At the elementary school level, schools put more time and reading resources at the first grade level than at any other level. Helping six-year-old children get off to a good start is critical for successful elementary school reading programs.

     It is also important that students new to middle grades schools get off to a good start in reading. We need to stress the importance of reading at orientation meetings and provide an atmosphere that is conducive to reading.

     One might conclude that the initial entry grade is the most critical grade for reading in middle grades schools as is first grade in elementary schools. Actually, every year that a student spends in school is an important year for reading, but the early adolescent's shift from family- to peer-orientation adds a new dimension to reading in the middle grades.

     When first grade children begin reading, they are more involved with their families than they are with other children. But middle grades students are very concerned about their relationship with other students. When they enter a middle grades school, they look to older students to serve as their role models in various areas, including reading.

     However, many middle grades schools with sixth, seventh, and eighth grades require reading in the sixth grade but reduce time for reading in the seventh and eighth grades. For this and other reasons, according to A Profile of the American Eighth Grader prepared by the National Center for Education Statistics in 1990, the average eighth grader spends only about two hours a week on reading outside of school.

     It is not surprising that the example that many younger adolescents get from older students in the school is often not a positive model for reading. This points to the need to emphasize reading at the highest grade level in the school. When the older students are engaged with books, they provide a positive signal to younger students that reading is the thing to do.

     We need to gauge precisely the size and scope of the task by giving careful attention to promoting reading among the oldest students in the school. Their revival as a reading force can have extraordinary consequences. What are the reading interests of these students? What do the school and nearest public library have to offer them? Are members of the staff familiar with current books appropriate for these students? And how can we develop powerful older student models and use their examples to engage younger students with books?