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SCHOLASTIC & ASCD
Scholastic & ASCD
A Partnership to Support Independent Reading
Both ASCD and Scholastic believe passionately in the transformative power of reading. The ability for our
students to select just-right books in areas that interest them, expand their thinking, and discuss them
with their peers, are just the beginning of their lifelong learning journey.
Frequently,
Educational Leadership
, ASCD’s flagship magazine, has dedicated entire issues to
investigating the critical role of independent reading in student growth and development. The following
article by Donalyn Miller, 2012 TCTELA Elementary English Language Arts Teacher of the Year and
Scholastic Book Fair Manager of Independent Reading Outreach, discusses the role reading plays in the
intellectual and emotional development of all students and ways to navigate the sometimes challenging
waters of motivating and inspiring young readers.
ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar10/vol67/num06/Becoming-a-Classroom-of-Readers.aspx
Relevant Research:
• Approximately 80 percent of the achievement gap can be attributed to the lack of summer reading
(Hayes & Grether, 1983).
• Home libraries exert a positive effect on students as they grow as readers. Having as few as 20 books
in the home has a significant influence on propelling a child to a higher level of education, and the
more books they add, the greater the benefit (Evans et. al., 2010).
• Knowing that students who read daily in self-selected texts perform better, an expectation should
be set within school for all teachers to designate 20-30 minutes of independent reading daily for
their students. In order for students to truly read during this time, teachers must implement strong
rituals, routines, and consistent daily practice.
• During independent reading in the literacy block, the teacher’s role is to confer, observe, assess,
and collect data. Students reading independently during this instructional period are reading
from self-selected texts for up to 30 minutes every day.
Scholastic and ASCD developed a new Independent Reading course that dives deeper into the many
compelling facts described in the research above. This targeted course was created with highly-
respected educator Sandi Novak, who walks you through the use of surveys and classroom visits to
determine the status of independent reading throughout a school community. Then, you will synthesize
these data to develop a plan to address ongoing student needs. This course is the outcome of a two-
year nationwide study on independent reading.
Continue your independent reading journey by picking up ASCD’s professional learning materials, attend
an in-person professional learning event, and sign up for your Independent Reading course today.
ascd.org/books-publications.aspx ascd.org/professional-development.aspx ascd.org/professional-development/pd-online.aspx