A New Five-Year Study Reinforces Book Bank Work

A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences offers strong evidence for something BookSpring has long believed: access to print books matters, especially when children receive books over time and can build their own home libraries.

In “Cumulative access to print books improves literacy achievement: Evidence from a five-year randomized trial in high-poverty schools,” researchers Geoffrey D. Borman of Arizona State University and Hyunwoo Yang of the Chinese University of Hong Kong studied a large-scale book distribution program in Milwaukee Public Schools. The study followed students in 60 high-poverty elementary schools over five years. Half of the schools received free books for students to take home, while the other half did not receive books until after the study period.

The results were clear and encouraging. Students in schools that received books scored higher on later reading assessments than students in the control schools. The overall impact was meaningful, but the strongest gains appeared for students who received the full multi-year “dose” of books. Students who stayed in the program for the full five years and were offered up to 34 books showed gains equal to roughly half to two-thirds of a typical year of literacy growth. Even the broader group, including students who moved schools and received fewer books, showed gains equal to about one-quarter to one-third of a year of learning.

One of the most important contributions of this study is that it helps answer a long-standing question: do books in the home actually help children learn, or are they just a sign of other family advantages, such as higher income or parent education? Because this was a randomized trial, the researchers were able to show that increasing access to books itself can have a direct positive effect on literacy achievement. In other words, books are not just symbols of opportunity. They are tools of opportunity.

The study also highlights several ideas that connect closely to BookSpring’s work. First, the books distributed were high-interest and culturally relevant. That matters. Children are more likely to read when books feel exciting, welcoming, and connected to their lives. Books can be “mirrors” that help children see themselves, “windows” into other people’s experiences, and “doors” into new possibilities.

Second, the intervention was simple and scalable. The schools did not need a complicated curriculum, extensive teacher training, or heavy accountability systems. Students received books, were encouraged to take them home, and had the chance to read them. That simplicity is powerful. It suggests that book access can be an effective and affordable literacy strategy, especially when paired with thoughtful book selection, consistent delivery, and community trust.

Third, the study shows that cumulative access matters. One book giveaway is joyful and worthwhile. But repeated access over time can build something deeper: a home library, a reading habit, and a sense that books belong in a child’s everyday life. The strongest results came from students who received books across multiple years.

That finding directly supports BookSpring’s Book Bank model, including Books for Me and Open Book. Through Books for Me, children are invited to choose books they want to own and keep. That choice is not a small detail. Choice helps activate motivation, pride, and ownership. When children pick books that interest them, they are more likely to open them, read them, reread them, share them, and see themselves as readers.

Open Book extends this work by making gently used children’s books available to schools, childcare centers, clinics, nonprofits, and community partners. It helps move books from shelves, boxes, and donors into the hands and homes of children who can use them. In a region where many families face economic barriers, transportation barriers, and limited access to affordable children’s books, Open Book helps reduce the effects of local “book deserts.”

The Borman and Yang study also reminds us that book access is not a replacement for strong schools, libraries, teachers, families, and reading support. In fact, the researchers note that book access may work best as part of a broader literacy ecosystem. That is exactly where BookSpring’s work is heading: connecting book ownership with family reading encouragement, digital resources, read-aloud activities, newsletters, and trusted community partners.

For BookSpring, the message is both affirming and challenging. It affirms that giving children books to own is not just a nice gesture. It is an evidence-informed literacy strategy. It also challenges us to keep going beyond one-time distribution whenever possible. The more consistently we can help families build home libraries over time, the more likely we are to support lasting reading growth.

A child who receives a book today receives more than paper and print. They receive an invitation: this story is for you. This learning is for you. This home can be a reading home.

And when that invitation is repeated again and again, year after year, the evidence suggests it can make a measurable difference.