One School, One Book

All-school reading program involves students and their families

"What are we going to do when we get home?" asked teachers at Jane H. Bryan Elementary School in Hampton, Virginia. "Read!" screamed more than 300 students in response.

And so began the One School, One Book program—a two–week span during the fall in which the school's 340 K–5 students, their parents, and school staff were set to simultaneously read Trouble According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney. At the assembly, they were read a letter the author had sent to the school.

As they returned to class, each student received a bag inscribed with the message, "Read with someone every day." The bag contained a copy of the book, a calendar for pacing the reading, a bookmark with tips for parents on reading aloud, and a page on supplemental reading.

Stacy Walker, the reading/literacy coach at Bryan Elementary, finds the One School, One Book program a wonderful way to engage students and their families in reading. She first read about the program in Reading Today. The article included information about a workshop being held in Richmond, which she attended.

"I've noticed that a lot of kids are not motivated to read on their own or read for pleasure," Walker says. "For years I've been searching for good ways to get kids excited about reading." She immediately sensed that the One School, One Book program offered a way to engage not only students, but their parents as well.

Through the One School, One Book program, all Bryan Elementary students have read two books together for each of the past two years. Walker is pleased that this year the program has expanded to include all five Title I elementary schools in Hampton.

To participate in the program, an entire school community reads the same book simultaneously—parents to children, older children to the family, and school staff to spouses. Each morning, students try to answer trivia questions posed over the school's public address system from the previous day's reading. The program is designed to create a schoolwide "buzz" about books.

Walker tells the story of one parent who had twin daughters in first grade last year. One night she was too tired to read to the girls from the book, so she enlisted her teenage son, who did so grudgingly. By the next evening, he asked if he could do it again.

Walker believes that the program stimulates an interest in reading that lasts throughout the year. Furthermore, she notes that the school's reading scores are steadily improving. Although she does not attribute the gains solely to One School, One Book, she believes that the heightened student interest in reading certainly plays a role.

From one man's dream to international program

The One School, One Book program is administered through Read to Them, a nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging parents to read with children. Read to Them founder Gary Anderson is a school psychologist who has long been concerned with helping students maintain their interest in reading—an interest that often wanes as students progress through elementary school.

"The whole development of this program was to prevent the third–grade slide out and to break some continuing patterns of intergenerational illiteracy," Anderson says. He believes that involving parents in the process increases the odds of effectively engaging students over time.

At first, Anderson began working with schools around Richmond on developing an all–inclusive reading program that involved reading aloud and reading in the home. Out of 100 schools that Anderson contacted, seven responded, and one school (Swansboro Elementary) set and met a goal of reading one million pages.

Meanwhile, William Fox Elementary also accepted the challenge of developing an all–school program. The following year, Bruce Coffey joined the planning committee. He had read about a citywide reading program in Chicago (One City, One Book) and suggested replicating it at Fox Elementary. The program generated a real "book buzz" at the school. Soon after, Coffey became involved with Read to Them, and together he and Anderson began thinking about ways of extending the program's reach.

Anderson credits coverage in Reading Today with helping the program expand its scale. "If it hadn't been for you, we'd still be just in Richmond," he says. "Your role has just been huge. You've been tremendous."

The program currently touches the lives of students, parents, and teachers in approximately 70 schools, including schools in Alaska and Canada. A school in Sydney, Australia, also has expressed interest in participating.

One longtime participant is Jan Bates, a Reading Recovery teacher who has run the program for several years at Northumberland Elementary School in Heathsville, Virginia. Bates reports positive feedback from parents about the program and notes that parents often ask for suggestions for other books their families might enjoy reading together.

"When you can get 100% of your parents involved in a family literacy program, it is a win–win situation for the entire community," she says.

Schools pick their own books for the One School, One Book program, looking for titles that will appeal to a wide range of ages and interests. Some schools, such as those in Hampton, Virginia, have purchased their books using Title I funds. Other schools have found other ways to provide copies of the selected book to all their students.

"It's unbelievable how the project has grown," Anderson says. "It's not a silver bullet, but for so many children, especially those who just need a little push, it works so well. It's one of the most gratifying experiences in my life.

Creating a "book buzz" in Bentonville

On February 1, 2010, Bentonville, Arkansas, will launch a citywide version of the One School, One Book program with 6,000 families reading Trumpet of the Swan. On February 15, a staff development day, a One School, One Book training event will be held in the town's convention center. As many as 1,000 people may be on hand to hear a keynote presentation by IRA Executive Director William Harvey, along with presentations from Anderson and educators who have successfully organized One School, One Book programs in their own schools.

Anderson hopes that the projects in Hampton and Bentonville mark the beginning of a string of citywide programs that will exponentially increase the reach of One School, One Book. "In five years, we hope to have 7,000 participating schools," Anderson says. "In 10 years we hope to have 70,000."

"The program is so simple and easy to implement," Anderson concludes. Students and their parents get drawn in because it's a group process. Most schools experience nearly 100% active participation.

For further information about the One School, One Book program, visit the Read to Them website at www.readtothem.org.

One School, One Book, (December 2009/January 2010). Reading Today, 27(3), 44.