A reading school is a condition for equal opportunities for every child is the title of an expert publication written by an unusual team of authors: academic lecturers,
and business representatives, teachers and representatives of non-governmental organizations and cultural institutions jointly created and wrote down the vision of a school educating children
in the reading ecosystem. Reading School this is the first expert material from the informal coalition Reading Poland and this is where the author team comes from. Printed copies will be sent to education experts across the country. The digital publication can be downloaded for free at fpc.org.pl/czytacaszkola.
According to the authors, the postulated Reading School, is an environment that aims to create and support a reading ecosystem around every child; an ecosystem that consists of wide and friendly access to books and a regular and highly visible pattern of adult readers.
The above postulate means developing several key elements for success at the school level. Developing a strategy for building children's reading competences based on fun and pleasure is the first step. A plan for cooperation between the school and parents in the area of reading is the difficult second element. The authors' third postulate is to introduce a system for early assessment of children's reading competences and effective and quick "catching up" where it is indicated - to make it easier for children with lower competences to learn and to equalize the level. The next element is an open, friendly library also equipped with books chosen by children, then the involvement of the entire staff in the implementation of the strategy for building a reading ecosystem, and not just the Polish teacher and librarian, the inclusion of bibliotherapy and alternative methods of teaching reading, to make it easier for children with special educational needs to learn to read.
The vision presented in the publication, as the authors emphasize, is not revolutionary. A reading school is a vision in which every child has a real chance of success in their chosen field, teachers in cooperation with parents focus their efforts where it is needed and achieve a common, well-defined goal, and the management, fulfilling its leadership role, celebrates the successes that the school community achieves. We believe that a reading school is a vision that is most feasible.. – declares the author's team on the cover of the publication.
The idea of developing a reading ecosystem has been an area of my research (and my passion!) for many years. I am extremely glad that it has been developed in the form of the publication "Reading School". Reflections on the functioning of books and reading in schools are very much needed today, preparing a new core curriculum for the Polish language is a great task, in the implementation of which such publications will be a great inspiration. - Dr. Kinga Białek, lecturer at the PAFW and UW School of Education, head of the team that developed the shortened core curriculum for the Polish language, co-author Reading school.
The publication was created by a team from many cities and sectors: the publication was created between Krakow, Wroclaw, Katowice and Warsaw, with the involvement of lecturers from the University of Warsaw, the Jagiellonian University and SWPS, representatives of the School of Education Foundation, the Edico Foundation, the Czas Dzieci Foundation, the Powszechnego Czytania Foundation, the Mamania publishing house, the Psychologia Edukacyjna company and the Book Institute.
Our publication was created with the participation of representatives of really different environments, and the work on it reflected the current discussions on reading in school. Initially, we focused on readings, but it quickly turned out that this is only a fragment of the complex reality of school. That is why in the end we created a kind of practical guide on the role
and the place of books in the education system. We believe that it will be useful to all those who have an impact on the daily life of the school. – emphasizes Agnieszka Rasińska-Bóbr, deputy director of the Book Institute, responsible for the work of the “Book at school” table within the Reading Poland Coalition.
The paths we manage to take to achieve something surprise us. The idea to talk about the functioning of reading in school came from Katarzyna Łakomik from the Association of Literary Translators, who was only able to take part in the workshops once and is not a co-author of the brochure created thanks to her wonderful inspiration. This shows that it is worth talking, being inspired, throwing in ideas – sometimes they fall on good ground! – said Maria Deskur, president of the Universal Reading Foundation, co-author of the publication.
The partners of the publication are: Nowa Era and the "Dyrektor Szkola" Magazine, Krakow with the Krakow Festival Office, Wroclaw with the Wroclaw House of Literature, the City of Gdansk and the Polish Chamber of Books. The honorary patronage over the publication is assumed by the National Library, the National Center for Culture and the National Program for the Development of Reading 2.0,
and the Book Institute.
Reading School is marked with the logotype Reading Poland. The coalition of this name is, as you can read on its members' websites, an informal coalition of people, institutions and companies that are united by the awareness that the future of Poland depends on how much we can raise the level of reading. Numerous studies confirm that the private activity of reading books translates into an improvement in the life chances of an individual and - consequently - huge social benefits: an increase in the number of citizens participating in social and economic life, an increase in the scientific, economic and innovative potential of the country. The Coalition currently includes over 40 organizations from all over Poland and from various sectors.
Title: A reading school is a condition of equal opportunities for every child. Reflections on the strategy of functioning of books in school
Authors: Dr. Kinga Białek (School of Education of the Polish-American Freedom Foundation and the University of Warsaw), Prof. Krzysztof Biedrzycki (Institute of Educational Research, Jagiellonian University), Maria Deskur (Foundation for Universal Reading), Dr. Joanna Dobkowska (University of Warsaw), Agnieszka Karp-Szymańska (CzasDzieci Foundation), Wioletta Maciejewska (6th General Secondary School in Wrocław), Karina Mucha (Educational Psychology, SWPS), Edyta Plich (Edico Foundation), Agnieszka Rasińska-Bóbr (Book Institute), Aleksandra Ruszkowska (Mamania Publishing House).
Illustrations: Joanna Bay
Graphic design: Dorota Nowacka
ISBN: 978-83-961299-9-4
Printing funded by the Printing House Abedik
The publication is free of charge, available for download from the websites of partner organizations, including: https://fpc.org.pl/czytajacaszkola/
