Raising Literacy Rates in the Digital Age

Competing with technology can be difficult, but these educators are introducing students to books and the joys of reading in creative ways.

Kalie Walker

Contributor, National Education Association

When Marcia Hoyle Walkama started working in Brockton Public Schools in Massachusetts, the average books in the library were around 30 years old. There were almost no books that reflected her students, who were from Haiti, Cape Verde, and the Dominican Republic.

In Brockton, 49% of students’ first language is not English and 74% qualify as low-income. Hoyle Walkama says this is where the importance of the school library comes in.

“The kids from Brockton wouldn’t have access to books at home,” Hoyle Walkama explained, “and I’d say very, very few go to the public library. I try to make a big deal about having books that interest them, which I think makes a whole lot of difference.”

Like many schools, Brockton is experiencing budget problems. To buy new books, Hoyle Walkama has been relying on grants and donations from outside organizations, including the Read Across America Grant, from which the district received 700 diverse books.

“I can’t imagine that I could even engage a kid if I didn’t have these new books,” Hoyle Walkama noted. “It’s crucial for kids to have an interest in checking the book out and sharing it.”

Hoyle Walkama says having books with characters who look like her students has made a huge impact. Her students particularly love one dual-language book, “Tiagu and Vovo,” which is printed in English on one side and, when flipped over, Cape Verdean Creole on the other.

“If you pick books that interest them and books [with characters who] look like them, or books that you read aloud,” she said, “they want to know more, they want it in their hands.”

The case for physical books

Catherine Campbell, a literary interventionist in St. Albans, Vt., says physical books are critical for engaging students. Campbell’s library hosts literacy nights, where families can come in and read with their children.

“Everybody who came to the literacy night went home with a book or two that they didn’t have to bring back, and that’s pretty cool,” Campbell noted.

Over the course of her career, Campbell says she’s seen a decreased interest in reading in favor of technology. It’s hard to compete with technology, but Campbell continues to promote reading in new ways, like having students read books online.

“The technology is going to be there,” Campbell said, “but we have to work harder to keep their scores up by showing them that reading can also be a form of entertainment.”

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