School Attitudes about Independent Reading Report

Nearly all teachers and principals believe students should have time for independent reading at school, yet only about a third of teachers set aside time each day for this, according to a recent survey. When independent reading occurs, students spend an average of 22 minutes on it.
Asked about the primary barrier to independent reading time, 9 out of 10 teachers cited "demands of the curriculum." Other findings include:

• About 1 in 10 teachers have no books in their classroom or personal libraries for students to read. About a third of teachers have fewer than 50 books. And 14 percent have more than 500 books.
• Many teachers update their classroom libraries infrequently. About a quarter do it every couple of years and 13 percent never do it. 
• Teachers who do in-class independent reading were asked about its benefits. About 40 percent said "students' skills have increased/ students are achieving more.' A quarter said "students learn to love reading."
• Nearly 4 in 10 principals said they do not have a full-time school librarian, yet 8 in 10 said a librarian is a critical resource for schools.
• About half of principals and librarians say they need more culturally relevant books, books in other languages, ebooks, books with diverse characters, and high-interest, low-level books.
• Nearly 30 percent of principals and librarians said they're able to add new titles to their library "once a year or less." About 20 percent add books at least monthly.

Scholastic. (2017). Teacher & Principal School Report: Focus on Literacy. New York: Scholastic.
http://www.scholastic.com/teacherprincipalreport/literacy.htm

Wing Institute

The Wing Institute (http://www.winginstitute.org) is an online clearinghouse to facilitate collecting, organizing and analyzing K-12 educational best practices. It includes research summaries and links on various educational factors that result in student success.

State of America's Libraries

The State of America's Libraries 2017 features news and commentary on:

• The Top Ten Most Challenged Books in 2016
• Equity, diversity, and inclusion in libraries
• Children's and teen services
• Public libraries taking action
• New responsibilities for academic libraries
• Resources to combat fake news
• Calls to action in support of libraries 

Rosa, K. (Ed.). (2017). The State of America's Libraries 2017. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.

Literacy Efforts Analysis

UNESCO's new publication takes stock of youth and adult literacy interventions which have been implemented since 1966, when UNESCO held its first International Literacy Day. It sheds light on the literacy-related challenges the world is now facing, as it embarks on the implementation of the2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. The publication begins with an analysis of trends in literacy rates at the regional and global levels, and identifies fifty countries that have made notable progress. It then reflects on emerging conceptions of literacy, from ‘literacy as a stand-alone skill' to 'functional literacy’ for work and livelihood, to 'literacy for empowerment’ of poor and marginalized populations and finally to 'literacy as social practice’, shaped by the cultural context in which it is applied. These four conceptions are illustrated by a wide range of literacy campaigns, programs and policies, implemented within the fifty selected countries. Finally, the publication envisages the possible future of literacy from the perspective of sustainable development, lifelong learning and digital societies, with a focus on the need for urgency of action.
UNESCO. (2017). Reading the past, writing the future: Fifty years of promoting literacy. Paris, France: UNESCO.
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002475/247563e.pdf

News and Teens Study

In a newly released study, 66% of the children surveyed nationally said they trust "a lot" of the news they receive from their family, compared with 25% who said they trust news organizations.  Just 44% of the children surveyed agreed they can tell fake news stories from real news stories.Youth  consume a wide range of news, often as a byproduct of their frequent use of the mobile devices and social media applications they carry around in their pockets. But they view much of the news they encounter as biased and unreflective of their own experiences. Some other findings about 10-18 year olds' new behaviors follow:
Children often receive news information from their families, friends, and teachers.
Still, children—especially teens—prefer to get their news via social media.
Fake news is still a big problem, not not the only one. What they see and read often makes them feel afraid, angry, and depressed.

Common Sense Media (2017). News and America's Kids: How Young People Perceive and Are Impacted by the News.

Educational opportunities and image study

High school students are willing to ignore educational opportunities when they're concerned about how they'll be viewed by their classmates. Researchers found that educational messages need to be modified, depending on the social culture of the school.
Bursztyn, L., Egorov, G., & Jensen, R. (2017). Cool to be smart or smart to be cool? Understanding peer pressure in education. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economics.
http://www.nber.org/papers/w23020

Research on girl coding

Middle school is a good time for girls to learn how to code because that's when they are more susceptible to its appeal, according to recent research. The coding appeal then dips in high school and spikes again in college when girls become inspired by teachers and other role models. The study offers insight into factors that create either positive and negative associations with computer science for girls at the middle school, high school and college levels, as well as strategies for educators to make computer science more appealing to girls.
Accenture and Girls Who Code. (2016). Cracking the gender code. Lansing, MI: Accenture.
https://www.accenture.com/us-en/cracking-the-gender-code