For Other Professionals
Today's Reading News
Each weekday, Reading Rockets gathers interesting news headlines about reading and early education. Please note that Reading Rockets does not necessarily endorse these views or any others on these outside websites.
To receive these headlines in a daily or weekly e-mail, sign up for our free Rocket Blasts service. These headlines are also available as an RSS feed (what is RSS?) by clicking on the RSS icon: 
Note: These links may expire after a week or so. Some websites require you to register first before seeing an article.
'Tween Running and Reading, Girls Find Worlds of Self-Esteem
Charlotte Observer (NC)
November 06, 2009
On a crisp fall afternoon, nearly a dozen "tween" girls in Charlotte, NC had the chance to stretch, run, and sign out library books about a curious aristocratic girl in 17th-century Korea - all while playing outside. They're members of the Fit Girls, part of a national running and reading program with a chapter at the Steele Creek Public Library. The effort combines books, discussions about the strong female characters in them, and running training for girls in grades 4 through 6.
Inculcating a Love for Reading
Wall Street Journal
November 06, 2009
Anyone who spent half of childhood curled up with a book knows the special urgency of wanting to pass that experience on. For many adults this natural desire is today intensified by the fatal allure of electronic entertainments. "Reading books of any kind simply makes a child's mind sharper," writes the actor Kirk Douglas in "Everything I Need to Know I Learned From a Children's Book", a delightful nostalgic exercise in which prominent people reflect on the children's stories that shaped them.
For Improving Early Literacy, Reading Comics Is No Child's Play
ScienceDaily
November 06, 2009
Although comics have been published in newspapers since the 1890s, they still get no respect from some teachers and librarians, despite their current popularity among adults. But according to a University of Illinois expert in children's literature, critics should stop tugging on Superman's cape and start giving him and his superhero friends their due.
Gathering Words: How Two Libraries Worked Together to Keep Kids Reading
New York Teacher
November 06, 2009
Students in New York's Schodack School District have been traipsing down the hill to the local library for the last 20 summers. It started with an offer of free ice cream to children who completed a reading program created by the school and town library. "As an elementary teacher I saw a need for kids to continue reading in the summer," said Linda Wemple, president of the Schodack Central School Faculty Association. She brought the local union in to give the project some steam — and "another way we can help kids." Longtime Castleton Public Library librarian Darlene Miller was enthusiastic. "We're like bookends," Wemple said of the collaborators.
School Kids Get Lesson on Education Reform
Washington Post (DC)
November 05, 2009
President Obama marked the anniversary of his election Wednesday by speaking in unusually personal terms with schoolchildren and educators. Obama used the occasion both to pitch "Race to the Top" grants and speak about his life in the White House — as a father helping to oversee his daughters' studies, as a former community organizer who is now president.
Does Sesame Street Still Have Legs?
SF Gate (CA)
November 05, 2009
Big Bird still has legs. But with many new programs fighting for kids' time, does Sesame Street still have legs? Does the longest-running children's program — celebrating its 40th anniversary this week — still offer the best educational programming?
Librarians: Forget Baby Einstein; Try Reading
School Library Journal
November 05, 2009
The Baby Einstein DVDs are unlikely to speed up developmental pathways among infants. In fact, they may not do anything; it's actually more beneficial to sit on mom or dad's lap turning the pages of a board book.
Washington Post (DC)
November 05, 2009
Technology is stalking your bookcase. This holiday season will be a crucial test of whether e-books can cross over from geeky novelty to mass-market must-have.
'Granny Smith' a First-Grade Fixture
The Weekly Record (NY)
November 05, 2009
Janice Smith, 97, of Glen Rock is still going to school. She spends a day each week at Friendship Elementary School, where she listens to students in Phyllis Hildebrand's first-grade classroom practice their reading skills.
Race to the Top Education Grant Propels Reforms
USA Today
November 04, 2009
It's relatively small by Washington standards, but the Obama administration's $4.35 billion carrot for schools is already leading states to adopt a handful of key reforms. Tucked into the $110 billion federal stimulus slated for education, a comparatively tiny grant known as the Race to the Top requires that states that want the money must commit to closing historic achievement gaps and getting more kids into college – but they also must show that they're attending to a few nitty-gritty details that President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan believe are important.
National Panel Urges Upgrades to Teacher Workforce
Education Week
November 04, 2009
A report from a high-powered education task force that calls for states and school districts to overhaul how they recruit, prepare, evaluate, and compensate teachers has raised the hackles of the American Federation of Teachers, which dismissed many of its recommendations as "top-down" and disrespectful of the profession.
Click here to register for free access to two Education Week articles each week.
How 'Clifford, the Big Red Dog' Started
Seattle Times
November 04, 2009
It was 1963, and Norman Bridwell, the father of an infant daughter, was broke and desperately searching for work as a commercial artist in New York City. Figuring he had to try everything, Bridwell put together a portfolio of illustrations and began to make the rounds of children's publishers. He didn't have any luck, but an editor at Harper & Row looked closely at one sample, which showed a little girl with a huge red dog, and suggested that "there might be a story in this," Bridwell recounted in a recent interview. Bridwell headed home and three days later, he had created the story and illustrations for "Clifford, the Big Red Dog."
Editorial: A Push for Better Reading Instruction in MN
Minneapolis StarTribune (MN)
November 04, 2009
When Minnesotans ponder what smart, affordable steps could be taken now to secure a stronger future for this state, they should consider this: If every child could read well by third grade, within a few years Minnesota would enjoy higher worker productivity, lower crime and incarceration rates, and fewer costly social ills.
'Real Men Read' at Local Georgia School
Savannah Morning News (GA)
November 04, 2009
Haven Elementary School in Savannah, GA makes sitting in pint-sized chairs and reading picture books macho. This week is Real Men Read week at Haven, and men from throughout the community have been invited to read books to students to help more boys develop positive attitudes about reading.
Buckhorn High School Makes Literacy a Schoolwide Job
Education Daily
November 03, 2009
An Alabama school that is seen as a national model shows how to teach reading and writing in every subject. This Ed Week article, offered for view free today, notes that similar adolescent-literacy work is taking on a rising profile nationally.
Libraries Changing to Meet Increasing Student Demands
The News Star (LA)
November 03, 2009
As information technology becomes a more integral part of student learning and achievement, the role of school libraries and librarians is changing to meet increasing student demands while incorporating traditional library functions.
TV May Increase Aggression in Toddlers
U.S. News and World Report
November 03, 2009
A study in the November issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, found that direct TV watching by young children or exposure to indirect viewing in the household were both associated with increased aggression in small children.
Reading, Writing Project Lets Kids Choose Books
The Record (NJ)
November 03, 2009
An interview with a teacher about the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project — a Columbia University program that has no textbooks; children choose books at their reading level and study in a relaxed setting.
The Sun Times (Canada)
November 03, 2009
Kal Kaufman attributes his newfound enthusiasm for English class not so much to the fact that there aren't any girls in his class, but rather that there are only guys. "I actually feel like I can put my hand up and answer questions," said the ninth grader, who now lists English among his favorite classes of the semester.
Young Writers Get a Head Start
The Miami Herald (FL)
November 02, 2009
A Cooper City elementary school's volunteer-run publishing center serves as a model for other schools. The center is run during school hours and helps turn the writing of students into bound books.
Stella Books Loved by Kids Worldwide
The Chronicle Herald (Canada)
November 02, 2009
To celebrate Stella's 10th anniversary, Marie-Louise Gay, who writes and illustrates the tales of the exuberant little redhead, spent two weeks traveling across Canada, doing appearances that included a free library reading in each city, and meeting hundreds of children.
Reading Program Gives First-Graders an 'Early' Boost
Sheboygan Press (WI)
November 02, 2009
Three times a week, several Wilson Elementary School first-graders meet to participate in the Early Success reading program to improve their comprehension, oral reading, and even self-confidence.
Babies Rushed Into Reading Before They Are Ready
The Advertiser (Australia)
November 02, 2009
Parents hope babies as young as seven months can read using the Your Baby Can Read program. But some experts say the concept is "absurd" and potentially damaging.
(Opinion) Employers Can Help Build Future Work Force by Promoting Literacy
The Statesman Journal (OR)
November 02, 2009
Employers are significant stakeholders in the community and have some of the resources to make a real difference in the education of children. Here are some concrete ideas from the U.S. Department of Education to help employers promote children's literacy.
NCES Finds States Lowered 'Proficiency' Bar
Education Week
October 30, 2009
With 2014 approaching as the deadline by which states must get their all their students up to "proficient" levels on state tests, the U.S. Department of Education's top statistics agency released data today suggesting that some states may have lowered student-proficiency standards on such tests in recent years.
Click here to register for free access to two Education Week articles each week.
