MADISON TOWNSHIP — Kathie Jansen stood on the stage of Eastview Elementary School, channeling her inner Oprah Winfrey.
“You get a book, you get a book, everybody gets a book,” she said, pointing and gesturing at a crowd of cheering students.
The announcement came at the end of Eastview’s third annual One School, One Book kickoff. Each year, the school has secured funds to purchase a copy of the same children’s book for every student.
Teachers instruct students to take the book home and read it with their families.
This year’s kickoff assembly featured a brief performance inspired by FOX’s The Masked Singer. Five teachers sat onstage, each wearing all-black clothes and kid-friendly masks.
Jansen approached each “masked reader” one by one. She held the microphone while they read excerpts from this year’s book — Beverly Cleary‘s “The Mouse and the Motorcycle.”
With each new reader, Eastview students turned to their friends and whispered excitedly, sharing their theories on which teacher was behind the mask.
After students correctly guessed each of the five readers, Jansen sent them back to their classrooms, promising a delivery of their books would follow. Every student, regardless of whether or not they have a sibling at school, received their own copy adorned with a ribbon.
“Because reading is a gift,” Jansen said. “We truly believe that.”
Addressing the literacy gap
Reading is foundational to life and learning, but state assessments show some students are falling behind.
A 2023 report from the Ohio Department of Education (now the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce) found nearly 40 percent of third graders were not reading proficiently.
Eastview’s proficiency numbers are higher — 74.5 percent of third graders earned a proficient score.
Like other elementary schools across the state, Eastview has spent the last few years updating its curriculum to align with the science of reading and Ohio’s new standards for dyslexia screening and support.
But the One School, One Book program aims to boost literacy on the home front.
Studies show that reading with family can be especially beneficial for children. When adults read to children, it can build vocabulary, foster interest in reading and strengthen the parent-child relationship.
“We can only do so much throughout the school day,” Principal Melissa Wigton said. “Kids are getting twice as much in their educational journey when everybody’s on the same page.”
Despite its benefits, research by Scholastic has found parents are less likely to read aloud to their children once they start school.
“While a majority of 5-year-olds are read aloud to 5 to 7 days a week, this percentage decreases dramatically at age 6 and beyond,” Scholastic’s 2019 Kids & Family Reading Report states.
Tonya Redding has a son who attends Eastview. She said her family couldn’t wait for this year’s program to start.
“Sometimes this is the only time we as a family will read together and it also helps us spend a little more time with each other,” she said.
“This is not only beneficial to the students that participate, but also to the families that join in.”
This is Eastview’s third year doing a One School, One Book read-thru. While teachers didn’t invent the concept, they have definitely embraced it.
Each year, teachers build excitement by placing clues around the building. This year, they played the rev of a motorcycle on the morning announcements, hid items in the lobby bookcase and told students the school had a “mouse problem.” (It doesn’t).
In the days leading up to the big reveal, a clip from Europe’s “The Final Countdown” echoed through the halls each day during the morning announcements.
“They expect the book now, so now we have to up our game to keep the excitement,” Wigton said.
Initiatives like One School, One Book work when families commit to reading with their child. Fortunately, Jansen said it’s something students and families have started looking forward to.
“The first year we did this, we had a little girl say, ‘My dad read with me last night. Does that count?'” she recalled. “That might have been the first time dad had read to her. So hopefully, we can change that.”
“The family connection is huge. If family is all on board, we’re all going to be successful. Because we’re all striving for the same thing — to have readers and thinkers.”
In addition to their new book, Eastview students went home Monday with a reading calendar, discussion questions and suggested activities for families.
“Our reading calendar that goes home with every student has evolved,” Jansen said. “The first year, we just have what chapter to read.
“Now we have different comprehension prompts or questions that you can discuss with your child for that night.”
Jamie Swanstrom said the her daughter loves the reading comprehension games and prizes at school that go along with the initiative.
Swanstrom has enjoyed watching her daughter’s literacy evolve.
“In 1st grade I did most of the reading, in 2nd grade we took turns reading pages, and this year she will be doing most of the reading,” she said.
The One School, One Book initiative leads up to Eastview’s family literacy night in March. This year’s event will feature a photo booth, scavenger hunt and read aloud session. Jansen said about 350 people attended last year’s event.
The school is also hoping to have a representative from the Mansfield/Richland County Public Library onsite so families can regiser for free library cards.
“There’s not many kids that have library cards, so we’re trying to address that,” Jansen said.
At-home reading benefits children from infancy
The One School, One Book program benefits school-age children, but educators and other experts say it’s never too early to read aloud to a child.
In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics released guidelines in 2014 encouraging parents to read to their children from birth.
“So many children come to school and have never even opened a book,” Jansen said. “When we see kids that have come and have been read to and families talked to them about books, they come in with a stronger foundation.”
Book giveaway programs often serve children under age 5. Research has shown that these programs can bolster children’s interest in reading and boost family reading routines.
These programs may be even more impactful in low-income communities, where children may face limited access to age-appropriate reading material.
The Dolly Parton Imagination Library program sends a free book each month to children up to age 5. The program was recently revived in Richland County, but just 66 percent of age-eligible children are registered.
Studies show children who participate in the program are significantly more likely to be assessed as “ready for kindergarten,” according to The Center for Community Solutions.
Imagination Library alumni also tend to score higher on standardized tests in early elementary school.
Early exposure to books not only builds children’s literacy skills — it can build social and emotional skills as well.
Experts say reading books about people whose lives differ from their own can build empathy and an appreciation of other cultures.
Books can normalize a wide range of emotions and show children how to handle those emotions in healthy ways.
