Want Kids to Read More? Springfield Public Schools Has an Idea I Love
Share
How do you get kids excited about reading?
Springfield Public Schools in Missouri is trying something wonderfully simple:
Put more books in front of kids—and bring more people into their classrooms who are excited to read with them.
The district recently announced 417 Reads, a community-wide literacy initiative for the 2026–27 school year. The program will connect community volunteers with approximately 1,600 third graders throughout the district, while also dramatically expanding access to books.
As an author who visits schools and spends a lot of time talking with young readers, there's one part of this program I especially love:
Third graders will have a guest reader visit their classroom every month.
I think that's a fantastic idea.
What Is the Springfield Public Schools 417 Reads Program?
417 Reads is a new literacy initiative from Springfield Public Schools designed to improve reading achievement by bringing together schools, families, businesses, and community members.
Beginning in September 2026, volunteers will visit third-grade classrooms throughout the district to read aloud. Volunteers who become what the district calls REAL Mentors commit to visiting a classroom once a month for eight visits.
And here's another great part:
At the end of each visit, every student receives a book to take home and add to their own library, thanks to a partnership with Scholastic.
The district is also working to provide new elementary teachers with classroom libraries containing up to 750 high-interest books selected to align with students' interests and reading levels.
That's a lot of opportunities to put the right book into the right kid's hands.
Why I Love the Idea of Monthly Guest Readers
There's something different about having a new person walk into a classroom and say:
"I want to read you a story."
A teacher reading aloud is valuable, of course.
Parents reading with their children is valuable.
But I think there's also something powerful about letting children regularly see other adults from their community who genuinely value books.
Imagine the possibilities.
One month, the guest reader might be a firefighter.
Another month, a local business owner.
Then an artist.
An author.
An engineer.
A police officer.
A musician.
A grandparent.
A college athlete.
Each one walks into the classroom with a different personality, different life experiences, and a different way of connecting with students.
And that's important because kids are different too.
Different Readers Will Connect With Different Kids
I've learned this through my own school visits.
You aren't going to connect with every child in exactly the same way.
One student loves jokes.
Another loves science.
Another is obsessed with sports.
Another loves drawing.
Another wants to know how books are made.
Another kid may spend most of the presentation quietly watching from the back of the room.
That's why I think bringing different guest readers into a classroom throughout the year is such an interesting approach.
The energetic guest reader might connect with one child.
The quiet storyteller might connect with another.
The local business owner might inspire one student.
The author might inspire another.
And maybe a child who hasn't shown much interest in reading suddenly meets an adult they admire who says:
"This was one of my favorite books when I was your age."
That matters.
Because children need to see that readers aren't one particular type of person.
Readers are everywhere.
Reading Aloud Makes Books Social
Sometimes we accidentally make reading seem like one of the most solitary activities imaginable.
"Sit down."
"Be quiet."
"Open your book."
"Read for 20 minutes."
There's a place for independent reading, but reading can also be incredibly social.
Someone reading aloud changes the experience.
There are laughs.
Reactions.
Questions.
Predictions.
A whole classroom gasping when something unexpected happens.
Suddenly a book isn't just something sitting on a shelf.
It's a shared experience.
That's especially valuable for children who haven't yet discovered that reading can be entertainment.
Why Focus on Third Grade?
Springfield Public Schools chose third grade intentionally.
Superintendent Dr. Grenita Lathan describes it as the transition from "learning to read" to "reading to learn."
That makes third grade an especially interesting time to surround children with books.
Students are beginning to use reading not simply as a skill they're practicing, but as the doorway to almost everything else they'll learn.
Science requires reading.
History requires reading.
Math increasingly involves understanding written problems.
And outside of school, reading opens the door to everything from fantasy adventures and mysteries to biographies, comics, science fiction, sports, history, and whatever else captures a child's imagination.
The better question may not be:
"How do we make this child read?"
It might be:
"How do we help this child discover something they WANT to read?"
And Then Give Them Books—Lots of Books
This is the other part of 417 Reads that caught my attention.
Springfield isn't only telling children that reading is important.
They're increasing access to actual books.
New elementary teachers can receive classroom libraries containing as many as 750 books, while middle and high school teachers can receive books specific to their content areas.
That number jumped out at me.
As an author, I know there's a whole process behind getting books into schools and districts. Schools have limited budgets, educators have countless books competing for their attention, and districts need to be thoughtful about what they put in front of students.
Building a large classroom library isn't as simple as ordering a random pile of books.
You want books that are appropriate for the students.
Books at different reading levels.
Books covering different interests.
Books that reflect a range of experiences.
And, perhaps most importantly:
Books kids will actually want to open.
Springfield says its classroom libraries will be aligned with both student interests and reading levels. That's exactly the kind of combination I'd want to see.
What Can Other Schools Learn From 417 Reads?
You don't necessarily need a huge budget or hundreds of volunteers to borrow this idea.
The basic concept could work almost anywhere:
- Invite people from the community to read with students regularly.
- Give children access to lots of different kinds of books.
- Let students take books home whenever possible.
- Help children see reading as something enjoyable rather than simply another assignment.
- Keep introducing kids to different readers, stories, authors, and genres until something connects.
The magic isn't necessarily in one assembly, one guest reader, or one book.
It's in repeated exposure.
A different person.
A different story.
A different opportunity to discover:
"Wait. I actually like this."
Sometimes One Person—or One Book—Is All It Takes
That's what excites me most about programs like 417 Reads.
Will every third grader become an enthusiastic reader because a community volunteer visits the classroom?
Probably not.
But imagine one child who isn't particularly interested in books.
September's book doesn't connect.
October's doesn't either.
Then November's guest reader walks through the door.
Something about that person connects with that particular student.
They read a story the child thinks is hilarious.
The child takes the book home.
They finish it.
Then they want another book like it.
That's how readers can begin.
Not always because someone told them reading was important.
Sometimes it's because the right person introduced them to the right story at exactly the right moment.
If Springfield's third graders get eight opportunities for that moment this year?
I think that's something worth celebrating.
And I hope other school districts are watching.
Learn more about Springfield Public Schools' 417 Reads initiative