The Christian Science Monitor (5/13, Brown) reports that Common Sense Media on Monday released a report which found that teens and children are reading for fun less than in previous years. According to the report, “the proportion who say they ‘never’ or ‘hardly ever’ read for fun has gone from 8 percent of 13-year-olds and 9 percent of 17-year-olds in 1984 to 22 percent and 27 percent respectively today.” The Monitor points out that the report highlighted a growing gap in reading proficiency between white students and black and Hispanic students, citing National Center for Education Statistics data which said that “Only 18 percent of black and 20 percent of Hispanic fourth graders are rated as ‘proficient’ in reading, compared with 46 percent of whites.”

Child-Advocacy Group Says More Research Needed On Digital Reading. Education Week (5/13, Herold) reports that a new study from child-advocacy group Common Sense Media contends that additional research is needed on “the impact of digital technology on children’s reading.” The report, entitled “Children, Teens, and Reading,” claims that the increasing use of digital devices has caused “a major disruption” in the way teens and children read as well as what they read and when. According to Education Week, the group is calling for additional research on e-reading in several areas, including how they are used, how they affect the amount children read, and its impact on literacy.