come from lower-SES home environments.

Romeo, R. R., Christodoulou, J. A., Halverson, K. K., Murtagh, J., Cyr, A. B., Schimmel, C., Chang, P., Hook, P. E., & Gabrieli, J. D. E. (2018). Socioeconomic status and reading disability: Neuroanatomy and plasticity in response to intervention. Cerebral Cortex, 28(7), 2297-2312. https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhx131