National Audiobook Challenge Celebrates Record Numbers of Students Reading Across America

Learning Ally's 2023 Great Reading Games

PRINCETON, N.J., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Learning Ally, a national nonprofit working with U.S. schools to strengthen reading outcomes and improve equitable access to grade-level books, has wrapped up its seventh annual Great Reading Games. The organization celebrated a record number of K-12 participants, more than 186,600 students who read more than 39 million pages in just seven weeks.

The finale of this award-winning audiobook challenge coincides with "Read Across America," and is designed to support teachers who encourage at-risk students to read. Students with dyslexia and other learning barriers explore personal reading interests, while building foundational skills in vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. As a result, many students feel more empowered as independent readers and learners.

During the Great Reading Games, educators report deeper connections with students and positive academic outcomes, such as the ability for more struggling readers to read grade-level material, doubling reading frequency in just 50 days, and enhancing reading scores. Innovative teachers have also leveraged this event to enhance their teaching capacity, and to expand their class and school libraries with accessible books. Literacy leaders have implemented school-wide initiatives to create a culture of strong, inclusive readers, and taken steps to broaden their professional knowledge on the science of reading.

This year's top school winners are:

• Roosevelt Elementary School, CA
• Independence High School, IN
• Patrick Francis Healy Middle School, NJ
• Weirton Heights Elementary School, WV
• Atascocita Middle School, TX
• East Woods Intermediate School, OH
• Atascocita High School, TX
• East Orange STEM Academy, NJ
• Vertical Skills Academy, CO
• Dionne Warwick Institute, NJ
• Renner Academy, TX
• Mid Prairie Home School Education Center, IA

Dr. Terrie Noland, Learning Ally's VP of Educator Initiatives said, "It's always thrilling to wrap up another successful year of the Great Reading Games. When educators tell us, "I can't believe how many students are now reading on grade-level," or a particular student "shined" in this reading challenge," or that schools have implemented a "read for 20 minutes a day initiative," these are the best results we could hope for."

Pre-made teacher resources for the Great Reading Games are ready to launch for educator members. Learning Ally's app tracks students' reading activity on a sliding point schedule incentivizing students to read in and out of the school day. Students accumulate points in one of 12 brackets based on grade-level and school size. Top winners include schools, teachers and students, who can win digital gift cards and national recognition.

The Great Reading Games concluded in a celebrity livestream event to discuss the importance of reading to learn and reading for pleasure. This year's guest author, Carmen Agra Deedy, wrote several bestsellers, including The Library Dragon, The Cheshire Cheese Cat, 14 Cows for America, and Wombat Said Come In! "Never give up…keep reading," was Agra Deedy's parting message to students.

Learn more about the Great Reading Games.

Learning Ally is a leading education nonprofit dedicated to empowering educators with proven solutions that help new and struggling learners reach their potential. Our range of literacy-focused offerings for students in Pre-K to 12th grade and catalog of professional learning allows us to support more than 2 million students and 445,000 educators across the United States.

www.learningally.org/educators. 800-221-1098.

Media Contact: Valerie Chernek 
[email protected]
410-960-4060

SOURCE Learning Ally