New World Reading Scholarship Florida

New World Reading Scholarship Florida – The New World Reading Initiative seeks to improve children’s reading skills, one free book at a time.

The New World Reading Initiative sends one free book each month to children who participate in the program.

New World Reading Scholarship Florida

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If a child isn’t reading at a third-grade level, there’s a good chance they’ll struggle throughout the rest of their school years — and they’ll be on track to not finish high school. In this episode, Shaunté Duggins talks about Florida’s New World Reading Initiative, based at UF’s Lastinger Learning Center, and how she hopes to change that momentum — one book at a time. Produced by Nikki Brown, Brooke Adams, Emma Richards and James L. Sullivan. Original music by Daniel Townsend, a doctoral candidate in music composition in the College of the Arts.

Nicky Brown: The New York Times recently reported that nine-year-olds across America are experiencing alarming declines in math and reading skills. But in Florida, there is hope because our state is taking steps to ensure that children are reading on grade level.

Today, we will talk about the New World Reading Initiative and how it helps families improve their children’s literacy skills. This is not the only action the country is taking, but it is a first step to actively address this issue that could serve as a national model.

Our guest today is Shaunté Duggins, assistant director of the initiative, based at the University of Florida’s Lastinger Learning Center. Welcome, Shanti!

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Shanti Duggins: Absolutely. So the New World Reading Initiative was created by House Speaker Chris Sproles and received unanimous bipartisan support in the Florida Legislature, and was signed into law in June of 2021. So House Bill 3 created the New World Reading Initiative and it is a statewide program designed to accelerate reading and accelerate literacy for K-5 students in our state who are not reading at grade level.

NICKIE BROWN: So, the New York Times reported earlier this month that newly released national test scores show that nine-year-olds’ math and reading skills have declined by the largest margins in more than 30 years. Students were tested earlier this year with scores that were compared to scores taken in 2020, which of course was before the walk. First, why is the literacy and math skills of nine-year-olds, students who are typically in third or fourth grade, so important?

Shaunté Duggins is assistant director of the New World Reading Initiative, based at the University of Florida’s Lastinger Center for Learning. Photo credit: Lastinger Center for Learning.

Shanti Duggins: So, we know that the primary responsibility of schools is to teach children to read. And reading impacts all other academic areas, yet many children fail to truly develop into competent readers. So, effective reading instruction has received a lot of attention because most children are suffering in this area and it has implications not only academically, but economically, and in terms of lives.

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So, the researchers found that students who were identified as poor readers were at least average reading skills by the end of their first grade year. So the data shows that kids who are not reading on grade level by third grade are less likely to graduate from high school. And that’s why effective reading instruction and intervention is so important for young children. And there’s a critical transition from teaching to reading, reading to learning. And for many kids, that usually happens at the end of third grade when kids are eight or nine years old. And if kids aren’t reading fluently, and they’re not comprehending what they’re reading, by the time they get to fourth grade, then they’re less likely to use their reading skills to actually learn.

Nikki Brown: So, the New York Times cites data, have we seen a similar decline in Florida?

Shanti Duggins: Actually, we have. So nationally, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, only 34 percent of fourth graders in 2019 were proficient or above in reading. And for some purposes, proficient represents strong academic performance. So there are students who are already at this level, who are already reading. And again, nationally, it’s only 34%. In the state of Florida in 2019, 38 percent of fourth graders were proficient or above in reading. That compares to 41 percent in 2017 and 39 percent in 2015. So we’re seeing a decline, even though Florida is doing relatively well compared to the rest of the country.

Nikki Brown: Can you share with our listeners how the New World Reading Initiative works and who qualifies, how families can get involved, can they apply?

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Shanti Duggins : Absolutely. So our country is investing in literacy instruction and the New World Reading Initiative is one of those opportunities. So the vision of the New World Reading Initiative is to create a home library for students in public or government-sponsored schools K-5 who are not yet reading at grade level. And that is our standard of excellence. So families can go to our website and they can sign up and once eligibility is determined, textbook shipments will begin in October for most students. And regardless of when eligibility is determined, students will typically receive nine books from October through June. So the goal is, again, to build a home library for children who are not yet reading at a basic level.

During the registration process, children have the opportunity to choose the subjects they are interested in and then we will match the topics to those subjects. So, they have the opportunity to choose something that suits their interests.

In addition to the books that we send out, we also provide literacy resources for caregivers to build their confidence and ability to help their children at home, because we want to have fun and have fun. We recognize the value of partnerships, because we partner with many local and statewide organizations to raise awareness and support children and families. And we also recently added professional development for teachers. So, we provide professional development for teachers based on the science of reading through micro-credentials and teacher professional development to create home-school connections in literacy.

And we are very grateful to the state that we are a scholarship funding organization, which means that corporate taxpayers can financially support the University of Florida and receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit against Florida’s choice tax. So that really supports the initiative beyond the initial investment that the state makes. So we are very excited that families have the opportunity to get the books and we are also able to provide resources to those families. And I want to add that our resources are available in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole, and we are adding braille statewide this year.

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Nicky Brown: Awesome. Can we talk a little bit more about the criteria that makes people eligible for this resource?

Shanti Duggins: Absolutely. So right now, the program is available to students in kindergarten through fifth grade who are in government-sponsored private schools and who are not reading at grade level. So you think of them as students who are typically struggling with reading.

The program allows kids to choose books about subjects they are interested in, such as STEM, humor, nature, and animals. Photo credit: New World Reading Initiative

Nikki Brown: I love the fact that you give students the freedom to choose the subjects they are interested in. Can you share with us what these themes are?

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Shanti Duggins: Absolutely. So some of our subjects include STEM, humor, nature, animals, and students can pick three subjects that they are interested in and then we compare those books to their chosen subjects.

Nicky Brown: And how did they get the books? Did they post them to your house or pick them up?

Shaunté Duggins: That’s the beautiful part. They’re delivered right to their homes. So what we’ve heard from the families and the kids is they love that aspect of it. So they greet the kid, they go to the mailbox every month. They bring their package, they open it and they have books and resources. So one little boy said, “It’s like getting a gift in the mail every month.”

Nikki Brown: The joy of it. . . Yeah, it’s amazing! And I think it’s also about generalizing reading at home and creating your own kind of reading and really making it a part of home life. I recently argued in an op-ed in the Miami Herald that families should create a home learning program like this. You can’t say much.

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