Search Results for: research

The 2021 Central Texas Reading Survey provides great insight into the lives of those in our community and shows us a snapshot of what their reading habits have looked like over the past year. Now in its fifth year, this survey helps indicate areas for improvement in Central Texas and gives us an idea of who our beneficiaries are. This information helps us target our efforts to the programs that are needed most in our area and improve literacy for ... Read More

For a young reader, having access to books is paramount. Research suggests that increasing the number of books available to students, especially at a young age, leads to higher reading scores and academic achievement overall. More books in the classroom and at home means a student has more to choose from, is more likely to find something they want to read, and thus more likely to grow in reading motivation and confidence.  In recent years, educators and parents have become ... Read More

Research confirms that families play an essential role in promoting early literacy. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, reading daily to young children helps their brain development (O’Keefe, 2014). Families can foster engagement while promoting early literacy! Reading together establishes a shared event in which stronger bonds develop between parents, caregivers, and children.  7 Ways Families Can Promote Early Literacy The Global Family Research Project released these seven research-based practices guaranteed to help you effectively promote early literacy at home. 

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Literacy is the foundation of our lives! Our education begins when language, expression, and meaning meet between the pages of a book. Books shape our view of the world and generally improve our quality of life. We often overlook just how much the books and media we consume impact whom we become in life. They contribute to our ability to think critically and communicate effectively. Think back to all the books you snuck off and read in corners of your ... Read More

One question that’s top of mind to everyone who has a child in school or works in a school is: What do we need to be doing right now to help kids make it through this challenging time? Our friends at First Book, a national non-profit clearinghouse for books for literacy programs like ours, recently released a survey that answers that very question. To help legislators at the federal, state, and county-level decide what to do with the large influx ... Read More

Many, many years ago, when the earth was very new, there was no life. Today, there are people and cities everywhere! Where do you think the future will take us? Let’s read about the past, the present, and the future of people, in a book!  Watch videos, download books to read together, and explore things to do with BookSpring. Video: English Video: Español Books to Read Together: English Here are some books to read together! You can download and save them ... Read More

By: María José Meneses, Originally published in Porch.com As children, we were told that reading is important, and many of us are among the millions of library users, audible subscribers, and bookstore shoppers. But exactly why is it important, and how do we convince kids of its inherent value? Well, like most things, there’s a fiscal angle here. According to Pew Research Center, “adults whose annual household income is $30,000 or less are more likely than those living in households earning ... Read More

By: Georgean and Paul Kyle, Travis Audubon  Travis Audubon honors devoted volunteer Anne Donovan with a BookSpring Flying Book Society membership. Today we celebrate Anne Donovan as a consummate educator and conservationist. We are thrilled to celebrate her legacy of service and education with a gift to BookSpring in her honor. We know her work will inspire future conservationists for years to come! Anne Donovan was a science teacher at Saint Andrew’s Elementary for 17 years. She took the students ... Read More

BookSpring’s Volunteer Spotlight highlights our gratitude for the heroes behind the scenes. The Volunteer Spotlight is on Lili Cantu. Lili has contributed to the BookSpring mission for years as a staff member turned volunteer. What is your volunteer role with BookSpring? What are some of the activities you have helped with? I am a translator for the Weekly Themes web pages and other occasional items. I am currently also hosting a Parent Book Club via Zoom. Can you speak ... Read More

By Emily Ball Cicchini, Ph.D., Executive Director Let’s talk about Dr. Seuss! You may have heard that some of his books are being discontinued by their publishers. Some people are saying that this is censorship or something called "cancel culture." However, only six from his collection of 60 books are being voluntarily unpublished because they have drawings that today we can recognize as stereotypical, demeaning, dismissive, and hurtful. What if we decide that books that display racism are simply not ... Read More