Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

December 4, 2008 10:44:09 AM CST

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Is Our Children Reading?

Posted Nov 19, 07 12:46 PM CST in Arts & Living 

(Newser) – As far as young people are concerned, books are so 20th century. Reading's popularity has fallen as gadgets have taken over modern life, according to a new National Endowment for the Arts report. Only a third of high school seniors read at a proficient level. “And proficiency is not a high standard,” the NEA’s chairman told the Boston Globe. “We’re talking about reading the daily newspaper.”

Only 30% of 13-year-olds read daily, while almost half of 18- to 24-year-olds never read for pleasure. “I was impressed and depressed” by the findings’ consistency, said chairman Dana Gioia, who blames the media for not promoting books and a flood of gadgets for cluttering leisure time. But good readers make good citizens: Bookworms participate in charity and cultural works at greater rates than nonreaders, and they're more successful in business.

Source Boston Globe

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Death of Reading Greatly Exaggerated

    Sep 29, 08 4:39 PM CDT
    Death of Reading Greatly Exaggerated Our bleak outlook on the future of reading owes itself to a doomsday reflex, the pervasive belief that things are bound to get worse, author Dave Eggers writes in Esquire. "It must be true, we think—just yesterday I saw some kid on the bus, and he wasn't reading a book!" But "few if any of these dire assumptions … are born out by any proof whatsoever." More »

  • 10 Books to Pass Up With Confidence

    Sep 20, 08 5:27 PM CDT
    10 Books to Pass Up With Confidence Forget the coma-inducing titles that lit lovers keep telling you to read, Richard Wilson writes in his book, Can’t Be Arsed: 101 Things Not to Do Before You Die. He lists the top 10 clunkers in the Daily Telegraph:

    • Ulysses, James Joyce: notoriously hard, so why bother?
    • Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien: the first dangerous step towards reading Dune.
    More »

  • To Turn Boys Into Readers, Gross Them Out

    Aug 8, 08 11:18 AM CDT
    To Turn Boys Into Readers, Gross Them Out Young boys, who trail far behind their female peers as readers, are reversing that trend with help from publishers who seek to exploit their love for everything gross. The Wall Street Journal examines the wave of children's’ titles rife with farts, boogers, blood, and flesh-eating bacteria—and talks with some grown-ups who don't see a problem.
    More »

  • Does Surfing Equal Reading?

    Jul 27, 08 2:34 PM CDT
    Does Surfing Equal Reading? As kids spend more time on the internet and less time reading books, a debate is raging over whether online reading is as educational as the traditional kind, the New York Times reports. While the Web allows readers to quickly gobble up multiple perspectives and information, some experts worry that the internet-obsessed are hurting their intellectual development—which they believe is demonstrated by falling test scores.
    More »

  • Search Engines: How They're Reshaping Your Brain

    Jun 11, 08 10:42 AM CDT
    Search Engines: How They're Reshaping Your Brain Although he’s thrilled with all the time he saves using the Internet for research and awed by the vast intellectual opportunities available to every web surfer, Nicholas Carr is a bit disconcerted that he no longer has the patience for reading books or long articles. With his netizen mind fidgeting and losing the thread after a few pages, Carr wonders in the Atlantic: What is the net doing to our brains? More »

Miana Breed, 14, looks over the "Harry Potter" shelves during a trip to Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Raleigh, N.C., , July 13, 2007. (AP Photo/Karen Tam)   (Associated Press)
  (Shutterstock)
  (Shutterstock)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 3)

Tags

children • book • reading • literacy • National Endowment for the Arts


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other Arts & Living Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser a team of editors and writers culls the most important stories from hundreds of U.S. and international sources and reduces them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. It's the Newser guarantee: we can take any report or column or video and pack what you need to know into 120 words or less. Newser's short-form aggregation, visual format, and unique information tools help you get more of the kind of news you want, in a quicker and more entertaining way. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »