This is the first issue of our monthly reading literacy digest: a curated overview of research, education policy, classroom methods, and events related to reading across the DACH region.
Events
End of School Year in North Rhine-Westphalia
Last day of school in North Rhine-Westphalia. Berlin and Hamburg (both July 9) start their break even earlier. A good moment to take stock: where are your students after twelve months, and what will you carry into the next school year?
Start of Summer Break in North Rhine-Westphalia
Six weeks without school. A meta-analysis by Cooper et al. (39 studies) shows: children from low-income families lose up to one month of learning progress during summer break, while peers from the middle class hold steady or gain. When you organize reading lists and library cards now, you buffer the setback.
Summer Reading Club North Rhine-Westphalia
Registration opens at around 150 public libraries. Free, all age groups, individually or as a team. Logbook with stamps for books, audiobooks, and events. Since 2005, the largest structured summer reading program in North Rhine-Westphalia. → sommerleseclub.de
Research & Studies
Education Policy
Practice & Methods
Oral Reading Tandems
A stronger and a weaker reader read aloud together from the same text. Scientifically examined, with slightly higher performance gains compared to the control group (Lauer-Schmaltz, Rosebrock & Gold, 2014). Practice guide and study freely available.
Measuring and Improving Reading Fluency
Reading that is accurate, automatic, smooth, and comprehending. The Mercator Institute (University of Cologne) offers a foundational knowledge PDF with diagnostic and support methods as an open-access resource.
Differentiated Instruction
Twelve reading levels in one classroom. Qualitative and quantitative differentiation so strong readers are challenged and weaker readers are supported. Official resource from Baden-Württemberg's education server available.
Actively Prevent Summer Reading Loss
Meta-analysis (Cooper et al., 39 studies): children from low-income families lose up to one month. Structured programs like the Summer Reading Club NRW demonstrably help. Sign up now.
Sources for these methods: Oral Reading Tandems (BiSS-Transfer) · Open-Access Study (pedocs) · Reading Fluency (Mercator Institute) · Differentiated Instruction (LBS BW) · Summer Reading Club NRW
Numbers & Context
Sources: VERA 3 Berlin 2025 (news4teachers) · Read-Aloud Monitor 2024 (Stiftung Lesen) · LEO Study 2018 (bpb) · JIM Study 2025 (mpfs)
If you want to dive deeper: In our vision, we describe how AI-supported reading support can help children without losing what matters. Or sign up for the newsletter to get the next digest straight to your inbox.
Good summer break. And good books.
The MichMatz Team