Parents Issue Report Card on Reading

Half of the Respondents Think Basic Academic Skills Should be School's Focus
And Most Think that Parents Bear Greater Responsibility for Their Child's Reading Success

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SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 17, 1996 -- In a nationwide poll released today by Scholastic Inc. and the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) at the annual NASBE conference here, parents issued a declaration for a stronger, more focused and consistent emphasis on teaching children to read.

The importance of ensuring a nation of literate, productive citizens was highlighted recently when President Clinton announced that teaching all children to read should become a national priority. His call for a national literacy program echoed a concern that has engaged educators, policymakers, and school board members across the country -- are enough of our children learning to read?

It is fitting that the poll is being released in California, a state which has seen its national reading scores fall over the last few years. Though the reasons are hotly debated among educators and reading specialists, parents in California are demanding changes in reading instruction, textbook adoptions and reading standards for all children. With this poll, NASBE and Scholastic have given parents -- and other concerned adults -- the opportunity to make their opinions known about the importance of reading to our nation's economic and social health.

Brenda Welburn, Executive Director of NASBE, stated her reason for commissioning this poll with Scholastic: "We feel that we must listen to parents in order to shape the states' standards-based reform efforts. Parents provide a valuable indicator of what is going right and what needs to be amended. With their input, we can work to give all children the tools they need to read and succeed."

"This study shows the high interest parents have in reading and the importance they place on their own role in helping their children perform," said Margery Mayer, Executive Vice President for Instructional Materials at Scholastic. "We at Scholastic feel that our own role is to support parents in their efforts to shape their children's academic success."

Parents Don't Believe They are Making the Grade

The poll results reinforce the importance of good reading programs and interesting instructional materials, as well as the need for schools to emphasize basic academic skills. The poll also provides insight into some surprising attitudes parents hold about their children's reading levels and their own responsibility to ensure that reading success begins in the home.

Almost a third of those with school-age children surveyed would grade their child's reading program no better than a "C." But while parents believe that schools could do better, they also believe they should be doing much more. In an indication that parents understand their own responsibility to teach children to read, 82% stated that children may not be learning to read as well as they should because parents are not encouraging their children to read at home. And 75% of parents also believe that children are being distracted by too much television and too many video games.

Carol Ruley, President of the California Parent-Teacher Association, said that the study "corresponds closely with the recommendation from the recent report of the California Reading Task Force which said: 'Teachers in early childhood programs need to develop strong links with families to help them reinforce early reading skills'."

The polling data indicates that the nationwide call for greater parental involvement is being heeded. Fully 77% of all respondents believe that parents should be very involved in deciding how their children should be taught to read at school. Furthermore, parents ranked parental involvement as one of the most important things they would change about schools in order to improve reading.

Parents Call for Well-Rounded Reading Instruction that Focuses on Basic Academic Skills

A study released earlier this week by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Assessment Governing Board reported that math and science scores for U.S. students have gradually improved over the last four years, while students have made little progress in reading -- a fact which causes concern among education leaders and policymakers. Paradoxically, a sizable number of parents with children -- 49% -- believe that their child is reading above average, while only 10% believe that their child is reading below average.

According to the NASBE/Scholastic survey, parents firmly believe that well-grounded reading programs should emphasize a combination of phonics and literature-based instruction. An overwhelming 86% of those surveyed believe that the foundation of reading should be based on learning phonics as well as reading children's books and stories. Altogether, 52% believe that a major reason that children may not be reading as well as they should is that teachers are not placing enough emphasis on phonics and skills.

Parents also understand how important the ability to read well is to our children's futures. 93% believe that reading is critically important to the future success of a child. Parents, however, split on what is the most important benefit of being able to read well, with 49% saying that "being an informed citizen" is the most important benefit, while 44% believe that "getting a good job" is the greater benefit. Only 6% of those surveyed cited "reading for pleasure" as the most important advantage.

NASBE and Scholastic commissioned the survey for release at the NASBE annual conference. Harris polled over 1,000 adults, almost half of whom had school-age children in their household.

The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) represents states and territorial boards of education in development and implementation of national, state and local education policy. NASBE represents an information and leadership resource for its 600 members across the country.

For three quarters of a century, Scholastic Inc. has introduced young people to the joys of reading and has enlarged their understanding of, and participation in, our world. Today the company continues that mission through its books, classroom magazines and instructional materials -- and now through television and computers -- and continues to embrace new ways of learning in its ongoing effort to meet the diverse needs of students in the United States and around the world. Recently Scholastic launched an innovative reading program called "Literacy Place" that seeks to fulfill Scholastic's goal of having every child become a fluent reader by the end of the third grade and continue to make steady progress thereafter.

For more information on NASBE, please access NASBE's web site at www.NASBE.org. For more information on Scholastic, please access Scholastic's web site at www.scholastic.com

CONTACT: Jason Smith, or Rachel Whitman, both of Scholastic Inc., 202-667-0901