Eleven-year-old Julie Steinhauser is flipping the page on summer learning loss — one book at a time.
The rising sixth grader will attend Robert Finley Middle School in Glen Cove this fall, one of several schools across Long Island that have dropped required summer reading lists, instead allowing students to select any books they find appealing over the break.
Educators who have embraced choice-based summer reading models say they did so after finding students failed to complete mandated summer work or were not reading regularly. Allowing students to pick the books they like, they believe, spurs a deeper interest in reading and helps combat the so-called "summer slide."
For Julie, the freedom to choose has meant exploring different genres — like new fantasy tomes she's recently gotten hooked on at the local library, which collaborates with the district. Over the summer, she ticked off daily tasks like "read outside" and "read in PJs" and won a prize for her efforts.
"I find this really encouraging," she said. “My friends ask me what I’m reading and then they want to read it too."
Vicky Giouroukakis, associate dean at the School of Education and Human Services at Molloy University in Rockville Centre, said giving students a sense of autonomy is important.
“The research is clear: reading for pleasure is essential for students to develop different skills, and the research says that students who read for pleasure as young children tend to score higher on cognitive tests … they're building vocabulary, background knowledge, reading fluency,” she said.
But some literacy advocates on Long Island say this strategy does not go far enough. While they agreed that the freedom to choose is important, they argued that the lack of structure harms students, especially those who are already struggling with reading.
Choice versus required reading
Several years ago, the Glen Cove school district switched to choice-based summer reading after noticing fewer students were participating in required summer reading assignments, according to Bryce Klatsky, the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction, and technology.
Klatsky said he found that previously many students failed to complete the required reading assignments or submitted hastily prepared work, defeating the goal of creating a consistent reading practice.
Students now do not have to turn in assignments. Instead, teachers award certificates to students who show their reading logs.
Klatsky said his district has been encouraged by the results of the summer initiative, with students eager to receive recognition for their effort and discuss what they learned.
“Even if we curated a really great list of culturally responsive texts that we think would be interesting to students, there's something about the student being able to select their own book, come back to school, and excitedly tell their new teacher about what they read over the summer, that you can't replicate with a prescriptive list," he said.
Hampton Bays launched a similar initiative this summer after seeing participation in their required summer reading decline. This season, for the elementary grade level, the district opted to partner with the local library to incentivize children to read what they like by offering vouchers and other prizes donated by local businesses and the school PTA.
“We met this spring with a number of our staff, and we talked about certain challenges that exist, and just in general the participation level of students. Then we brainstormed some ideas, and ultimately decided to do this [partner with the library],” said Michael Carlson, the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.
Officials at Nassau BOCES, which works with 52 Island districts including some in Suffolk, said that there's no set summer reading initiative that works for every district. Some districts that adopted a flexible approach have transitioned back to required reading after not seeing the anticipated results come fall, while other schools have started to roll out the choice-based approach, they said.
Other experts noted that districts also take into account how families spend their summers, whether it's an entire season at sleepaway camp, or visiting family overseas.
"I think what's standing out more than the shift in what students should be reading or have to be reading, [is] being more intentional about what we want summer reading to accomplish," said Diana Beltrani, a program coordinator for literacy at Nassau BOCES.
East Hampton schools superintendent Adam Fine said middle school students in his district are required to read three poems that connect to the school's theme of "Believe in Yourself."
In an email, Fine laid out the merits of this mandatory assignment.
"Building these habits will assist students in tackling work in the fall which requires a heavy concentration on close reading of the text. We continue to see this type of reading required in NYS examinations and in our locally developed curriculum," Fine said in an email.
Timothy Eagen, the Kings Park superintendent, said high school students in four advanced courses are assigned summer reading objectives to offset the year's workload.
At the same time, he said, "We do encourage the library's summer reading program."
'It leaves the struggling readers behind'
While student-led reading has its supporters, some worry that it fails to reach struggling and reluctant readers.
“That makes a lot of assumptions about all readers. It leaves the struggling readers behind, and as a coalition, we've been trying to advocate for structured literacy,” said Deborah Aiello, co-founder of the Long Island Literacy Coalition.
Katia Fratticci, also a co-founder, said optional reading is important but students should also be required to read from a list of recommendations that are "more intentional and purposeful" and that strengthen cognitive processes used during reading.
"If school districts leave it solely as student-led then it is a missed opportunity," she said.
Fratticci also argued that a brief writing component should be mandatory during the summer break. Writing, she said, helps reinforce understanding of a text and holds students accountable.
There is no conclusive research showing one approach is better than the other, but proponents of the choice model argue that kids will be more likely to read if they have some say in the matter.
“You can't really force students to read, and especially books that they don't like. They have to have the autonomy to select the books that they want,”said Giouroukakis of Molloy University .
Even if students are reading comic books or excerpts, experts and school officials agreed, all reading has value. While reading novels builds stamina, any reading is better than none, they said.
"Can I connect my reading and learning to soccer? Can I read about some of my favorite players? Can I read news articles about the World Cup? Can I connect my learning to what is making me happy this summer?” said Heather Woodley, clinical associate professor and the director of childhood education in the Department of Teaching and Learning at New York University.
Students should also not feel constrained by how they read, Woodley said. The single most common misconception families and students may have about jumping into reading is that it has be conducted in a silo, she added.
"Reading with your siblings, with your neighbors, reading while listening to an audio book as you have the book, reading to your parent, reading outside," she said. Being "silent and alone is not how we all engage in reading and there's a lot of space for community and collaboration."
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