Despite book battles, parents are not discouraging a love of reading

Nine in 10 parents think students should learn to write at the same time they learn to read.

In an era where some parents disagree about what books should be in their school’s reading curriculum, K12 administrators might be reassured to know parents still expect their children to love reading. In fact, more than half say their child either loves to read or likes it a lot, according to a new survey conducted by YouGov and the American Reading Company.

More than eight in 10 parents want their students to be proficient in reading, to love reading and to learn about science and history while learning to read. Some 57% said learning to love reading is more important while 43% said achieving proficiency should be the top priority, the survey found.

K-12 parents also have some ideas about how they want their children to learn to read and learn to love reading. They overwhelmingly prefer a reading curriculum that covers phonics instruction, daily writing, and content-rich texts grounded in history and science. Nine in 10 parents think students should learn to write at the same time they learn to read.

“At such a divisive moment, it’s heartening to hear so much agreement from parents—writing matters, science and history matter, foundational skills matter and a love of reading matters,” said Gina Cline Rose, CEO of the American Reading Company.

Nearly all parents also agree that: students should have fun while learning to read, students like reading more when they get to pick the topics they read about and there is not enough emphasis on topics like history and science.

Reading curriculum: Coast-to-coast

The survey zeroed in on parents’ views on the reading curriculum in several states. In Delaware, New York, Texas and Wisconsin the vast majority think the textbooks and curriculums used to teach reading are excellent or good, and even more believe their child is properly taught to read.

And about two-thirds of parents in each of those states describe their child’s reading ability as “above grade level.” Another quarter of parents thinks their children read at grade level.


More from DA: Dismissal of well-liked superintendent leaves school board at risk of recall


Matt Zalaznick
Matt Zalaznick
Matt Zalaznick is a life-long journalist. Prior to writing for District Administration he worked in daily news all over the country, from the NYC suburbs to the Rocky Mountains, Silicon Valley and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He's also in a band.

Most Popular