Pennsylvania Secretary of Education, West Shore School District "Driving Reading Home" to Encourage Summer Reading

ETTERS, Pa., July 13, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, Secretary of Education Pedro A. Rivera visited Newberry Elementary School in the West Shore School District to tour its mobile library, which travels across the region bringing books to students of all ages under the district's "Driving Reading Home" literacy program.

"Summer vacation is a fun-filled time for children across the commonwealth, but spending too much time away from studies can have detrimental effects on a student's future success," Secretary Rivera said. "Children who do not engage in educational activities during the summer months may often lose developmental milestones and important reading retention skills. West Shore School District's efforts to promote summer reading will certainly help its students combat the summer slide."

To battle the effects of summer slide, public libraries around Pennsylvania offer summer reading programs to interested students and their families. Programs like West Shore School District's Driving Reading Home Initiative -- a result of a Keystones to Opportunity grant -- have been proven to help maintain or even raise reading skills while school is out of session.

Studies show that summer slide is exacerbated by socioeconomic status – and the gap caused by summer slide only widens over time. After just a few summers, students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds will see their reading achievement scores drop below national averages.

"It is important to ensure that our students, no matter where they live or what backgrounds they come from have access to books, libraries, and other vital resources," said Secretary Rivera. "This is just one great example of getting children excited about reading and encouraging students to expand their educational opportunities during the summer months."

The federal Keystones to Opportunity grant is awarded to Pennsylvania schools to improve literacy outcomes for all students. The program supports programs that advance literacy skills through professional development, screening and assessment, targeted interventions for students reading below grade level and research-based methods of improving classroom instruction and practice.

MEDIA CONTACT: Casey Smith, 717-783-9802               

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Education

Related Links

http://www.state.pa.us