Since the end of COVID-19, the literacy rates of students across the United States have been dropping. Books that were once so in-demand that people fought over them have been going untouched. Students are only able to consume small snippets of information instead of larger texts–it’s considered to be a literacy crisis. Angelica Kalat, a reading specialist who focuses on literacy at Naperville North, discussed her experience with reading and the importance it has on peoples’ lives.
“Reading [gives] an opportunity for students to build empathy, learn different perspectives, make better decisions, and grow overall as a reader, a thinker, a leader and a writer in all those areas,” Kalat said.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress is a test of students’ literacy, mathematics, and science skills in grades four, eight, and 12. This test, conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics in 2022, has shown a startling drop in both literacy rates and mathematics skills. The 2024 scores are the lowest since 1995. On the 2024 NAEP reading assessment, 12th graders were given a series of questions that assessed their ability to comprehend different texts and information. On average, students scored 283 points on the reading section, which was three points lower than the average of students assessed in 2019. When the test was first given in 1992, students’ scores averaged 10 points higher than the students’ average in 2024. The increase in technology and decrease in reading may be related to the scores dropping, as many are focused less on taking time to read and more on games on devices. Varsha Pamulapati, a junior at Naperville North, spoke about how books are rarely a topic of conversation.
“If there’s a popular show, you’ll hear about it, because a lot of people are invested in stuff like that. I rarely ever hear people talking about a good book. They just aren’t as promoted in our lives right now,” Pamulapati stated.
Reading is more important than many may realize. As many articles have shifted to a digital format, people need to learn not to miss the hard-copy versions of books. Kalat tries to provide reading time every day in her classroom.
“Just giving that space for reading so it becomes a habit and something that you do because it feels good for your mental health, your emotional health, and leads to less stress,” Kalat explained.
