A University Literacy Festival: The Impact of Connecting Children’s Authors with Students, Teachers, and Librarians from Title I Schools - Research Study Findings

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aran

A research study examines how a university literacy festival supports student engagement and improves reading attitudes and habits for Title I students, with attention to impacts across students, librarians, teachers, children’s authors, and teacher candidates. Grounded in longitudinal analysis, the study connects festival participation with increased reading and stronger motivation to see oneself as a writer. The work also frames the festival as a community partnership that enables best-practice literacy instruction and fosters lifelong reading and writing.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

A University Literacy Festival

Impact on Title I School Partners

A University Literacy Festival

Community Outreach

A University Literacy Festival: The Impact of Connecting Children’s Authors with Students, Teachers, and Librarians from Title I Schools * By Cynthia Dawn Martelli A literacy festival is one of the most effective ways to promote reading and fosters the idea that books make a difference, especially to under-supported students. This paper is based on a research study that focused on how a university literacy festival supported engagement and increased reading attitudesand habits for students of Title I schools. It also explores a longitudinal study that analyzed a university’s literacy festival and its impact on students, librarians, teachers, children’s authors, teacher candidates, and librarians from Title I schools in southwest Florida. The findings of this study suggest that a university literacy festival helps connect children with books, which can help promote a lifelong love of reading and writing. A university literacy festival featuring a variety of diverse authors presenting interactive workshops showcasing their literary craft enabled students from Title I schools to engage with the authors and to see themselves as writers and encouraged them to explore a university in their own backyard. This university literacy festival madea positive impact in the area of engagement in reading and found an increase in reading from students from Title I schools that attended the event. Keywords: literacy festival, children’s authors, Title I students, teacher candidates, reading The Impact of a University Literacy Festival on Title I School Partners Research shows that the highest achieving students are those who devote leisure time to reading, even when the school day and year are only mid-length and homework is not excessive. Recently, the largest-ever international study of reading found that the single most important predictor of academic success is the amount of time children spend reading books, more important even than economic or social status. And one of the few predictors of high achievement in math and science is the amount of time children devote to pleasure reading (Atwell, 2007). Experts endorse that when children become good readers early in their schooling, they are more likely to become better readers and learners throughout their school years and beyond (Graves, 1994) . Under-achieving students from a low socioeconomic status often fall behind their peers and continue to struggle to catch up with their peers academically. This achievement gap extends throughout their schooling. Thus, students low in literacy achievement often experience increased social and behavior problems and are likely to be retained; and students who are at risk for reading failure are often remediated in the lower grades in order to strengthen their literacy skills by third grade (Martella, Martella, & Przychozin, * Associate Professor, Florida Gulf Coast University, USA. [https://doi.org/10.30958/aje.9-1-1](https://doi.org/10.30958/aje.9-1-1) doi=10.30958/aje.9-1-1 2009). Students lack an essential tool for learning if they cannot read which will eventually lead to a shortage of job opportunities (Martella, Martella, & Przychozin, 2009). Researchers agree that there is a positive relationship between students with low socioeconomic backgrounds and low academic achievement (Oxley, 2008; Tonn, 2007). The ambition of Title I was to boost local states and school districts by designating resources to targeted groups in order to escalate the level and quality of services administered to these specific students (Odden, Goetz,& Picus, 2008) . It takes a village to raise a literate child. Families can make a difference. Teachers can make a difference. Community programs can make a difference. Parents, teachers, caregivers, and members of the community are all part of the village that can help support children in learning to read. A University Literacy Festival A literacy festival is one of the most effective ways to celebrat

FAQs

What does the study conclude about literacy festivals for Title I students?

It concludes that a university literacy festival helps connect students with books and promotes engagement, including increased reading and stronger reading attitudes and habits.

Which groups are examined for the festival’s impact?

The study analyzes impacts on students, librarians, teachers, children’s authors, teacher candidates, and librarians from Title I schools.

How is the festival supported through community outreach and partnerships?

A committee of university educators and teacher candidates coordinates with surrounding Title I school districts, manages planning and funding, and invites children’s literature authors to deliver interactive workshops.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aran