Extending Literacy Beyond the Classroom

On Thursday Scholastic unveiled a new task force dedicated to raising student achievement.

The Scholastic Family and Community Engagement (FACE) team is designed to "create programs and partnerships that support literacy anywhere a child encounters a caring adult — whether in classrooms or at home, in early childhood, after school, during the summer, and through mentoring programs."

The team was created in response to evidence that greater family involvement and support have a positive correlation with academic achievement, especially in low-income areas. To that end, Scholastic is working with partner organizations, school districts, and education leaders to raise awareness about how important it is for children to be supported at home and in the community, as well as in the schools. Scholastic has also created a national advisory council who will work to promote the initiative.

According to the press release, Scholastic FACE provides programs and supports in five priority areas:

1. Early Literacy: Scholastic provides affordable, quality board books and resources to early childhood education providers to help emergent readers reach developmental milestones.
2. Parent Support and Training: The Scholastic Read and Rise® program provides training for educators, workshops for parents, and take-home books to connect families, schools and communities and inspire literacy-rich environments in the home.
3. Access to Books at Home: Through Scholastic’s long-lasting partnerships with literacy-focused organizations like Reading is Fundamental (RIF) and Reach Out and Read and through summer reading and MyBooks take-home book packs sold to school, districts, and local organizations, Scholastic helps ensure that every child has books in the home. Research shows access to books in the home leads to success in school and in life.
4. Expanded Learning: Scholastic After School Learning provides an engaging curriculum and resources to help students overcome learning gaps and build the social, imaginative and emotional skills they need to succeed in the classroom.
5. Mentoring Partnerships: Building upon research that shows students with positive adult mentors are more likely to pursue higher education and have a better attitude toward school. Scholastic created Scholastic R.E.A.L.: Read. Excel. Achieve. Lead.™, which provides a framework and the tools to launch a literacy-focused mentoring program in any community.