Large Print, Big Impact: A Strategy to Improve Student Literacy Skills
If you’ve followed my work for a while, you know I love sharing EdTech tools that help teachers personalize instruction and make learning more accessible. But I also believe in finding balance—sometimes, the most effective strategies aren’t digital at all. If you want to improve student literacy skills there are offline resources worthy of consideration.
That’s why I’m so excited to share a powerful, low-lift, high-impact reading strategy backed by new research: large print books. A new nationwide study from Project Tomorrow and Thorndike Press (a part of Gale) shows that large print books do more than just ease eye strain. They can boost reading comprehension, confidence, and overall enjoyment of reading.
Let’s explore the findings and what they could mean for your classroom or school library!
Study on Large Print Books
As an avid reader, and former classroom teacher, I don’t know that I would have made a strong case myself for the power of large print books. I’ve seen them in the library on my own trips to pick out books as a reader. However, I don’t remember ever having the option to pick out large print books for my classroom library or seeing them in the library at my school.
Thorndike Press teamed up with Project Tomorrow to take a closer look at how the format of a book—specifically, large print—impacts students. Their research focuses on students in fourth grade through the end of high school. Over 1,500 students and 56 educators across 13 U.S. schools participated in the 2024 study.
The findings highlight just how powerful this simple shift in format can be. In the study, 87% of teachers said large print positively impacted their students’ reading success. And 77% saw improved comprehension among below-grade-level readers. Among students in grades 6–12, 89% said they enjoyed reading large print books. Teachers also reported that 84% of students had longer periods of focused reading, and 75% increased the amount of time they spent reading overall.
Regular readers of the blog know that I often share reading comprehension strategies that involve digital tools. You’ve probably seen blog posts related to audio support, video reflections, or annotation apps. I love that this simple, print-based solution can stand on its own or work alongside tech-enhanced learning.
Why Large Print Works
How do large print books work? With 16-point font, high-contrast black ink, extra spacing, and high-opacity paper, the format reduces distractions and supports decoding. Large print books have the same content as standard editions. The only change is how students experience it.
Large print books can make reading feel easier and more enjoyable for everyone. Teachers in the study noted that large print helped students stay focused, feel more confident, and even participate more often in read-alouds and classroom discussions. Although large print books may support accessibility goals for students, they can also improve student literacy skills.
One thing I appreciate about introducing large print books to students is how they fit right into your existing routines. There is no need for special training, tech setup, or curriculum overhaul. To make a big impact in a classroom and improve student literacy skills, you just need to change the format of the books students read.
Confidence Boosts and SEL Benefits
One of the most exciting takeaways from the study is the clear social-emotional impact of large print books. In the study, 81% of teachers said large print reduced stress and anxiety for below-grade-level readers, while 71% reported the same benefit for students reading at grade level. 87% of teachers observed a noticeable boost in confidence among struggling readers, and 55% saw increased comprehension in students diagnosed with ADHD.
Additionally, 76% of educators found that large print supported English language learners. Your goal when introducing these large print books to your students may include a specific need, like supporting students learning a new language, or a general goal to improve student literacy skills. Boosting student confidence as readers can have lots of benefits, not just better scores, but a stronger relationship with reading.
Check out the study landing page with more information >>
Improve Student Literacy with Large Print
There are so many fantastic titles to choose from when exploring Thorndike Press’ catalog! They have even had authors like Kate DiCamillo join school librarians for webinars to explore evidence-based practices and strategies that educators can use to help improve student literacy skills. This video (watch here or below) includes clickable Chapter timestamps so you can go directly to the Chapter discussion topics you’re most interested in.
Supporting All Student Readers
The study provides lots of data for educators and decision makers. It shows how large print benefits students who are behind grade level—and so much more. In the study, 71% of teachers said students already reading at grade level improved by two Lexile levels when using large print, and 63% observed increased participation in read-alouds from students with ADHD. Over 50% of participants saw the same boost in students reading at grade level, showing that this format can support a wide range of learners.
As someone who talks a lot about classroom technology, I’m always looking for reading comprehension strategies that complement tech. It’s important that students have both online and offline experiences throughout the day. Like many adults, I enjoy a mix of print, digital and audio experiences as a reader, and we want to make sure students are prepared to interact with a large variety of text types.
If you are in a classroom where you use digital tools with students, you can combine these experiences with opportunities to dive into large print books. For example, you could have students use large print during independent reading. Then students can follow it up with a digital reflection or a collaborative post in an online space. This type of approach respects both the value of traditional texts and the flexibility of digital tools.
Improve Student Literacy Skills
Across the board, teachers are asking for more access to large print. In the study, 100% of educators said they want more large print titles in classrooms and libraries. And 86% would recommend large print to other educators looking to support student literacy. The executive summary gives a great overview for you to take a look at. And of course you can share it with a colleague, too.
The format of a book might seem like a small detail, but this study shows how it can make a big difference in improving student literacy skills. If you’re looking for a reading comprehension strategy that supports focus, fluency, confidence, and joy, large print is absolutely worth considering.
Whether you’re building your classroom library or guiding students toward independent reading choices, large print books have an important place in your classroom library! Curious about how large print books could support students in your school or classroom? There’s a wealth of information ready for you to explore. Check out the study whitepaper on this page and explore their supporting resources where you can learn more about Youth Large Print books!