http://www.starnews.com/news/articles/read30.html --
Starnews.com > News > By Dan McFeely -- Indianapolis Star -- May 30, 2000 --
Reading for fun might be a lost art --
Judy Hays longs for the return of those
sticky -- fingered high school kids who
used to steal her library's magazines.
Hot Rod and Seventeen were the most popular.
"We used to have to keep them behind the desk
because they would leave the library if we didn't,"
said Hays, the media specialist (librarian, in
traditional parlance) for Avon High School.
"Now they sit out practically untouched."
So, too, do countless -- other magazines and books.
That's because teen -- agers no longer are reading
for fun. In libraries, computer labs, and at home,
most youths today, are more apt, to spend an hour
chatting with friends on the Internet, than spend
an hour reading a good book.
After decades of battling the influence of television,
librarians and educators face a tough new foe in
high -- speed Internet access. That's not all.
They're fighting that battle with one hand tied behind
their backs, thanks to an educational climate in
which school districts spend millions of dollars on
technology -- hoping to "wire" every classroom --
while allowing outdated books to gather dust.
A report by --
the National Center for Education Statistics --
shows that in 1994, only 35 percent of public schools
-- in the United States -- had Internet access.
By 1998, that had ballooned -- to 89 percent,
and it probably is -- even higher today.
Meanwhile, school media specialists report that
it is increasingly difficult to secure adequate
funding to replace tattered and outdated books.
"I love the technology," Hays said.
"We have to keep up on that. But I also want
our kids to love books."
Librarians say they stand a better chance getting
young people hooked on reading if they can stock
their shelves with modern books by contemporary
authors. But in many school districts, particularly
those that are financially strapped, buying books
often is the last item on the list and the first to
be cut. Sometimes that can lead to embarrassing
discoveries. -- Marge Cox, president of the
Association of Indiana Media Educators, recalls
pulling a book from a school shelf one day recently
that referred to Russia -- as the "Soviet Union."
Another book contained outdated maps, while yet
another looked forward to the day the United States
"finally" would put a man on the moon. Books like
that, she said, need to be replaced with new editions.
"Having wrong information on the shelf is worse than
having no information on the shelf," said Cox, who
also is the media specialist for Noblesville Schools.
"So the choice (for students) becomes,
'Do you want to read this old, worn -- out 1970s
book ~or~ be on this 1999 modern computer ?'
That is not a fair choice," she said.
Indianapolis Public Schools,
the state's largest school district, currently
is spending much more money on technology
than printed materials, said Dorothy Crenshaw,
director of tele -- communications and
instructional media. But Crenshaw said books
are being replaced whenever possible.
"We have been fairly aggressive in finding funds
for collection development in our schools,"
she said. "We still buy lots of books."
A RARE READER PERSIA FERGUSON IS A FRESHMAN
AT INDIANAPOLIS' MANUAL HIGH SCHOOL.
AT AGE 15, SHE HAS READ MORE THAN 300 BOOKS.
"Unless I have a lot of stuff to do,
I try to make it a daily thing," she said.
"Probably I read about an hour a day."
That makes Persia a very rare American teen -- ager.
A study by Publishers Weekly and BookExpo America
found in 1998 that reading for fun was low on the
list of things to do for young people, according to the
the American Booksellers Association, which
published the poll on its Web site.
* Teen -- age boys choose -- watching
television most often (62 percent), followed by
listening to compact discs and tapes (57 percent),
listening to radio (49 percent),
playing computer or video games (43 percent),
talking on the phone (38 percent),
surfing the Internet (28 percent), and
reading for pleasure (9 percent).
* Teen -- age girls chose --
listening to the radio (77 percent),
listening to CDs and tapes (74 percent),
talking on the phone (64 percent),
watching TV (36 percent), and
reading for pleasure (25 percent),--
with surfing the Internet and
playing computer games
at the bottom of their list.
Persia said she has been reading for fun since
the second grade, when she began participating
in library summer reading programs.
Today, she said, she will choose a good book --
over a video or movie any day.
"I think it's good to use our own imaginations,"
Persia said.
"Plus there are a lot more details in books. I hate
it when you read a book, then go see the movie
and find out they had to cut so much stuff out."
A recent survey of 869 students at Avon High School
showed that 95 percent had been read to when they
were young, but only 47 percent read anything
outside of a class assignment.
At Manual High, junior Ammie Colter said she would
fall in the category of reading only when it is
assigned. "I just read to pass a class," said Ammie,
who works part time at a restaurant after school.
"I'm interested (in books), but I never find the time
to actually read." What does she do in her spare
time ? "I sleep."
READING IS KEY EXPERTS SAY STRONG READING
SKILLS LEAD TO BETTER COMPREHENSION OF
CLASSROOM MATERIAL AND BETTER TEST SCORES.
Researchers at the Colorado State Library
released a report this year that draws a direct link
between the quality of a school library --
professional staffing, current books, and
magazines, and technology -- and higher test scores.
That is certainly no secret in Indiana.
Earlier this month, the state Department of Education
released the results of its study comparing higher --
and lower -- performing schools -- in reading and math.
---- The No. 1 finding: Schools can benefit students
best by providing access to a variety of
print materials in an accessible library.
Jennifer Cantrell, 18, of Brownsburg said she is
convinced her SAT and ISTEP scores have been
higher because of her avid reading habit.
"The more you read, the more you know,"
the college -- bound senior said.
"And I think people need to know that."
Most every school has a library. But few can say
they have updated their collections properly,
according to Cox, the Association of Indiana
Media Educators president.
The state is helping. For the past four years,
the Department of Education --
has provided $10 million in matching grants --
to school districts -- that can prove -- they spend
at least $6.20 -- per student -- for printed library
materials -- books -- and newspapers.
The program at first covered students in
kindergarten through eighth grade, but it was
expanded in 1999 to include high school students.
Last June, Avon High School received $7,000;
Manual got $2,400.
With the average price of a new book about $17,
it's a start but hardly the final solution.
CUTTING BUDGETS --
Wealthier suburban school districts such as --
Carmel, Noblesville, and Avon -- have beautiful
new media centers loaded with new books.
At Avon, Hays works with a budget of about $15,000.
She tries to buy about 900 new books a year for
her library, which contains about 16,000 volumes.
Elsewhere the news is not so good. In tiny
Selma, east of Muncie, Liberty -- Perry Schools
media specialist Jackie Rodenberger couldn't
buy a single book last year. That's because
school officials sliced her budget to zero.
"I had about $2,000 for each of my three schools,
and they cut it all," said Rodenberger, who
blamed a financial crisis for the action.
Her budget eventually was restored,
but not to the level she had before.
Things are looking better, she said, but she
has a long way to go to replace old books.
The average copyright date in her libraries is 1975.
Her libraries' computers, of course, are much newer.
"They want to make our libraries into computer labs,
and I don't agree with that," she said.
"I think we need both -- books and computers --
to make our students successful."
CARMEL'S "NOVEL" IDEA MEDIA SPECIALISTS AND
TEACHERS DO NOT ALWAYS AGREE ON THE BEST
WAY TO BUILD STRONG READING SKILLS.
---- Many teachers prefer to have students read
assigned books -- and analyze them in class.
---- Others like programs such as Accelerated Reader
-- in which students read a book, then test their
comprehension with the help of a computer program.
---- Media specialists, however, said the best way to
get young people to read is to let them read what
they want. They envision "free -- reading" classes in
which students can get credit simply for reading
books -- any books.
---- At Carmel High, seniors can do a little of both,
with a class called "novels." Students can get,
an A in the class, if they read 1,500 pages --
four to five books -- every six weeks.
"Every day they come into class, they sit and
they read quietly," said teacher Jerry Johnson.
"Most kids take this, just to get the A, but some
just like to read."
And their busy schedules don't afford them much
free time.
"If you can't make time, in your own life, I guess
you get somebody else, to make time, for you,"
Johnson said.
Carmel senior Sara Taylor said she signed up
for the course to satisfy an English credit
and because she heard it was relaxing.
"I never read much up until now," she said.
"I read only when I had to for school.
I guess I wasn't a big reader, but now I am."
Students can read just about any kind of novel,
but at least 900 of the 1,500 pages, must be from a
a list of "great" books {ndash} for example --
Les Miserables, The Catcher in the Rye,
Brave New World, and The Grapes of Wrath.
Whether it's John Steinbeck, or John Grisham,
students must get their books approved
by Johnson for credit.
"I almost never say 'no' to a book," he said.
"One day I looked, and saw a girl was reading
a Harlequin Romance. She seemed, sort of
embarrassed, by it. But you know,
reading of any kind, is better, than not reading."
TEENS RATE BOOKS --
So have you read a good book lately ?
Surveys indicate that teens, like adults,
are more apt to read a book, if it is
recommended, by a friend.
With that in mind, some school and public libraries,
have established teen book councils.
A group of youngsters will review the latest teen
books, choose their favorites, and pass along
their recommendations.
At Brownsburg Public Library, teen council members
met recently to decide on three books that would
get gold stars of approval. The choices:
Monster by Walter Dean Myers,
Skellig by David Almond, and
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.
All three have been released in the past three years.
Based on the council's recommendation,
one will be placed, in a more tempting location,
in the young adult section, of the library.
Most on the council ranked science fiction books
as the favorites among teen -- agers.
"I will read anything sci -- fi,"
said Kristina Powell, 17, member of the teen council.
"I was raised on Star Trek."
Sixteen -- year -- old Jason Gaidis, also on the council,
said real -- life dramas are also popular.
"Reading about somebody walking down the street,
spreading peace and love, is not as interesting as
somebody who is in jail doing hard time," he said.
© 2000 Indiana Newspapers Inc. AP materials © 2000 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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