Edina launches campaign to cultivate a renewed love of reading

When teachers began noticing that, over time, students were choosing to read outside of school less, they began to evaluate how to build a district and at-home partnership to encourage students to read.  

Out of their brainstorming, research, and collaboration, “Edina Grows Readers” was born. Caroline Linden, the K-12 Literacy and Language Arts Coordinator for the district, explained that the research is there -- reading is important for kids, both reading personally and being read to. “We give kids time to read in school. That is something we have direct control over,” she said. “The thought process was how can we partner to encourage students to read outside of school. Any way we can influence that is going to have a positive impact on student achievement.”

“Edina Grows Readers” will serve as a district framework to support and encourage families with reading outside of school, especially with summer break on the horizon. According to Scholastic, “A student who reads 20 minutes per day will be exposed to 1.8 million words per year and scores in 90th percentile on standardized tests.”

The goal of the campaign is to increase the amount of time students read outside of school through book suggestions, reminders about the importance of reading, and other resources for improved literacy.

On the “Edina Grows Readers” website, families will find a list of “Books Kids Love,” which will be updated each month. They can also submit photos with their books and recommend titles they have enjoyed. On social media, families can follow the district’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts, where they can engage with #EdinaGrowsReaders posts, including #BookwormWeekend, where a bookworm mascot will share quotes, facts and statistics about reading to encourage students and families to read over the weekend.

The team of teachers and administrators who helped develop the campaign hope to see increased engagement with reading and a newly cultivated love of reading together in families. “The purpose of Edina Grows Readers aligns to the mission of Edina Public Schools, which is to work in partnership with families and the community to educate all individuals in order to become lifelong learners,” Linden said. “To be a lifelong learner is to be a reader. Edina Grows Readers supports this mission by encouraging daily reading by all, reading outside of school and promoting a culture of reading in the broader Edina community.”