Parents may be able to see the importance of reading with their children at an early age. However, not all children are born avid readers.

Common Sense Media released a report last year that found that adolescents don’t read for enjoyment anymore. In fact, their reading achievement hasn’t improved in over 20 years.

The findings include the following: Girls tend to read for 10 minutes more than boys, and teenagers read more than teens.

One high school, however, is going beyond the research and using a reading program to help its students not only understand and comprehend literature but also motivate them to read more.

Reading Plus(www.readingplus.com) is an online reading program that changes how, what, and why students read, and according to Jayne Ellspermann, the 2015 National Principal of the Year at West Port High School in Ocala, Fla., is helping her students to develop a confidence in reading that wasn’t there before.

“We have students who have mastered their basic needs, but what we really appreciate about Reading Plus is the opportunity for students, once they’re empowered, to exceed what we would have thought was their potential as they progress through this program,” says Ellspermann.

“As they are empowered, as they increase their reading potential, we are able to leverage Reading Plus to allow these students to become college ready, to increase their ACT and SAT scores, so that the possibilities for our students are limitless.”

The program targets specific skills and encourages students to achieve their goals. Students can not only improve their basic literacy, but they will also be able to move beyond grade level reading and become college-ready.

Ellspermann hopes that through the use of the Reading Plus program, students will be empowered and inspired to pick up a book prior to National Reading Day on January 22 (http://national-reading-day.org).

“Reading Plus is changing lives one student at a time every single day,”Natasha Murphy was named the 2014 Florida Reading Association High School Reading Teacher Award Winner “I’m able to see this change in my students daily. And it’s an amazing thing.”

Visit www.amazon.com for more information www.readingplus.com.