Reading culture can transform our schools as well as our homes, and community

We already know that regular reading is vital to improving students' literacy skills and overall academic performance. However, reading has many benefits far greater than academic achievements as measured by a USA study.

Research results find that people who read are more empathetic towards their fellow beings and more willing to be curious and open toward others that may look or live differently than themselves. Additionally, research results show that readers are better able to cope with stress and trauma by finding stories like their own in the pages of a book. Reading increases our understanding of our own identity, improves empathy, and gives us an insight into the world view of others.

Reading used to mean sitting down with a book and turning pages as a story unfolded. However, today it would mean sitting down with a device. In a review of existing research and data, Common Sense Media found an abundance of evidence pointing to worrisome trends in children's reading habits and abilities in recent decades. However, research studies have yet to establish how increasingly prevalent digital reading technologies, such as e-readers and tablet computers, affect students' reading habits.

Recent research shows that thirty-two percent of children ages 15 to 17 read no books over the summer, compared with 22 percent in 2016. The number of 9- to 11-year-olds who do not read doubled, from 7 percent to 14 percent. How do we stop this further slide in reading culture?