Building a Culture of Daily Reading

At Success Academy Charter Schools, a network of more than 50 public charter schools in New York City, every student from grades K–12 spends time reading in school—every single day. For the youngest learners, teachers start with 10 or 20 minutes at a stretch, but by the time students are in middle school, they may spend up to an hour each day reading. In sixth-grade literacy teacher Kasey Delgado’s class, she helps build stamina for the culture of daily reading by offering multiple activities to keep students engaged, from small group book clubs to whole class discussions about the latest novels or nonfiction they’re working through together.

Book choice is a key part of the equation. According to eighth-grade student Kadiatou, “We have multiple opportunities to read. About an hour every day, we’re spending reading. We choose what books we want to read. There’s a book library at the back of every room.”

“I think it’s one of the most important design elements (of our network), that every child reads in school,” says network founder Eva Moskowitz. “And some people might say, ‘Couldn’t they just read at home?’ Well, they also read at home. (But) we think reading is such a good use of the kids’ time that we read in school every single day. We read great books that the children choose based on their interests. We think that’s really valuable.”

And this intense focus on a culture of daily reading has paid off—it’s one of the many reasons over 16,000 families applied for the lottery for 3,200 spots at Success Academy schools this academic year. Across the network, 80 percent of students scored passing or above on the state tests in English language arts, compared with 52 percent of students passing statewide.  

See all of Edutopia’s coverage of Success Academy Charter Schools to learn more about the network.