A Virginia ‘School-Wide Read’ Has Sparked Engagement in Classes and Literacy

At one Virginia middle school, an annual school-wide book club has sparked student engagement, connection and increased interest in reading.

Official response and confirmed impact

While the “school read” may sound like just another assignment, it has evolved into a tradition at Salem Church Middle School near Richmond, Virginia, and has become a way to change the culture around reading at a time when fewer teens are reading for pleasure and fewer parents are reading to younger children.

“For some students, it is incredibly engaging,” said school librarian Danielle Schafer, who helped create the program in 2021 and continues to lead it.

“They get to make these connections and see other people’s lives [through books],” she said, adding the read also offers a “common ground” for students to talk to peers they may not otherwise and develop more friendships.

More than 800 students, from sixth through eighth grade, are assigned the same novel at the beginning of the year.

Throughout a four to six week period, every student reads together and discusses the book several times during 30-minute homeroom periods.

Every year, the book chosen by Schafer is tied to a bigger initiative with lasting changes.