To celebrate the power of reading and literacy achievement, Scholastic, in collaboration with the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS), a coalition of 78 of the nation’s largest urban public school systems, proudly announces Baltimore City Public Schools as the 2024-2025 Richard M. Robinson Literacy Champion.
Now in its fourth year, this annual award, named after the late Scholastic Chairman and CEO, honors a CGCS member school district for notable reading achievement progress. The goal is to further these gains by improving access to high-quality resources across the district.
Dr. Sonja Brookins Santelises, CEO, Baltimore City Public Schools, said: “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. We thank the Council and Scholastic for their continued support of our district and students.”
Ray Hart, Council Executive Director, said: “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. 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.”
Beth Polcari, Executive Vice President and President, Scholastic Education Solutions said: “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. 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 for a library makeover. This includes 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. Additionally, the school will 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.
Congratulations to Baltimore City Public Schools! To learn more about this exciting event and award, be sure to follow Scholastic Education Solutions on Twitter @ScholasticEdu and on LinkedIn @Scholastic!
