Reading Partners & Project Literacy Book Drive

Reading Partners and Project Literacy, a global movement founded and convened by Pearson, are kicking off National Volunteer Week with a book drive!

Reading Partners’ mission is to help children become lifelong readers by empowering communities to provide individualized instruction with measurable results. Since 2015, we’ve partnered with Project Literacy to raise awareness of the scale, severity, and consequences of illiteracy.

There are nearly 10 million low-income students in grades K-5 nationally who are reading below grade-level. Reading is a critical building block for students, as it is the foundation for their academic, professional, and life success. Fourth grade, specifically, is an important milestone because it is when students are expected to shift from learning to read to reading to learn; if a student cannot read by this point, she will miss key education content and risk falling further and further behind. In fact, students who don't read proficiently by the fourth grade are four times more likely to drop out of school.

Moreover, across all 50 states, low-income youth are less likely to be reading proficiently than their higher-income peers. According to the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data, commonly known as “The Nation’s Report Card,” 80% of low-income fourth graders and 66% of all fourth graders are not proficient in reading.

Together, Reading Partners and Project Literacy are making a real impact on the lives of students. Just last year, our results exceeded expectations, with 13,502 community volunteers serving 10,925 students in 14 geographic regions at 209 schools throughout the country. Additionally, 89% of K-2 students mastered the foundational reading skills needed to read at grade level and 81% of of all students met or exceeded their primary end-of-year literacy growth goal. Let's continue to help students discover a love of reading.

During the months of April, May, and June, donate through FirstBook to provide new books to more than 10,000 Reading Partners students in Title 1 elementary schools across the United States.

Your donation will:

• Provide critical texts for our data-informed, curriculum-driven, one-on-one tutoring to help students reach grade-level reading proficiency

• Stock take-home libraries in reading centers, providing students with two books each week to foster a love of reading in their own homes

• Supply exciting books for students to read during their out-of-school time over the summer

Thank you for giving children the opportunity to thrive.

About Project Literacy:

Project Literacy is a global campaign founded and convened by Pearson to make significant and sustainable advances in the fight against illiteracy so that all people - regardless of geography, language, race, class, or gender – have the opportunity to fulfill their potential through the power of words. For more, visit https://www.projectliteracy.com. 

About Pearson:

Pearson is the world’s learning company, with expertise in educational courseware and assessment, and a range of teaching and learning services powered by technology. Our mission is to help people make progress through access to better learning. We believe that learning opens up opportunities, creating fulfilling careers and better lives. For more, visit www.pearson.com.

About Reading Partners: 

Reading Partners empowers students to succeed in reading and in life by engaging community volunteers to provide one-on-one tutoring. The national nonprofit organization provides individualized literacy tutoring to more than 11,000 elementary school students in more than 200 schools in low-income communities across nine states and the District of Columbia. Reading Partners delivers a highly effective, evidence-based program that has helped tens of thousands of children master the fundamental reading skills they need to succeed in school and beyond. Visit www.readingpartners.org, or connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, to learn more about how Reading Partners is helping improve student literacy, and how you can help children in your community improve their reading skills and succeed in school.