Research Links

Here is some initial research behind our programs

Note: This page is under development

Book Access and Home Libraries

Book access can prevent “Summer Slide”¹

29.8% of adults in Upson County lack basic literacy skills.²

Only 32% of Georgia 4th graders read at or above proficient level.³

Students who cannot read proficiently upon entering 4th grade are four times more likely to drop out of school.⁴

Only 37% of U.S. students graduate high school reading at or above proficient level.⁵

23.6% of adults in Georgia have low literacy.⁶

61% of children living at or below the poverty line have no books at home.⁷

“Home library size has a very substantial effect on educational attainment.”⁸

“Books especially benefit children from disadvantaged families. Each book added to a home library helps the children perform better on proficiency tests, regardless of how many books the family already has.”⁹

Literacy is the key to solving healthcare, poverty, crime rates, unemployment, everything.¹⁰

“…many of our country’s most pressing issues would be better if more people could read, write, and comprehend.”¹¹

https://media.edweb.net/edWebinar/?view=20231025edwebnet15#cprtstatus=_cp_0!channel!AkPDTwXOv4nw

https://turningthepage.org/2019/02/12/building-home-libraries-access-diverse-books/#

https://teacher.scholastic.com/products/face/pdf/research-compendium/access-to-books.pdf

https://www.pbssocal.org/education/families/14-ways-to-build-a-home-library-on-a-budget

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1167032702/personalised-wooden-book-box-crate-book

Flip the Script

Unite for Literacy proposes that we “flip the script” and redefine the purpose of the U.S. literacy education system from “achieving grade-level reading proficiency” to “growing avid readers and lifelong learners.”¹²

Yet even when shifting the focus, their research shows that children who have the most books in their homes, along with those who choose to read for fun every day or almost every day, score higher on reading proficiency assessments.¹³

We believe that improved reading scores should be an outcome of a good literacy program, but not the goal.

Book Choice

Most children say their favorite books are the ones that they have picked out themselves and they are more likely to finish a book if they chose it.¹⁴

As Children’s Rights to Read Advocates, we believe that children have the right to read for pleasure and to choose what they read.¹⁵

Diverse Books

In 1985 the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) began to document the numbers of books published in the United States for children each year which were written and/or illustrated by African Americans. Of the approximately 2,500 books that were published for children and teens that year, only 18 were created by African Americans.¹⁶

In 2023, 40% of the children’s books the CCBC received were by a person of color and 49% depicted non-white characters.¹⁷

The number of children and parents seeking diversity in books is also increasing.¹⁸

“We believe everyone should be able to see themselves in the pages of a book. We also know that books can be a window into experiences that are different from our own. By reading diverse books, we can increase understanding, empathy, and inclusion.” – Little Free Library¹⁹