The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books
To Read in College, It Helps to Have Read in High School
According to a recent article in The Atlantic written by Rose Horowitch, college professors are increasingly noticing that even students at elite universities struggle to keep up with reading assignments.
This isn’t just a problem of attention spans; many students are unprepared for the demands of college-level reading. The trend is alarming, with educators reporting that incoming students cannot read entire books or stay engaged with long-form texts.
So, what happened?
Why are students accepted into prestigious universities now finding it difficult to read even short poems or finish assigned novels?
And more importantly, how can you ensure that your child develops the reading skills necessary for academic success?
The Rise of Digital Distraction and Decline of Deep Reading
One of the biggest reasons students struggle today is the rise of digital distractions. Studies, including reports from the American Psychological Association, show that today’s students spend significantly more time on smartphones than in previous years, reshaping how they process information. Research indicates that constant exposure to short-form digital content, such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, fragments attention spans, making it harder for students to engage in deep reading. This frequent switching between tasks encourages skimming rather than comprehension, leading to difficulty with sustained focus.
According to the American Psychological Association, the percentage of teenagers who read for fun daily dropped from 27% in 2012 to just 14% by 2022. This sharp decline reflects a broader trend of reduced reading for pleasure among young people, likely driven by the constant pull of social media. Unlike social media’s quick, bite-sized content, reading books requires deep focus and prolonged engagement—skills that are becoming harder to cultivate in today’s digital age.
The Problem Starts in High School (or Earlier)
Another reason for this decline is changes in school curricula. According to an EdWeek Research Center survey, only 17% of third-to-eighth-grade educators said they primarily teach whole texts. Instead, students are given excerpts or short informational texts that prepare them for standardized tests. While these shorter texts teach valuable skills like summarizing and identifying main ideas, they don’t help students develop the stamina to finish entire books.
In the long run, this approach can lead to students arriving at college without ever having read a book cover to cover, making them unprepared for the heavy reading load required at the university level.
The Benefits of Deep Reading: Why It’s Important to Start Early
Reading deeply—meaning reading a text in its entirety and engaging with its themes, characters, and ideas—offers numerous cognitive benefits. It promotes critical thinking, empathy, and self-reflection by immersing readers in the perspectives and experiences of others. According to neuroscientist Maryanne Wolf, deep reading stimulates areas of the brain associated with reasoning and emotional understanding, allowing readers to engage critically and empathetically with texts. You can read more in Maryanne Wolf’s Proust and the Squid. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a commission from qualifying purchase of this book.
How You Can Help Your Child Develop Deep Reading Skills
The good news is, there are ways to prepare your child to become a lifelong reader—before they even reach college. Here’s how:
Encourage Reading Habits Early.
Start by making reading a daily habit. Whether it’s reading together as a family or having your child read independently, consistency is key to building reading stamina.
Use a Reading Tracker.
Visual tracking can motivate your child to stay consistent. Learning ReEngineered’s Book Adventure Log and Daily Reading Dash help children track the books they’ve read and keep up with their reading streaks.
Make Reading Fun with Games.
Interactive games like Guess the Word and Story Time Mad Libs make reading a fun activity. These games don’t require much preparation and can be played during or after reading.
Use a Personalized Reading Plan.
Learning ReEngineered’s Family Reading Guide GPT can help you create personalized reading plans tailored to your child’s interests, ensuring they are engaged with content they’ll enjoy.
How the Family Reading Starter Kit Can Help
One of the biggest challenges parents face is encouraging their children to read consistently. That’s where Learning ReEngineered’s Family Reading Starter Kit comes in. This all-in-one toolkit provides everything needed to build essential reading habits, including personalized reading plans, interactive games, and printable trackers. By making reading a fun, manageable daily habit, this starter kit supports your child in developing the focus, stamina, and skills they’ll need for academic success.
The Family Reading Starter Kit equips both parents and kids with tools to track progress and reinforce consistent reading habits. By using this kit, you’re giving your child a strong foundation in critical thinking, empathy, and focus—skills that will benefit them not just in school, but throughout their lives.
The Importance of Starting Now
If today’s elite college students are struggling to read, it’s a wake-up call for parents everywhere. Developing strong reading skills takes time, and it’s important to start early. By fostering a love for reading and helping your child engage deeply with books, you’re setting them up for long-term success—not just in school, but in life.
Benefits You Can Expect
Restore Your Child’s Attention Span and Focus.
The Reading Trackers help your child regain the focus and attention span they need to succeed academically by tracking reading sessions, which train them to concentrate on longer texts without feeling overwhelmed. By letting kids see their reading progress, the trackers encourage consistency and motivate them to stay on track, gradually improving their attention span.
Build Critical Thinking and Empathy.
The Reading Games Cheat Sheet offers fun, interactive games that challenge kids to think deeply about stories, analyze characters, and reflect on what they’ve read. These activities build essential cognitive and emotional skills that will prepare them for deeper reading and thoughtful analysis in both school and life.
Prevent Future Academic Struggles.
The Family Reading Guide GPT sets your child on the path to academic success by fostering strong, consistent reading habits—habits crucial for tackling the complex texts they’ll encounter in school. With personalized reading plans aligned to your child’s interests and reading level, it keeps them engaged and motivated, building the endurance they need for longer, more challenging texts.
By combining the Reading Trackers, Reading Games Cheat Sheet, and Family Reading Guide GPT, the Family Reading Starter Kit empowers your child with the focus, critical thinking, and reading habits essential to confidently tackle academic challenges and develop a lifelong love for books.