Newspapers in the Classroom Result in Higher Scores

National research conducted by Dr. Dan Sullivan of the University of Minnesota shows that students who use newspapers in class score better on standardized reading tests than those who don’t. The study examined programs in 22 cities across the country—with a combined 2,900 schools—and in all 22 cases, students who used newspapers achieved higher standardized reading test scores than those who didn’t have access to newspapers in the classroom. The study results were reported in 2002 by the Newspaper Association of America Foundation.

Positive Impact of Newspapers in the Classroom

Statistics from the study consistently demonstrate the measurable, positive impact of newspapers in the classroom. Because news stories display clear and concise writing in several different writing models, including narrative, persuasive and expository, students learn to read and comprehend various types of content. In addition, newspapers bridge the gap between the real world and the classroom, helping students to learn life skills, make career decisions and become motivated learners.

Special Education Weekly News Stories

News-2-You is n2y’s weekly newspaper that brings the world to students in special education classrooms. This weekly newspaper provides students with rich literacy and language instruction through developmentally appropriate and age-respectful current events content for all grade levels.

The weekly main feature story, plus stories on people and places and additional activities—all utilizing various writing models—help students to learn about world events. Additional pages reinforce vocabulary introduced in the main feature story. News-2-You also allows students to create a strong school-to-home connection with Class News, a feature that enables them to create a variety of their own newspapers.

Daily Breaking News and Activities

Daily breaking news stories, accompanied by Google Maps that show where the news is happening, further engage students with the world around them. Five different reading levels—regular, higher, simplified, advanced and text-only—along with varying reading speeds, text-to-speech enablement and answer highlighting, facilitate the creation and growth of lifelong readers, regardless of their specific needs.

At n2y, we believe that everyone can learn and reading is an essential building block in the foundation for learning. As Dr. Sullivan’s research shows, newspapers in the classroom give students an essential boost in their ability to read, and News-2-You provides that critical link for students in special education classrooms.