Uncategorized | November 19, 2007
From an NEA press release:
Today, the National Endowment for the Arts announces the release of “To Read or Not To Read: A Question of National Consequence,” a new and comprehensive analysis of reading patterns in the United States. “To Read or Not To Read” gathers statistics from more than 40 studies on the reading habits and skills of children, teenagers, and adults. The compendium reveals recent declines in voluntary reading and test scores alike, exposing trends that have severe consequences for American society.
“The new NEA study is the first to bring together reliable, nationally representative data, including everything the federal government knows about reading,” said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. “This study shows the startling declines, in how much and how well Americans read, that are adversely affecting this country’s culture, economy, and civic life as well as our children’s educational achievement.”
“To Read or Not To Read” expands the investigation of the NEA’s landmark 2004 report, Reading at Risk. While that report focused mainly on literary reading trends, “To Read or Not To Read” looks at all varieties of reading, including fiction and nonfiction genres in various formats such as books, magazines, newspapers, and online reading. Whereas the earlier report assessed reading among adults age 18 and older, “To Read or Not To Read” analyzes reading trends for youth and adults, and readers of various education levels. “To Read or Not To Read” is unique for its consideration of reading habits alongside other behaviors and related outcomes including academic achievement, employment, and community involvement.
Among the key findings:
Americans are reading less — teens and young adults read less often and for shorter amounts of time compared with other age groups and with Americans of previous years.
Americans are reading less well –- reading scores continue to worsen, especially among teenagers and young males. By contrast, the average reading score of 9-year-olds has improved.
The declines in reading have civic, social, and economic implications — Advanced readers accrue personal, professional, and social advantages. Deficient readers run higher risks of failure in all three areas.
“This report shows striking statistical links between reading, advanced reading skills, and other individual and social benefits,” said Sunil Iyengar, NEA Director of Research and Analysis. “To Read or Not to Read compels us to consider more carefully how we spend our time, since those choices affect us individually and collectively.”
While no single government agency or entity can solve the problem of declining reading rates, the NEA national reading program, the Big Read, is one response to these findings. The Big Read is designed to restore reading to the center of American culture by providing citizens with the opportunity to read and discuss a single book within their communities. In 2007, nearly 200 communities nationwide are participating in the Big Read, reading one of 12 classic American novels such as Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. The NEA presents the Big Read in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest. FMI: www.neabigread.org.
“To Read or Not To Read” assembled data on reading trends from more than 40 sources, including federal agencies, universities, foundations, and associations. Primary sources include the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Labor, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, the University of Indiana, Bloomington, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
The Wyoming Arts Council believes that experiencing the arts should be accessible for all, including people with mental and/or physical disabilities, older adults, military/veterans, people living in institutions and those who lack access to the arts due to geographic isolation, cultural difference and economic hardship.
