Teacher reads to elementary school pupils. Getty Images Stock Photo
One of the greatest and most transformative gifts we can give Black children is a love of reading.
Reading promotes language and thinking skills and leads to academic achievement.
It sparks creativity. It helps kids develop empathy and understanding. It improves concentration and discipline.
For kids, reading well by the end of third grade is not only an educational milestone, but also key to lifelong health. This critical like skill helps them with all other learning. It’s so important that if children reach it, they’re four times more likely to graduate from high school.
According to a 2022 study, 12% of Pennsylvania’s Black fourth graders scored at or above goal on national reading tests. Their White counterparts scored 51%. This gap is, in part, the result of structural racism like inequitable school funding and lack of culturally relevant teacher training, as well as unequal access to educational resources, housing, health care, and employment.
These complex structural issues demand solutions focused on dismantling the white-centric nature of our education system.
One solution got its start in 2018. At the University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development, as part of the Early School-Age Scientific Committee, a literacy intervention began to take shape for Black students in Allegheny County in kindergarten through 3rd grade.
Called the 3Rs, the intervention is part of The Pittsburgh Study and stands for Reading, Racial Equity, and Relationships. It’s based on research about what increases a child’s literacy development. That includes high-quality literacy experiences, racial literacy, and adults who are involved with children’s literacy at all stages of their development and in all places, not just in the classroom.
DR. SHALLEGRA MOYE
Founded on this research, the catalyst for creating the 3Rs relied on community input. “For too long, Black children haven’t reached grade-level reading milestones,” notes Dr. Shallegra Moye, Associate Director for Equity, Justice, & Strategic Initiatives at the Office of Child Development and 3Rs Co-Lead. “To create an effective strategy to change that, we had to have input from Black community members.”
During the planning stage of the 3Rs, former Program Director Sharon Geibel listened to educators, parents, taxpayers, clergy, and literacy organizations in the community. “They helped us develop a program with joy and depth — one that our county’s Black children and families deserve,” explains Dr. Moye.
To foster a child’s love of reading, the 3Rs team works with students’ families, classroom teachers, community organizations, and local leaders. “Everything we do is in lockstep with the community,” say Dr. Moye. “Literacy doesn’t develop in a single setting, like a classroom, but in the child’s ecosystem.”
At the center of 3Rs are high-quality, racially affirming picture books that promote student, teacher, and parent learning and counter the anti-Blackness narratives of our country’s educational policies, procedures, resources, and practices.
For students, the books are identity-affirming. They feature Black children, families, and communities in warm, joyful, and genuine situations. They focus on topics like history, justice, and action. They help students develop a strong sense of self and an understanding of the world they live in, including the complexities of race.
“In these books, Black children discover Black characters who are doing amazing things,” says Dr. Moye. “Readers share the characters’ hopes, dreams, and desires. Each book’s identity-affirming message counteracts the negative messages Black children implicitly and explicitly receive about their world and their place in it.”
Educators — 95% of whom are White in Allegheny County — receive the books at no cost. The stories help teachers and staff uncover, question, and understand their own feelings about race, including their biases, beliefs, and positions on justice and equity.
“In our 3Rs professional learning, educators become more comfortable discussing race among themselves, so they can talk effectively about it with students, parents, and caregivers,” explains Dr. Moye. “When this happens, meaningful relationships form between teachers, students, and families. Everyone can work together to nurture a love of reading.” She continues, “The 3Rs are interdependent. You can’t have one without the others.”
In addition to educators, parents also receive picture books, as do community-based, literacy organizations. Some of the books are gifted to families at community events.
“Parents are of primary importance to the 3Rs team,” says Dr. Moye. “Our goal is to help parents and caregivers learn about what is happening within schools, in support of their and their children’s school reading experiences.”
Dr. Moye notes that 3Rs book distribution is also a way to flood our region with high quality racially-affirming picture books that help all readers see Black children and families with agency. “Racism is a pollution we ALL breathe in. These books are a filtration system,” she says.
In 2023, 375 hours of 3R professional learning took place in seven Pittsburgh schools within 4 districts. About 4,300 students received picture books. For the upcoming school year, the 3Rs will “graduate” some of its current schools to engage other districts that are interested.
Dr. Moye encourages parents and caregivers to find out if their child’s school is a 3Rs partner. “Talk to your child’s teacher or principal. Ask questions during family night and at other events,” she says. “You are your child’s best advocate.”
Also important is reading with children regularly outside of school. This simple, but profound act deepens relationships with children, builds language skills, and sends a message that reading is fun and worthwhile.
Reading together also creates conversations about what the child is seeing and feeling about the story. (As an aid to parents and caregivers, the 3Rs team has put together a YouTube video titled the 9 Tips for Reading to Children.)
“Reading is truly the gift that keeps on giving long into adulthood and the 3Rs is not just for Black children,” says Dr. Moye. “When any child reads books that affirm their identity, the identities of those around them, and their lived experiences, we ALL benefit through the power of collective action.”
Take a look at the 3Rs booklist! Many of the titles are available at your local Carnegie Library. If you don’t see a book you’re looking for, ask a library employee who can put a copy on hold for you.
