It’s true. A recent study saw rates of reading for pleasure drop 40% over the last two decades.
Could this movement in Kentucky schools be a culture shift?
“What I have found is that kids are rediscovering the library again, so we’re turning from phones to pages,” Reynolds told Wave 3. “I see that there’s going to be a shift across the nation.”
It’s not just Pleasure Ridge Park High School where library checkouts are increasing. Wave 3 shared data from other schools in the district:
At Ballard High School, librarian Stephanie Conrad said the school planned to see a spike in book circulation and spent time over the summer planning how to accommodate the growing interest.
About 31% of the school’s roughly 2,000 students meet state reading proficiency standards, according to Newsweek, so seeing an increase in checkouts is a sign of progress.
Progress Conrad wants to nurture.
“In order to support the kids’ needs when they aren’t allowed to have their cell phones during the day, I’ve worked with teachers so that they have a regular rotating schedule to come to the library,” she told Newsweek. “So, they’ll come once every two to three weeks, depending on their curriculum and schedule.”
Growing reading rates are certainly a plus, but students and teachers alike are also seeing a trend in strong community bonds.
Conrad, for instance, said she has been hosting book talks and introducing titles to students with more regularity.
“We’ve made sure we have lots and lots of book displays,” she told Newsweek. “Books that people have read, books that they want to talk about. We’re just doing everything we possibly can to make sure books are readily available and enticing.”
Michael, the senior who has traded scrolling for turning the page, told Wave 3 it’s been a noticeable shift.
“At first, I was real dramatic about the policy, I thought it was going to end my whole life,” he said.
“I just realized this was a good chance for me to put my phone down and start focusing back … on school. [It] helps people socialize, because this year I have talked to people more than in all the 12 years of me being in school.”