{"id":232680,"date":"2026-04-03T00:50:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T00:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/232680\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T00:50:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T00:50:10","slug":"reading-soars-at-dallas-isd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/232680\/","title":{"rendered":"Reading soars at Dallas ISD"},"content":{"rendered":"

For many, one of the simplest, but most fulfilling, pleasures in life is reading.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There is no greater enjoyment than inhabiting universes that arose out of someone else\u2019s imagination, entertaining ideas of men and women long gone, and learning new information that expands knowledge of the world. Libraries are where these new worlds are readily available.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In honor of School Library Month, celebrated in April, librarians are encouraged to host activities that reinforce the vital role that school libraries play in empowering learning. Thanks to changes in schools, such as the device-free policy, foot traffic in libraries has increased, and Library Services has provided recent statistics that point to a resurging interest in reading.<\/p>\n

Annual circulation metrics<\/p>\n

Total districtwide circulation reflects a significant commitment to the culture of literacy standard, ensuring students have access to a diverse range of print and digital materials.<\/p>\n

Metric Category
\nCurrent Year-to-Date Performance<\/p>\n

Total districtwide checkouts (physical books)
\n766,548<\/p>\n

Total digital checkouts (Sora eBooks and audiobooks)
\n233,819<\/p>\n

Circulation growth (comparison to prior year)
\n21% Increase<\/p>\n

New titles added to collections
\n47,522<\/p>\n

Circulation trends and impact<\/p>\n

The 21% increase in physical book checkouts suggests a positive response to the district\u2019s new device-free policy and other programs that encourage reading, with librarians reporting a noticeable surge in library traffic and reader engagement. This growth aligns with the district\u2019s goal to push circulation back to pre-pandemic highs. See graphic below for larger increases at specific campuses.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Top performing titles by school level<\/p>\n

These titles represent the most frequently checked-out materials through the LS2 PAC system, demonstrating student reading preferences across various grade bands.<\/p>\n

Elementary School<\/p>\n

\u201cFetch 22\u201d by Dav Pilkey
\n\u201cCreepy Crayons\u201d by Aaron Reynolds
\n\u201cCabin Fever\u201d by Jeff Kinney
\n\u201cSelena\u201d by Patty Rodriguez<\/p>\n

Middle School<\/p>\n

\u201cInvisible\u201d by Christina Diaz Gonzalez
\n\u201cHard Luck\u201d by Jeff Kinney
\n\u201cThe Princess Diaries\u201d by Meg Cabot
\n\u201cOne Dead Spy\u201d by Nathan Hale<\/p>\n

High School<\/p>\n

\u201cLong Lankin\u201d by Lindsey Barraclough
\n\u201cThe Pit and the Pendulum\u201d by Sean Tulien
\n\u201cKiller Instinct\u201d by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
\n\u201cScarlet\u201d by Marissa Meyer<\/p>\n

Campus leadership in circulation<\/p>\n

The following campuses currently lead the district in total circulation, serving as models for effective reader advisory and library engagement strategies.<\/p>\n

Top elementary campuses<\/p>\n

Lakewood Elementary School
\nSylvia Mendez CREW Leadership Academy
\nAnnie Webb Blanton Elementary School
\nRosemont Primary School
\nF.P. Caillet Elementary School<\/p>\n

Top districtwide campuses (Cross-Level)<\/p>\n

Lakewood Elementary School
\nSylvia Mendez CREW Leadership Academy
\nThe School for the Talented and Gifted in Pleasant Grove
\nHenry W. Longfellow Career Exploration Academy
\nIrma Lerma Rangel Young Women\u2019s Leadership School
\nHillcrest High School<\/p>\n

The library as an innovation and AI hub<\/p>\n

Beyond traditional circulation, Dallas ISD libraries evolved into primary spaces for foundational computer science and emerging technology under the Inquiry and Innovation standard. Librarians track hands-on lessons that prepare students for a technological society.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This year, thousands of students engaged in:<\/p>\n

Robotics and coding: Learning foundational logic with Bee-Bots and Ozobots.
\nEmerging tech: Participating in 3D printing, podcasting, and the \u201cHour of AI\u201d.
\nAI literacy: Receiving direct instruction on prompt engineering, ethical AI use, and digital media creation using tools like Google Gemini, Adobe Express, and Canva Pro.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For many, one of the simplest, but most fulfilling, pleasures in life is reading.\u00a0 There is no greater…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":232681,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[102,104,103,1492],"class_list":{"0":"post-232680","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-dallas","9":"tag-dallas-headlines","10":"tag-dallas-news","11":"tag-featured"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232680"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232680\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/232681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}