Over the holiday weekend, New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof wrote that he was "aghast to learn that American children drop in I.Q. each summer vacation — because they aren’t in school or exercising their brains."
I'm shocked that someone like Kristof wouldn't have the commonsense to know this. But, I guess studies are now documenting what librarians have known all along. If kids aren't reading over the summer, their skills really slide. So much so that kids can lose 2 or 3 months of what they had learned in the previous school year.
That's why our library system's summer reading program is so important. If all our kids were able to learn how to read well and enjoy it, I'll bet there would be a lot fewer problems in society.
2 comments:
Agree! Did you post your comments on his website? I considered it but didn't want to if you had and wasn't going to read thru the thousands of comments. I did look at several pages and found none where libraries were mentioned. Unbelievable.
I'm afraid to ask what happens to "adults" when they graduate from high school or college... :-)
A few of my favorite quotes on the subject:
Education is a progressive discovery... Read More
Of our own ignorance. - Will Durant
Education is not preparation for life;
It is life itself. - John Dewey
To learn is a natural pleasure,
Not confined to philosophers,
But common to all people. - Aristotle
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