Contact:

Nadia Almahdi
Scholastic
212-343-6355
nalmahdi@scholastic.com

Summer learning loss can account for up to 85 percent of the reading achievement gap between low- and higher-income students

NEW YORK, NY — April 3, 2013 — To help keep kids reading this summer and help them avoid the “summer slide,” Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children’s publishing, education and media company, is working with schools and other community organizations to provide students with packs of books to take home during the summer. For 2013, Scholastic has created My Books Summer book packs that include collections of either 5 or 10 age-appropriate fiction and nonfiction books for students to take home, along with summer reading journals, Common Core-ready skill building worksheets, and tips and resources for parents. My Books Summer is a component of the Scholastic Summer Challenge, a free global summer reading program dedicated to eliminating the "summer slide" and getting kids to read every day, throughout the summer.

"The summer slide, the problem of students losing many of the academic skills they built up during the school year, accounts for as much as 85 percent of the reading achievement gap between students from low-income households and their peers from higher income households," said Greg Worrell, President of the Scholastic Classroom and Community Group. "The Common Core State Standards have raised expectations for all children, and it’s more important than ever to work to close the gap by helping schools get books into the hands of their students."

According to the 4th edition of the Kids & Family Reading Report, having reading role-model parents or a large book collection at home are two important factors that significantly impact kids’ reading frequency. Many families, particularly with students in Title I schools, lack the resources to build a home library for their children. Recognizing that access to books is a critical factor contributing to the achievement gap between the wealthy and the poor, more school districts every year are purchasing Scholastic’s heavily-discounted summer book packs using their federal Title I funds and making them available for schools with children from low-income families.

Created by the Scholastic FACE team, My Books Summer take home book packs include "Think Sheets" and summer journals with writing prompts, both designed to help students think, talk, and write about the text in a way that meets the Common Core State Standards.

School districts and other organizations distributing books also receive new administrator guides and access the Scholastic Summer Challenge website, where students can log their reading minutes to "Read for the World Record" and to win virtual prizes. Through the Scholastic Summer Challenge website, parents, teachers and school leaders can keep track of students’ reading progress.

NEW Project Summer Contest on FACEBOOK

To celebrate the hard work so many educators and caring adults put into promoting summer reading across the country every year, the Scholastic FACE team is challenging teachers, librarians, community leaders and other summer reading champions to share their projects on Scholastic’s Facebook page. Three Summer Reading Projects will be selected and will win summer reading book packs.

For more information about the Scholastic Summer Challenge, visit Scholastic.com/summer.