Teen Reading Declining & Racial Reading Gaps Continue

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Common Sense Media has compiled several studies about reading and their results show a decline in teens reading for pleasure over time. 

  • About a third of 13-year-olds and almost half of 17-year olds reported that they read for pleasure less than twice a year.
  • Reading scores have improved since the 1970s, except for older teens where 17-year-old measures remain about the same.
  • Perhaps the most distressing finding is that the reading gaps between different races in the US have been unchanged in the last 20 years. 
    • 46% of white children are proficient readers
    • 20% of Hispanic children are proficient readers
    • 18% of African-American children are proficient readers

You can read coverage of this report on several sites, though I can’t seem to find the full report online.