Where are the libraries?

FAVL friend Meredith Albert has been busy creating a Google Earth framework to start mapping all the community libraries in Africa... hey, why not organize one small chunk of all the world's information? If you have a library you want included in the database, leave a comment to this entry. The link to the Google Earth community site is here. In the picture, Kitengesa in Uganda is showing up in Sudan, but we'll fix that I promise!

Coding and analyzing results of reading test

We did a simple reading test in the five villages where we support community libraries, as part of a small research project with Burkinabe colleagues Alain Sissao and Felix Compaore. We're just analyzing the results now (they are part of the "pre-intervention" baseline for our summer reading camps and reading discussion groups). In this kind of very low budget, locally run research there is always room for misunderstandings, so it's always a relief when the results come in normal. Lots of variation in the responses, and good correlation across the different test elements. The one result that immediately pops out was how girls were reading considerably worse than boys. On the order of 30% worse, which is pretty darn big difference! These are kids at the CM1 (4th grade) level. Felix is pretty depressed about one young girl in Sara, who couldn't read any of the letters, words, phrases and passages in the oral test. Either too traumatized or really just unable to read. it is good to do this analysis early, because we'll adjust some of the reading camp components to include more "tutoring" time, where we pair strong readers (plenty of them) with weak readers (plenty there also). And the animators will be much more careful about suggesting reading materials to the students linked to their levels. And we'll spend some more attention to girls reading than we might have had we assumed that girls and boys were about equal. I was a little surprised to see that all the schools except one had very good gender balance.

Tracking books in village libraries

What we do is print book cards that are placed in each book to keep track of who borrowed the book. When the borrower takes the book, the book card stays in a box on the librarians desk, with borrower name and date due. It's one step above the system of just writing them in a notebook in order of checkout and then "crossing out" when book is returned. In the Burkina libraries we quickly got to 100-200 books checked out each month, so if we recorded then in a notebook pretty soon the librarian would spend a lot of time going back and forth across the pages of the notebook looking for a particular entry. With cards they can be placed in order for easier retrieval. If the librarian wants to know how many books are checked out, she just counts the cards. We the cards she can also quickly sort through and set aside the cards for books that are overdue, and then track down the perps. Someday we'll have hand-help solar powered computers to track the books... but not there yet.

My other dream... tamper-proof, dateable, solar-powered, failproof digital camera - the librarian has to take a picture at opening and another at closing, and then bonus and salary increase are based in part on proof of "being there" at the library. A formal evaluation in India suggested that would be quite an effective incentive to reduce tardiness and absenteeism (though of course not perfect). But the first response of the librarian coordinator here: the camera would cost more than the librarian salary!

Dounko's title of the day

I asked our librarian animator what books he had been reading lately, and he summarized "Le Dernier Survivant De La Caravane" by Etienne Goyemide. A whole village is killed or captured by slavers, except for one man who was out hunting. he follows their trail of tears to the coast. A fateful choice there lies. Sounded pretty good.

Apparently it has been adapted as a dance performance in France (hip hop taking over the world?)

Le Dernier Survivant de la caravane
Chorégraphe et interprète Bouba Landrille Tchouda
Sur une trame et un titre empruntés au romancier centrafricain Etienne Goyémidé, accompagné par les rythmes et les chants pygmés, avec les mouvements de la capoeira et le son du berimbao, ou dans le souffle grondant d'un coeur battant, battu, Bouba Landrille Tchouda évoque la traite, la traque, la crainte, la contrainte, la puissance blessée, la force d'un corps vaincu mais rebelle... La fière méharée d'une Afrique meurtrie.

Want your child to be in the reading camp? A farmer from Popiho does...

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We are working in Ouagadougou to prepare the protocol/guide for our two week summer reading camp that we are going to run in the five villages. We already did the "pre-camp" reading tests, and informed students and parents. Apparently when the team was doing the tests, one father from Popiho, a village about 10km from the Bereba village library, told some members of our team that normally his son would come out and work in the fields during the summer, but this year he was going to make sure the boy could attend the camp, and spend the two weeks with relatives in Bereba.

A little anecdote that perfectly illustrates the point of the summer reading program: to encourage parents to give opportunities and time to their school children to read in the summer!

A short "mission-like" statement... and an anecdote

In an email exchange with another library supporter I tried to briefly convey what we are trying to do at FAVL:

We try to concentrate much more on the developmental/institutional side of the village library- the places where we operate have very low literacy, so 1000-2000 books is more than sufficient. We spent much of our attention on assuring that librarians are paid a regular salary, on training staff, on developing procedures for well-run libraries, on expanding the network of volunteers and "friends" who will sustain each rural library, on creating programs that will sustain readership (i.e. producing books for the local audience). Etc.

For example, we are developing a "guide" for our upcoming summer reading camp that will start in a couple of weeks. We've got a great dynamic young Burkinabe working with us on the camps. he has a lot of neat ideas. But many that need refinement. For example, this morning we were talking about his activities that he does in Ouagadougou with schools: "pantomime", he calls it. Groups of two-three students are given a short text, and they act it out silently. Think the tortoise and the hare, acted out by ten year olds. But when I pressed for details... the activity gets a little convoluted.
To paraphrase the conversation:
"Each group goes off and practices, and then they come back and each group in turn acts out the pantomime for the audience."
"But with a hundred kids that means you have to have 30 texts? That's a lot of work to develop the texts!"
"No! They all do the same texts."
"Huh? Why would they do the same texts?"
"Because the audience has to grade them. So it wouldn't be objective if they weren't doing the same thing."
"But, the audience is watching 30 groups do the pantomime of the same text... doesn't that get pretty boring after awhile?"
"Well, I guess it does..."
Anyway, you can see where the conversation headed. We agreed that the point of the pantomime exercise should be to have fun, and not to be graded!

Kate Parry writes from Uganda...

Another idea that has arisen out of my recent visit to British Columbia is to develop a library-to-library scheme. Two libraries near Vancouver, a public library and a college library, have agreed to collaborate to raise funds to support one library in Uganda.The project will be for a year in the first instance, but it is to be regarded as a pilot, to be continued and replicated if it turns out to be successful. I have been asked to identify the library to be supported, and our coordinator and I visited the one that we thought had the best profile for the purpose just last week. We came back sure that this should be the one: it has received hardly any foreign support and is consequently very short of books, and it is run entirely by a committee of retired people, who are very responsible but can't give it enough time. The library-to-library support will enable them to hire a librarian, to greatly increase the stock, and to begin organizing outreach programs. In return, they, or the librarian, will be expected to send regular reports to the supporters, with photos and other material, with the aim that it should be educationally useful, providing the donors with a sense of direct connection to Africa. I pointed out that the scheme would require a representative of the donor libraries to visit Uganda, and they jumped at the idea of doing that! Do you think that we might, perhaps through the American Library Association, or, indeed, through IFLA, identify other libraries who would be interested in participating in replicating this project with other Ugandan, or East African, libraries?

One more piece of information, and then I must close. we've now fixed the dates for our (that is, UgCLA's) workshop on how to initiate a community library: it will be on July 28th and 29th, with upcountry participants arriving on the evening of the 27th. It will be held at a place called Shine Hotel at Kansanga on the outskirts of Kampala. I'll be here for that, of course, and will then go to Tanzania on August 1st. I'll be there for a week, back at home for the weekend of the 8th and 9th, and then visiting libraries in Uganda between the 11th and the 13th. I leave on the 15th
and get back to NYC on the 19th.

Slow news isn't good news

FAVL blog is a little slow these days since I am traveling with 26 other family members. Lots of book reading also (my family are all readers). For myself, Italo Calvino, If on a winter's night a traveller... which my mother brought. A wonderful book for reading while traveling on a bus for hours at a time.

Unfortunately, while we are enjoying good weather, and Spain's victory, the rains in northern Ghana are not so pleasant, and they have blown the roof off the Sherigu library. Pictures at right. Some of you will recall this is the second such case- last year it was the Bereba library's turn. A sad fact of life in rural Africa that can only be resolved by... you guessed it... more careful attention, more work, more funds.

Almost unbearable to contemplate reading

Some books are going to be just too sad. A friend told me about Katherine Applegate's book, Home of the Brave, about a young Sudanese boy who comes as a refugee to the U.S. It is written in blank verse ( I suppose that is what is called). I just got a copy today, and read a few pages here and there. Sigh. It's what we all struggle for. So I will read on the plane next week as we set off for another trip to Burkina Faso. BTW, came across an excellent blog of short reviews of children's books- Little Blog of Stories.

How many visitors come to the library in Sherigu, Ghana?

PATRONAGE: Infact the level of patronage for the month of December 2007 was quite good but not as the past months. Statistics shows that this month has recorded 82 as its highest records, 13 as the lowest records for the daily statistics and 85 being the highest, 38 lowest recorded for the night time statistics.
The students also patronized the library very well throughout the year. The month of Jan. had the lowest patronage and Nov. had the highest. The table below shows the total statistics recorded for each month both day and night
MONTH Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May. Jun. Jul. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
DAY 980 857 1663 1636 835 940 1149 1634 2321 1328 1316 1006
NIGHT 590 1499 988 1037 1654 1458 1281 1323 1546 1990 2358 1224

Reading clubs are hard in Ghana... any suggestions?

Here is an except from the librarian of Sumbrungu (Darius Asanga) monthly report:

Last year about five literature books (Things fall apart) were brought by the Vice President of FAVL to introduce the reading club but for a while it was ceased with the explanation from some of the members that they are reading different literature books altogether in various schools. For instance, while some read “Things fall apart”, others read the “Gods are not to blame” and with this some found it not beneficiary on the part in reading those books they do not offer in their schools. A move was taken to replace the literature with novels but they claimed it was unhelpful to them since much time is required for their personal studies.

The books had been donated by the local Bay Area Ahmadiyya Community. We'll try to get the reading group back on track. Can you imagine not having time to read Chinua Achebe? Ghana- a country on the move too busy to read!

We think they are pretty cute...

FAVL volunteer Chelsea Rangel spent three months in Burkina Faso doing some amazing things in the library. One of her jobs was to pilot a new program we're working on for volunteers to produce "microbooks" that will be printed in very small runs, and will be very relevant to the local readers. Chelsea worked with the librarians and village residents to produce three books. The text is in French and Dioula, a language spoken by several million people in the region (also known as Bamana), but there are very few books in the Burkinabè version of Dioula. Volunteers Kathryn Ranney and Amy Reggio helped a lot with post-production, and the Santa Clara Rotary Club helped with a grant to cover most of the printing costs. Moquin Press up in Belmont, CA is about to print them up... here's some images. Charlie Wasser was great as the intermediary to lots of stuff to make this happen. We couldn't have done it without the constant encouragement of Kathy Knowles at Osu Children's Library Fund. To all... thanks!!!! These books will end up costing about $5 each, because of the limited small print run. Very few people in rural villages can afford to purchase a book at that price. The average daily wage in a village is something like 50 cents, so $5 is ten days of work. So we depend on grants like the one from Rotary and your generosity to be able to get these books to kids who will read them. Over and over again, in all likelihood.

News from Sumbrungu library...

Calabash Art and Computer classes. Sounds like high school everywhere. From Darius Asanga, Sumbrungu librarian:

As it was stated in the previous reports, which concerns of the change of syllabus of Junior High Schools in the education curriculum, as a result, new subjects were added and these subjects are French, Information Technology (I.C.T), Catering and Calabash Art which are made compulsory for every student to study. This, therefore, calls for the acquisition of such books to meet the yearning demand of the students. Meanwhile, most of them are also receiving their computer practice from the coordinator’s personal computer in the library. There is assurance that no matter how great the number is, each and every one will eventually get access to the computer for his or her practical. It is always done by selecting two to three students into the coordinator office by the computer master (Teacher) until every student had his/her practical, this desire of students to study computer leads to a suggesting that, if two or more computers could be acquire for the training of students it would have being another greatest achievement to the entire student body in the communities.

An interesting study on the quintessential book flood... high hopes and then "oops"

Extensive reading in Malawi: inadequate implementation or inappropriate innovation?
Eddie Williams
Journal of Research in Reading
Volume 30 Issue 1 Page 59-79, February 2007
Abstract
This article reports on the evaluation of an extensive reading programme in primary schools in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in Africa. The programme involved the delivery of book boxes at Years 4 and 5 to every Malawian primary school. Summative evaluation was achieved through baseline and project-end testing, with observations and interviews employed for illuminative purposes. A time-lapse design was employed, with testing in 1995 of Year 6 students (who had not had the programme in Years 4 and 5), and retesting in 1999 of Year 6 students in the same schools (who had had the programme in Years 4 and 5). Results unexpectedly showed a statistically significant decrease in mean score. The article explores deficiencies in programme implementation, but concludes that implementing educational innovations in Malawi requires sensitivity to the cultural-educational context. Furthermore, there is merit in Malawians radically questioning the appropriacy of innovations.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

It is not African, and I haven't read the book yet, but I do give myself license to write a short entry about the film by Julian Schnabel based on the book by Jean-Dominique Bauby. I would rather not say anything about what it is about, since I can think of nothing better than to have the privilege of watching this film without knowing in advance what happens. But even knowing (as I did) it is still remarkable and heartily recommended. Trust me. Helps if you're a francophile of course.

It makes me think. The Gates Foundation, I heard from a friend, is sponsoring macroeconomists to spend time in Africa to try to come up with solutions to solve problems. A very strange approach. Everyone understands that African polities are seriously messed up. One reason they are messed up is because civil society has few powerful tropes to combat the "leader", who basically says, "Don't even think about crossing me, I will put you in jail, and besides, if you did cross me and succeeded, the other guys behind me or you yourself would be even worse than I am." In a poor desperate society, where everyone knows how easy it is to lose in one day of violence the asset they've worked for years to acquire (a store, a bicycle, a mobilette, a car, a cow) the value placed on order is consequently immense.

Wouldn't Julian Schnabel be able to help with a little creative non-destructive disorder? Isn't African civil society likely to benefit more from visiting artists, poets, musicians, writers spending more time with their peers in Kigali, Nairobi and Brazzaville? Than from macroeconomists, I mean. Of all people.

(Insider comment: Is this a delayed reaction to Thomas Sargent's lag operators and inverting matrices that was inflicted on me like a punishment Year 1 of Ph.D. program? ;-)

Libraries are Key to Building Local Economic Base Says New Study

If true for U.S., imagine relevance for village Africa? Here's the link to the study, and an excerpt:

Public libraries build a community’s capacity for economic activity and resiliency, says a new study from the Urban Institute. Making Cities Stronger: Public Library Contributions to Local Economic Development adds to the body of research pointing to a shift in the role of public libraries -- from a passive, recreational reading and research institution to an active economic development agent, addressing such pressing urban issues as literacy, workforce training, small business vitality and community quality of life. ... As the strong correlation between investments in early literacy and long-term economic success is documented, public libraries are expanding beyond their traditional story time services, engaging in high-impact strategies with community partners. They are leading public awareness campaigns, reaching new mothers with materials and resources that promote reading early and often. Extensive community-wide training on early literacy with home and professional child care givers is increasing levels of school readiness and success. From Providence (RI) to San Luis Obispo (CA), public libraries are reaching young children and families in diverse neighborhoods. These services are the first link in a chain of investments needed to build the educated workforce that ensures local competitiveness in the knowledge economy.

Children's book Sikulu and Harambe

Steve Cisler

I'd like to write just a few words about Steve, but feel at a loss given the expanding circle of good friends of his who are writing remembrances. See, for example, this entry from boing boing that also gives a list of some other entries. I met Steve quite recently when he came to work at the Center for Science, Technology and Society at Santa Clara University. As a librarian he immediately offered wise counsel for our very small Friends of African Village Libraries project... Discussions with Steve were always hands-on... one day when talking about the pros and cons of computers in libraries in rural Africa, we'd end up exploring his OLPC computer. Another time, talking about making micro-books, a subject dear to both of us, he returned the next day with a little cut-and-paste do-it-yourself-through-folding book he had started exploring. I think he got a serious case of "West Africa/Peace Corps remembrance fever" with me, since I get to go to Burkina Faso so much. But he always approached things with equanimity- a plain-spoken, this is the way the world is quality that I found very appealing. The last time I spoke with Steve he told me he was quite ill, but I didn't appreciate just how much. But his tone was melancholy, and when I went home that afternoon it was a beautiful slightly stormy day, and two palm trees outside my home window were swaying in a way that reminded me of a Hollis Frampton movie I'd seen long ago. Looking for the movie online, I came across this clip of Hollis Frampton's short movie Gloria!, which I think perfectly encapsulates all the complex feelings we have about saying goodbye to a life well-lived and a person well-loved.

Writing at the periphery of literature

I gave a quick read to an interesting short book chapter:

Orthopraxy, Writing and Identity – Shaping lives through borrowed genres in Congo, by Jan Blommaert, in Jim Martin and Ruth Wodak (eds), Re/Reading the past, Amsterdam, 2003, 177-194.

Blommaert presents two texts written by Congolese sometime during the 1970s-80s. One is a kind of autobiography, the other a piece of history by a relatively well-known Congolese folk-painter Tshibumba Kanda Matulu. Both suggest how people without much formal education can nevertheless engage in literacy practices... but neither work was intended for mass publication- they were each intended for a "single" reader... makes one wonder how many books are out there unproduced...

Carole Bloch... interesting literacy activist - scholar in South Africa

I just stumbled across this summary of her dissertation. She seems to have enormous energy, producing children's books and cogent analysis... one extract:

One of the challenges we face in situations of scarcity is that every effort seems to be only a drop in the ocean, but at the same time a precious drop, and there is thus a tendency to try and achieve all things with each bit of material produced. We have to achieve a balance between allowing for free creative expression and making appropriate decisions that reflect considered values, positive role models and balanced perspectives for gender, age, rural-urban setting, disability, health, religion and so on. This is not to be politically correct, but a recognition that if we are to offer ways for all children to discover the joy of reading and come to experience it as personally meaningful and satisfying, they have to be able to find something of themselves in the text. It is when stories, including both their written and visual texts, are able to reach children at an affective level, ?in a warm emotional context? (Frost et al 2005:63) that they wield their magic and power. Sometimes rough, but authentic examples of the beginnings of this process exist in stories for young children. Brave Little Cat 2003), which arose from the first writers and illustrators workshop that I initiated and facilitated on behalf of PRAESA (see Appendix 1), tells a story about little Ra-cat, who had a lot to cope with:

Ra-cat felt sick as if there was a big storm going on in his stomach.
He didn’t know what to feel first.
Anger, sadness or loneliness.
And it was all his mom’s fault (Maqeba 2003:2).

His mom was drunk and didn’t care for him and he had to bare the derision of his
teacher and classmates when he came to school dirty. But he finally found friendship and a home with Chicky, whose mother took him under her wing, saying, “A young cat like you shouldn’t be alone with all his sorrow” (Maqeba 2003:22). It is a compelling story because it is written and illustrated from the heart of the author, Mzamo Maqeba and it speaks to the themes of innumerable childhoods, which can be dealt with in a story in powerful but subtle ways.

Now I want to read it!!!!

An Intro to Wole Soyinka & Death and the King's Horseman

Books for Niankorodougou

FAVL was pleased to be able to help the library of Niankordougou with two boxes of books, from the 65 donated by the Burkinabe Ministry of Culture... this is FAVL in action, as a support for community libraries! Pictured from left are Meghann Coughlin, Peace Corps volunteer, Moussa Ouattara, niankordodougou librarian, and Viviane Nabie, FAVL rep in Ouagadougou.

David Pace and Kathy Knowles photo exhibit...

Just a few quick shots from FAVL Treasurer Deb Garvey...

Available for free download... reader development in Africa

Reader Development and Reading Promotion: Recent experiences from seven countries in Africa

I browsed through some of the chapters online- pretty spotty in terms of quality, unfortunately. But great as an introduction and way to get some ideas. The publisher's blurb:

Reader development activities by public libraries in different regions of Africa are examined through a case study approach. Reading has a crucial role to play in creating independent learners, and in helping people understand themselves and others better. Although the promotion of books and reading has long been an activity carried out by libraries, the recognition that librarians need to be actively involved in the reading development of children, young people and adults is a recent development. Among the programmes included are books for infants, reading competitions, reading tents, reading enrichment schemes, book-based literacy instruction, women's reading corners, promotion of reading to adult learners.

The publication of this book is the result of requests made by participants at a workshop on Reader Development and Reading Promotion, held during the Standing Conference of Eastern, Central and Southern African Librarians (SCECSAL) in Johannesburg in April 2002. Financial assistance has been made available through The Carnegie Corporation of New York's current programme supporting the development of public libraries in Africa.

Meghann's blog for Niankorodougou library

Peace Corps volunteer Meghann Coughlin just created a library blog which she will be posting regular updates to.... check it out.

This speaks to a broader project we are slowly undertaking at FAVL, which is to get every community library in Sub-Saharan Africa mapped onto Google Earth, and linked to a library blog like Meghann's, so that ultimately anyone, anywhere, who wants to be a "friend" of a small community library in Africa can look up the community libraries in the geographic area and also read blog entries and comments to find out how the libraries are doing. And then.... once the libraries themselves are electrified and connected to the Internet, the libraries can use the tool to "associate" amongst themselves. If Jeffrey Sachs is the winner of the "my idea is right and will come to pass" race, then all should be in place by 2015. If Bill Easterly wins the race, then 2030. If Paul Collier is right, then the bottom billion that we are talking about here can't expect to live in the world of information flowing freely until 2050.... I'm a Collierite, so am fully committed to being there in 2050 for the virtual ribbon cutting ceremony.

Not at all bad French novel by Yasmina Reza - Adam Haberberg

As the New York Times review suggests at the end, this novel can be read in about three hours. Basically a variant of L'Etranger... what are we doing here on this earth? How do we achieve meaning in our lives? Not sure that there was much wisdom in the end, but it's a good read in terms of posing the question. Reza had a short profile in The New Yorker- she's apparently just written a 'campaign trail' book about Sarkozy, whom she followed around.

65 boxes of books on the way....

The Ministry of Culture of Burkina Faso, through the offices of the National Library of Burkina Faso, donated 65 boxes of French books, a mix of used and new books, to the five libraries supported by FAVL in the province of Tuy. Here's the photo of the presentation of the donation. There's a check with the books too, but that's still winding its way through the bureaucracy. FAVL and the five libraries are very grateful to the Ministry of Culture. It's really rewarding to see the Ministry rewarding our local-international NGO partnership. We hope it is just the beginning of a productive relationship. Featured in the photo are FAVL representative Viviane Nabie (first from left) and FAVL regional coordinator Koura Donkoui (third from left), along with representative from the National Center for the Reading and Culture (CENALAC), Madame Zoungrana Laurence (fourth from left) and a representative of the National Library, BANSERNE Stéphane (second from left).

[in French, from the monthly librarian meeting in Burkina Faso] Rappel des taches gerants entretien des bibliothiques

Ce volet a été exposé par OUEDRAOGO Bibata gérante de la bibliothèque de Koumbia. Elle s’est inspirée du manuel du bibliothécaire pour rappeler tout d’abord les tâches des gérants avant de s’attarder sur la question entretien bibliothèques. A ce sujet, elle a parlé de la propreté de la bibliothèque et de la cour, le rangements des livres la consécration des archives, la mise à jour des cahiers de travail. Ensuite la parole a été donnée aux participants d’apporter des compléments, des suggestions sur la question l’entretien de la bibliothèque. Sur ce point, les intervenants ont souligné que la propreté des lieux constitue la première image du gérant. La première impression d’un visiteur est relative à ces aspects. Il est demande au gérant chaque bibliothèque d’en faire tâche préliminaire et quotidienne pour que ce lieu soit attrayant. D’autres ajouteront que "la propreté est l’image du gérant" les observations de CHELSEA sur la question ont porté sur le rongements des cartons et autres papiers qu’elle a rencontre dans certaines bibliothèques. Elle suggère une bonne organisation et dispersion des cartons et autre papiers déposés dans les bibliothèque. Selon les débats, la propreté atterrie les lecteurs. Des difficultés ont été évoquées quant à la salissure fréquente par les enfants en dehors des heures d’ouverture. Les uns et les autres ont trouve que cela est assez intéressant car ces mêmes enfants constituent des futurs lecteurs voir des lecteurs. Il n’est pas nécessaire de les chasser ou de les interdire plutôt de les sensibiliser pour avoir les bonne manières sur la propreté. Pourquoi ne pas organiser des journées de salubrité en les impliquant? Beaucoup d’entre eux pourraient acquérir des savoirs être dans le domaine de la propreté. En conclusion il est recommandé à tous les gérants de prendre toutes les dispositions pour maintenir les bibliothèques propres, organiser de temps en temps des journées de salubrité, enlever les toiles d’araignée.

Gender differences in reading in the U.S.

From a paper "Children reading fiction books because they want to" by Jan C. van Ours, January, 2006, available here through SSRN, the following summary of a paper by Tepper intrigued me because the surveys I have been doing in Burkina Faso find no big gender differences in reading habits of secondary school students.

Tepper (2000) investigates why in the US women are more than twice as likely to be readers of fiction than men. He has two competing hypotheses. One hypothesis is that women read more fiction because cultural norms and patterns of socialization emphasize fiction reading as an appropriate activity for young girls. The other hypothesis is that women read more because they develop the cognitive skills necessary to read at an earlier age than boys do and remain more proficient readers throughout their lifetimes. In other words, the two competing hypotheses are that women read more fiction either because they are encouraged to read by parents and teachers, or because they are better readers. Tepper concludes that the data provide strong support for the socialization theory and virtually no support for the cognition arguments: many American parents view fiction reading as an appropriate activity for girls and as inappropriate for boys.

And here is a nice blog post from Purple Motes on the subject.

Dirtbags?

An Initiative on Reading Is Rated Ineffective

Sam Dillon
The New York Times

Published: May 2, 2008

President Bush’s $1 billion a year initiative to teach reading to low-income children has not helped improve their reading comprehension, according to a Department of Education report released on Thursday.

The program, known as Reading First, drew on some of Mr. Bush’s educational experiences as Texas governor, and at his insistence Congress included it in the federal No Child Left Behind legislation that passed by bipartisan majorities in 2001. It has been a subject of dispute almost ever since, however, with the Bush administration and some state officials characterizing the program as beneficial for young students, and Congressional Democrats and federal investigators criticizing conflict of interest among its top advisers.

“Reading First did not improve students’ reading comprehension,” concluded the report, which was mandated by Congress and carried out by the Department of Education’s research arm, the Institute of Education Sciences. “The program did not increase the percentages of students in grades one, two or three whose reading comprehension scores were at or above grade level.”

The study, “Reading First Impact Study: Interim Report,” analyzes the performance of students in 12 states who were in grades one to three during the 2004-5 and 2005-6 school years. It is to be followed early in 2009 with a final report that will analyze additional follow-up data, the institute’s director, Grover J. Whitehurst said.

Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and President Bush have consistently extolled Reading First as a highly effective program. But last year, Congressional Democrats reduced financing for the program for this year by about 60 percent, to about $400 million from the $1 billion it had received in several previous years.

On Thursday, Ms. Spellings had no comment on the study. Amanda Farris, a deputy assistant secretary of education, said in a statement that Ms. Spellings planned to look at the study “to inform our efforts,” and would “look forward to reviewing the final report.”

Ms. Farris said that one of the consistent messages Ms. Spellings has heard from educators, principals and state administrators “is about the effectiveness of the Reading First program in their schools and their disappointment with Congress” for cutting its financing.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat who is chairman of the education committee, and who has long criticized the program, said, “The Bush administration has put cronyism first and the reading skills of our children last, and this report shows the disturbing consequences.”

In 2006, John Higgins, the department’s inspector general, reported that federal officials and private contractors with ties to publishers had advised educators in several states to buy reading materials for the Reading First program from those publishers.

The Reading First director, Chris Doherty, resigned in 2006, days before the release of Mr. Higgins’s report, which disclosed a number of e-mail messages in which Mr. Doherty referred to contractors or educators who favored alternative curriculums seen as competitors to the Reading First approach as “dirtbags” who he said were “trying to crash our party.”