My inbox of full of education related news. I sign up for tons of newsletters from places like Reading Rockets, The National Council of Teachers of English, and The International Reading Association. I love reading all the teaching tidbits, book recommendations and policy news that comes my way.

Given the climate in public education today, however, the news can sometimes seem a bit dire. I was thrilled, therefore, to open up a link from Education News with good news of my favorite kind. The title of the article reads, “Census: Parents Reading More With Their Children.”

The article goes on to report that,

“Among children in poverty, 45 percent of 1- and 2-year-olds and 40 percent of children ages 3 to 5 had parents who read to them at least seven times a week in 2009; by contrast, in 1998, among families in poverty, only 37 percent of the toddlers and 34 percent of the preschoolers read with their families as often. The proportion of low-income children being read to by their families increased faster than for their wealthier peers.”

I will admit that the cynic in me couldn’t help but think of the unemployment numbers and the class divisions we are experiencing in the United States today. Is it possible the numbers changed because these parents are no longer working and have the time to spend with their children? Perhaps. But I will chose to be joyful and pleased that reading is what people are doing, even if it under less than ideal circumstances.

Have you heard any good news lately? If so, feel free to share…