Vending machines can help Dallas ISD kids be better readers

Dallas ISD has made significant reading gains from learning loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Student achievement is back to pre-pandemic achievement levels, and the work and challenges continue to ensure all kids are reading at grade level.

We know from research that books are the “single best indicator of academic success.” In The Literacy Crisis: False Claims, Real Solutions by Jeff McQuillan, senior research associate at the Center for Educational Development, states that books at home predict success better than income, parents’ education, family composition, and other factors. Research from USA Reads, a national initiative focused on children and families, confirms this assertion.

Yet the facts, according to nonprofit The Literacy Project, are stark:

● 61% of low-income families have no books in their homes for their children.

● Middle-income homes have an average of 13 books per child while low-income homes have an average of one age-appropriate book for every 300 children.

The Dallas Education Foundation serves as the direct, nonprofit philanthropic partner of Dallas ISD, where 85% of students are economically challenged. The foundation has a singular mission: to accelerate student success. We know the resource limitations a majority of our families face, and we know many of our students have little to no access to reading materials at home. It should come as no surprise then that these are predominantly the same students who experienced the greatest learning loss during COVID-induced shelter-in-place.

Working in partnership with the Dallas ISD, the Dallas Education Foundation is implementing innovative approaches to providing and curating literacy resources for learning and enjoyment at home — a critical component of advancing literacy.

One such innovation is a book vending machine.

Imagine the neon colors of the machine lighting up a student’s face as they are asked to choose a culturally relevant, interesting and new book to keep as their own. Tokens, distributed by teachers, allow students agency in their book selection. It is important to note that these machines do more than dispense books; they build excitement toward literacy. This initiative reinforces to our young students that reading can be and is fun, and books are added to the child’s home library collection.

First installed in Dallas ISD at the Eddie Bernice Johnson and Rufus C. Burleson elementary schools thanks to a generous donation from Atmos Energy, book vending machines are on the rise in the district, with an anticipated 20 more being added this fall.

Atmos has since sponsored three more book vending machines, and additional units have been purchased through partnerships with Kia North America, Whataburger, NEC, the Dallas Mavericks and the State Fair of Texas. The target schools for the machines are high-needs campuses, and at present, 10,700 kids are potentially and positively impacted by this effort. However, the foundation’s goal is to have a book vending machine in all 140-plus elementary schools across Dallas ISD, impacting 70,000 students.

Empowering children to develop the agency to select a book and allowing them the opportunity to create their own home library generate endless opportunities. When books enter and stay in the home, the whole family wins. Parents are engaged and other children in the home and community benefit as books become an integral part of their lives.

The needs are great, and so is the opportunity for impact. A $10,000 donation results in books being dispensed on a campus for years and possibly decades. We ask you to be a partner and come along with us on our journey to advance literacy in Dallas ISD.

To learn more about the Dallas Education Foundation and help advance literacy by sponsoring a book vending machine, please visit dallasedfound.org or contact the Dallas Education Foundation at DEF@dallasisd.org.

Mita Havlick serves as the executive director of the Dallas Education Foundation, the direct and designated philanthropic partner of the Dallas Independent School District. She wrote this column for The Dallas Morning News.

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