He was a natural athlete, excelling in basketball and football. He was confident, outgoing, and popular. He felt like he didn’t need to prove himself through academics. Stanislawski’s attitude towards reading changed when he started college. He enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a highly competitive institution. The academic rigor and the pressure to succeed were overwhelming.
In many English classrooms across America, assignments to read full-length novels are becoming less common. Some teachers focus instead on selected passages — a concession to perceptions of shorter attention spans, pressure to prepare for standardized tests and a sense that short-form content will prepare students for the modern, digital world. The National Council of Teachers of English acknowledged the shift in a 2022 statement on media education, saying: “The time has come to decenter book reading and essay-writing as the pinnacles of English language arts education.” The idea is not to remove books but to teach media literacy and add other texts that feel relevant to students, said Seth French, one of the statement’s co-authors. In the English class he taught before becoming a dean last year at Bentonville High School in Arkansas, students engaged with plays, poetry and articles but read just one book together as a class.
“At the end of the day, a lot of our students are not interested in some of these texts that they didn’t have a choice in,” he said. The emphasis on shorter, digital texts does not sit well with everyone. Deep reading is essential to strengthen circuits in the brain tied to critical thinking skills, background knowledge — and, most of all, empathy, said Maryanne Wolf, a cognitive neuroscientist at UCLA specializing in dyslexia research. “We must give our young an opportunity to understand who others are, not through little snapshots, but through immersion into the lives and thoughts and feelings of others,” Wolf said.
The school’s reading program is designed to foster a love of reading and to prepare students for college and careers. The program emphasizes the importance of reading comprehension, critical thinking, and analysis. It also encourages students to explore different genres and authors. The program is structured around a set of core texts, which are chosen based on their literary merit and relevance to the curriculum.
We were all stressed out,” says one teacher. “It’s not just about the pandemic, it’s about the trauma of the pandemic,” says another. The slide, which is a decline in reading comprehension and engagement, is attributed to a combination of factors, including the pandemic, social media, and the rise of short-form content.
“If admins and school districts are judged by their test scores, how are they going to improve their test scores? They’re going to mirror the test as much as possible,” said Karl Ubelhoer, a middle school special education teacher in Tabernacle, New Jersey. For some students, it’s a struggle to read at all. Only around a third of fourth and eighth graders reached reading proficiency in the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress, down significantly from 2019. Leah van Belle, a literacy advocate in Detroit, said when her son read “Peter Pan” in late elementary school, it was too hard for most kids in the class. She laments that Detroit feels like “a book desert.” Her son’s school doesn’t even have a library.
This statement highlights a significant shift in how people consume information, particularly in the English classroom. The traditional model of long, dense texts is being challenged by the digital age, where shorter, more interactive formats are preferred. For instance, consider the rise of online articles, podcasts, and social media posts.
“You’ve got to keep them all spinning, and if one falls, it’s all over.”
This quote, often attributed to the late entrepreneur and investor, Steve Jobs, is a powerful metaphor for the challenges of managing a complex, dynamic business environment. It highlights the delicate balance required to maintain a successful enterprise. The metaphor of spinning plates is a powerful one because it captures the essence of juggling multiple priorities, demands, and responsibilities.
This statement reflects a growing trend in our society where the value of immediate gratification and constant connectivity is prioritized over thoughtful reflection and deliberate action. This shift in values has profound implications for our personal lives, professional lives, and even our collective future. The rise of smartphones and the internet has undoubtedly contributed to this trend. Smartphones have become ubiquitous, offering instant access to information, communication, and entertainment.
“It’s funny,” he said. “Many students are saying that it’s the first time in a long time they’ve read a full book.” ___ The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
