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Reading is one of the most beneficial life skills one can have. It opens up so much: economic opportunity, quality of life, lifelong learning, personal expression.

But reading abilities for students in America aren’t where they should be. One third of eighth graders nationwide test below the National Assessment of Educational Progress’ basic reading level, often referred to as the nation’s report card. 

But a new pilot study by the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute and Shoelace Learning shows promise for “gamified learning” as an effective reading intervention.

Julia Dexter is the Founder of Shoelace Learning, an education platform that developed the games used in the pilot study. She spoke with The Metro‘s Senior Producer David Leins about how gamified learning can improve reading skills in students.

Hear more stories from The Metro on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2025.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.