Nine Howard Students Selected by Scholastic to Write Decodable Books Featured in New Culturally Affirming Collection

By Brittany Bailer

Nine Howard University School of Education students have been selected by Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, to write culturally representative decodable books in the interest of creating curricular resources that authentically represent diverse children and families. 

Scholastic has worked with authors representing various backgrounds to create and publish 24 new titles to support phonics instruction for the new “Our Stories Decodables” collection. Student authors collaborated closely with Scholastic’s in-house literacy experts to author their books. Writers from Clark Atlanta University and Spelman College also participated in this opportunity. Helen Bond, Ph.D., professor in the Howard University School of Education Department of Curriculum and Instruction, served as the advisor for Howard’s student participants.

The initiative was borne out of recognition of the importance of cultural representation in educational materials. Culturally affirming learning materials and methods have been known to help build stronger readers and writers. The decodable books are designed to help children develop positive cultural and racial identities and build early reading skills. 

While children’s books have become more diverse over time, research studies find that white males remain overrepresented in children’s books according to a 2023 study published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics. Data from the Cooperative Children’s Book Center found that 41.8% of children’s books featured white characters and nearly 30% featured animals or other nonhuman entities as the main characters in a 2019 study.    

Additionally, the Scholastic Kids and Family Reading Report found that nearly half of children who are Black or Hispanic have a difficult time finding books with characters who are like them, and over half of Black and Hispanic children aged nine or older wish there were more books with diversity available. “Our Stories Decodables” aims to bridge this gap for teachers and students, particularly for early readers as they begin their literacy journeys.

“Reading is fundamental to learning and the impact of what children and youth see and feel within the pages of the books they read can be huge,” said Bond. “Books are more than mirrors that simply reflect the person in the looking glass. They also serve as windows to peer into other worlds and sliding glass doors to step out into these worlds and perhaps into someone else’s shoes.

“The collaboration between Scholastic, the School of Education and the other participating HBCUs symbolizes that culturally relevant books and learning materials matter. They matter because learning how to read should be grounded in students’ social, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds,” Bond said. “Being able to tell one’s story honors the right of culturally diverse people to not just tell their stories, but to write and publish them — putting them into print for generations to come.”  

“As a proud Howard University graduate who now serves in a senior leadership position at Scholastic, I am elated on so many levels by the release of the “Our Stories Decodables” series,” said Scholastic chief academic officer Amanda Alexander, Ph.D., (B.A. ’97, M.Ed. ‘98). “This rich collection of books authored by fellow members of the HBCU family and others attending diverse institutions authentically captures the lived experiences of children of color. Young learners will find joy in reading and developing their literacy skills. Teachers will have access to instructional resources to best leverage these books. And the authors will have a sense of pride in knowing they will have an impact on outcomes for students.”