Source: Fortune.com
Summary
A professor at Amherst College notes a decline in students’ reading habits, with many asking how to skim texts instead of reading them thoroughly. A 2024-2025 survey found that high school English teachers assigned an average of 2.81 full books a year, down from four books annually in 2008-2009. Only 49% of adults reported reading at least one book in the past year, down from 55% a decade earlier. The professor tries to teach close reading and assigns a course called “Why Read?” to help students understand the value of reading.
Our Reading
The numbers tell one story. Students are no longer reading entire books, and it’s not just a matter of being underprepared. The decline in reading habits is a trend that started long before these students reached college. The professor’s attempt to teach close reading and assign a course on the value of reading is a drop in the bucket compared to the larger issue. The real question is, what’s driving this decline in literacy rates? Is it a lack of emphasis on reading in K-12 education, or something more systemic? “Higher education will have a bleak future if we can’t teach students to read entire books.”
Author: Evan Null
