Support the Right to Read Act: For The Next Generation

Today I take pen in hand to ask you to co-sponsor the Right to Read Act, reintroduced in the House and Senate. This legislation is intended to ensure every student has access to an effective school library staffed by a certified school librarian. Education is always something we should invest in. The returns are clear, a better life for all. Right now, 2.5 million students attend districts without a school library, and 30% of schools lack a single full-time librarian. The research is clear: students with access to full-time, state-certified librarians have 73% higher literacy rates than those in schools without adequately resourced libraries. This has been studied with more than fifty years of research. In all more than sixty studies confirms that robust school libraries improve academic performance, and this would affirm and enhance our understanding of how people learn. The Right to Read Act would authorize $500 million in Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grants and increase funding for the Innovative Approaches to Literacy program by $100 million. It would also protect teachers and librarians from liability as book bans spread across the country, threatening students' access to appropriate educational materials. Every child deserves the resources to become a strong reader, and a thinking, insightful citizen. This bill delivers those resources to the students who need them most: low-income and minority students, children with disabilities, and English language learners. Please Co-sponsor this legislation. Thank you.