Education Department report: Reading for pleasure among U.S. schoolchildren drops sharply since 2012
By
Ashley Mowreader
Lightly toasted, lightly seasoned, mostly correct.
Summary
A new Education Department report reveals significant declines in reading for pleasure among U.S. schoolchildren. The share of 13-year-olds who read for fun has dropped by nearly half since 2012, while 9-year-olds have seen a 16 percentage point decline over 13 years. The report notes that reading for pleasure correlates with higher standardized test scores, and the findings come amid a national push to reduce screen time in schools.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledThe share of 13-year-olds who read for fun has declined by nearly half since 2012
The share of 9-year-olds — the other age group studied — who read for fun has declined 16 percentage points in the past 13 years
Students reading for pleasure generally correlates with higher reading scores on standardized tests
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