US Students Are Reading Fewer Books in English Class
In many English classrooms across America, assignments to read full-length novels are becoming less common. Some teachers focus instead on selected passages because of pressure to prepare for standardized tests and a belief that shorter content will prepare students for the modern, digital world.
But not everyone is happy about the emphasis on shorter texts.
Deep reading is essential to strengthen the brain's critical thinking skills, background knowledge — and, most of all, empathy, said Maryanne Wolf, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Los Angeles.
"We must give our young an opportunity to understand who others are, not through little snapshots, but through immersion into the lives and thoughts and feelings of others," Wolf said.
But in general, students are reading less. Federal data from last year shows only 14% of young teens say they read for fun daily, compared with 27% in 2012.
Teachers say the trend stems from standardized testing and the influence of education technology. Digital platforms can deliver a complete English curriculum, with thousands of short passages matching state standards — without having to assign an actual book.
And in most schools, time is always in short supply.
Terri White, a teacher at South Windsor High School in Connecticut, no longer makes her English class read all of To Kill a Mockingbird. She assigns about a third of the book and a synopsis of the rest. They have to move on quickly because of pressure to pack more into the curriculum, she said.
She also assigns less homework because kids' schedules are packed with sports, clubs and activities.
Will Higgins, an English teacher at Dartmouth High School in Massachusetts, says his school has had success encouraging reading through student-directed book clubs, where small groups pick a book and discuss it together. Contemporary authors like John Green and Jason Reynolds have been a big hit.
"It's funny," he said. "Many students are saying that it's the first time in a long time they've read a full book."
