BALTIMORE, MD--(Marketwire - March 2, 2010) - Research has shown a link between a child's academic success and his or her reading experience at home. To get students excited about reading and encourage more adults to spend time reading with children, Sylvan Learning is partnering with the National Education Association (NEA) to celebrate the 14th anniversary of NEA's Read Across America and the 106th birthday of the late Dr. Seuss on March 2, 2010.
"The more children read, the more they'll enjoy reading and the better readers they're likely to become," said Richard E. Bavaria, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Education Outreach for Sylvan Learning, the nation's leading provider of supplemental assistance for children in grades pre-K through 12. "NEA's Read Across America is a day to celebrate the joy of reading and recognize reading's importance in school and throughout life. We love reading. And, as educational partners, the NEA and Sylvan Learning want all children to love reading as well."
The National Center for Educational Statistics (January 2009) national reading assessment of fourth-grade students found that reading for fun had a positive relationship to performance on reading test scores. Generally, students who reported reading for fun on their own time once a month or more performed at the Proficient level, while students who never or hardly ever read for fun performed at the Basic level. Students who read for fun every day scored the highest.
"Just as the fun words of Dr. Seuss make children want to turn the pages again and again, NEA's Read Across America revs up young readers by showing them that reading can be fun -- one rhyme at a time," said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel. "Part of Read Across America's phenomenal success is its diverse participation from more than 45 million readers nationwide. With Sylvan Learning's help, our commitment to building a nation of readers can be realized."
From coast-to-coast, Sylvan educators will join with teachers, students, and parents to encourage a love of reading in local communities by creating reading events to literally read across North America! To find out what's happening when Seuss is on the loose and to pledge to read on March 2, visit www.SylvanLearning.com/ReadAcrossAmerica.
To encourage a love of reading, Sylvan offers a variety of tools for parents searching for ways to nurture their child's reading behaviors -- including grade-specific tips, ideas for reading at home and helpful hints for raising enthusiastic readers. For additional information, visit the "Parent Resources" section of www.SylvanLearning.com or call 1-800-31-SUCCESS. To utilize BookAdventure.com, a free, Sylvan-created interactive, reading motivation program where children in grades K-8 choose books from more than 7,000 titles, take short comprehension quizzes, and redeem accumulated points for small prizes, visit www.BookAdventure.com. For additional information concerning NEA's Read Across America, visit www.NEA.org.
About Sylvan Learning
Sylvan Learning is the leading provider of tutoring to students of all ages, grades and skill levels. With 30 years of experience and more than 900 centers located throughout North America, Sylvan's proven process and personalized methods have inspired more than 2 million students to discover the joy of learning. Sylvan's trained and Sylvan-certified instructors provide individualized instruction in reading, writing, mathematics, study skills and test prep for college entrance and state exams. Sylvan transforms students into inspired learners with the skills and confidence to excel in school and beyond. Visit www.DrRickBlog.com to share your personal academic experiences and comment on educational trends. For more information, call 1-800-31-SUCCESS or visit www.SylvanLearning.com.
About The National Education Association
The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty and staff, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.