From Blueprint to Reality: Building a community of Indiana Middle Grades Readers
Jack Humphrey
Copies of Becoming a Community of Middle Grades Readers: A Blueprint for Indiana were mailed to all Indiana public schools in April 2009. It is also available online at <http://mgrn.evansville.edu/Blueprint0904.pdf>.
The Blueprint represents many hours of work by individuals who care deeply about Indiana and the welfare of its young people. It outlines goals and actions needed in the following areas: access to books, encouragement to value reading, time to read, skilled reading leaders, public library support, com-munity agency support, family support, and reading role models.
Ensuring that the Blueprint becomes reality involves planning and action. Many of the recommendations do not involve additional funding. Reading classes for all students, as existed in the past before middle grades schools when most were K-8 elementary schools, require changes in schedules, but it costs no more to have reading classes than for any other subject. Many Indiana colleges and universities provide programs that lead to reading licenses and highly skilled reading teachers, and it costs no more for teachers to obtain reading licenses, providing the programs are available at their colleges and universities. Public libraries have vast resources for young adolescents, and connecting students with their public libraries will pay good dividends as students practice their reading during evenings, weekends, and summers. Parents armed with messages from the school Web site or parent meetings can join in the quest to make their children active readers. The faculty can serve as reading role models by participating in reading discussion groups.
Other recommendations require adequate funding. School library circulation increases when an appropriate number of new books are provided to students. Schools should purchase two new books per student each year to maintain current collections. Circulation of books should be at least 30 books per student per year. Reading teachers should be provided with appropriate supplementary reading materials that meet the needs of a wide range of reading levels. The Young Hoosier Book Award program should be promoted in all Indiana middle grades schools, but the program can’t succeed without purchasing an ample amount of copies of the books as well as classroom charts and other supportive materials.
Take time to read the Blueprint. Check out the actions needed. Are they appropriate for middle grades schools? Do you agree that it is important for our middle grades students to receive the support and encouragement needed to become successful, lifelong readers? If so, do all you can to ensure that Indiana’s middle grades students have access to the kinds of reading opportunities that will create a community of middle grades readers.