On July 29, the U.S. Department of Education launched the ‘Read Where You Are‘Â campaign to encourage families, educators, and communities to make reading an active part of a young person’s life.
According to Ed.gov, young people who do not read over the
summer fall behind their classmates. Research shows that summer learning loss adds up, especially for low-income students. By 8th grade, that lost learning time accounts for 2/3 of the achievement gap between low-income children and their more affluent peers.[Related: Does Your Online Learning Institution Make the Grade?]
The ‘Read Where You Are’ campaign has a simple call to action: tell everyone to take action and read where you are; anywhere you are, and spread the word. Additionally, people are encouraged to take these daily steps:
- Read aloud 20 minutes or more with a young person in your family every day.
- Visit a public library with your family and check out a few books.
- Set a great example — read something you enjoy and your children will notice.
Since July 29, people across the nation have shared everything from their ‘reading moments’ with family to great tips on the latest mystery books.
[Check out the Storify recap below]