New York, NY – November 19, 2024 – Today, Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education, and media company, together with the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS), a coalition of 78 of the nation’s largest urban public-school systems, announced Baltimore City Public Schools as the winner of the Richard M. Robinson Literacy Champion Award. Baltimore City Public Schools is being recognized for literacy excellence among its students, who have made significant progress in reading achievement. 

 

Now in its fourth year, this award, named after the late Scholastic Chairman and CEO, is presented annually to a CGCS member school district that has demonstrated notable progress in improving reading achievement. The goal is to continue these advancements by increasing access to high-quality digital and print books, magazines, and other resources throughout the Maryland-based district.

 

“Each year, it’s an honor to uphold Dick Robinson’s legacy as a champion of children’s literacy by presenting this award to a high-achieving district,” said Beth Polcari, Executive Vice President and President, Scholastic Education Solutions. “Under the leadership of district CEO, Dr. Sonja Brookins Santelises, the committed educators of Baltimore City Public Schools deserve to be celebrated for the impressive efforts they’ve made to ensure students are on the right path to have bright and successful futures both in and outside of school.

 

As part of the Richard M. Robinson Literacy Champion Award prizing, Baltimore City Public Schools will select a school within the district to receive a library makeover. The school of choice will receive a donation of more than 6,000 high-quality books, and every enrolled student will receive a summer book pack of 10 titles to take home and own, encouraging independent reading beyond the classroom. In addition, the school will also receive a one-year site license to Scholastic Literacy Pro®, an award-winning blended learning program that provides 24/7 access to more than 2,500 fiction and nonfiction e-books for purposeful independent reading, allowing personalized student choice while providing teachers with real-time data to inform instruction. The prizing will help Baltimore City Public Schools increase access to books and educational resources for their students– a critical component to student success, as according to the latest Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report™, over half of all kids get most of the books they read for fun from a school-based source. 

 

“Under the leadership of CEO Sonja Brookins Santelises, literacy proficiency in Baltimore City Public Schools has increased by more than 10 percentage points since 2015,” said Council Executive Director Ray Hart. “The gains students are making in reading reflect the hard work and initiatives the district has implemented, and we are proud to partner with Scholastic to present the Richard M. Robinson Literacy Champion Award to an urban school system that continues to make progress in advancing reading achievement.” 

 

 

"Our efforts to increase proficiency in literacy continue to yield fruit and empower more and more young people to embrace its role in their future. This honor will allow even more students to practice their skills and embrace the joy that comes from reading and writing well,” said Dr. Sonja Brookins Santelises, CEO, Baltimore City Public Schools. "We thank the Council and Scholastic for their continued support of our district and students."

 

 

 

 

Serving approximately 76,000 students, Baltimore City Public Schools is committed to providing a world-class education through its Portrait of A Graduate, which addresses the critical areas of academics, student wholeness, and leadership. The goal of City Schools is to create learning communities where our students will learn, grow, and graduate from our schools college and career ready, and equipped to succeed wherever their life may take them. 

 

 

The Council of the Great City Schools is the only national organization exclusively representing the needs of urban public schools.  Composed of 78 large city school districts, its mission is to promote the cause of urban schools and to advocate for inner-city students through legislation, research and media relations.  The organization also provides a network for school districts sharing common problems to exchange information, and to collectively address new challenges as they emerge to deliver the best possible education for urban youth. www.cgcs.org

 

For more than 100 years, Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) has been meeting children where they are – at school, at home and in their communities – by creating quality content and experiences, all beginning with literacy. Scholastic delivers stories, characters, and learning moments that empower all kids to become lifelong readers and learners through bestselling children’s books, literacy- and knowledge-building resources for schools including classroom magazines, and award-winning, entertaining children's media. As the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books through school-based book clubs and book fairs, classroom libraries, school and public libraries, retail, and online, and with a global reach into more than 135 countries, Scholastic encourages the personal and intellectual growth of all children, while nurturing a lifelong relationship with reading, themselves, and the world around them. Learn more at www.scholastic.com.