Read Across Maryland evolved from Read Across America, a national reading initiative developed by the National Education Association (NEA) in 1997. It is an annual reading motivation and awareness program spearheaded by the Maryland State Education Association (MSEA) that calls on everyone to read at least 30 minutes for 30 days beginning on March 2, the birthday of beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss and ending March 31st..
Each year, Governor Martin O’Malley proclaims March as Read Across Maryland Month and the reading marathon begins. Participants have the opportunity to post fun moments of reading through comments, videos and pictures and to enter to win a Kindle Fire or Amazon gift card, all while enjoying the thrilling adventure of reading with family, friends, students or enjoying your favorite author alone. Submit your posts by April 1st and winners will be announced on April 7th.
The Purpose of Read Across Maryland
Maryland’s public schools have been ranked # 1 for 4 consecutive years by Education Week Magazine. Our students are succeeding but MSEA is committed to great public schools for every child. Motivating children to read is an important factor in student achievement and creating lifelong successful readers. Research has shown that children who are motivated and spend more time reading do better in school.
Read Across Maryland Sponsors
At the state level, the Maryland State Education Association sponsors and spearheads the program with support from partners that include the Office of the Governor, Maryland State Department of Education, Maryland Association of School Librarians, the Maryland Library Association, Prince Georges County Memorial Library System, Doyle Printing and Radio One. Locally, everyone-from schools to libraries to community centers to churches to hospitals to bookstores-is invited to host local events to celebrate and promote reading 30 minutes for 30 days.
