Written by Denise Gary
Photographs © Bruce Matsunaga and Denise Gary
Avnet Contributions Council has awarded Kids Need to Read with a $1,500 grant to be used toward Reading Revolution, our pilot program aimed at increasing literacy rates and decreasing dropout rates among middle school students. Kids Need to Read and Arizona State University have been working together with ASU Preparatory Academy to develop the innovative program, which launched in September.
The funds provided by Avnet Contributions Council have been used to purchase 145 copies of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey. These books will be given to each of the middle school students at ASU Prep to keep as a lifelong resource. Written in an entertaining and inspirational style, the books will help encourage students to build self esteem, make good choices, resist peer pressure, and achieve goals. These ideals tie into their second unit of study under the Reading Revolution program, which not only encourages literacy but helps inspire students to overcome adversity and to seek peaceful resolutions to conflicts. In addition to The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, Kids Need to Read has provided hardcover class sets of 12 titles to be used during this unit of study in English language arts classes. The class sets are paired up by theme similarities so students can move from an easier reading level to a more challenging one.
Additional grant funding is being provided to Kids Need to Read for the continued development of Reading Revolution. Future plans call for the expansion of this pilot program throughout the United States in middle schools seeking to inspire their students with cutting-edge approaches to literacy improvement and reduced dropout rates.
Kids Need to Read and Arizona State University sincerely thank Avnet Contributions Council for their assistance in funding Reading Revolution for our partners at ASU Preparatory Academy. Together we will endeavor to show their students the way to a great future!
Reading Revolution Program Partners
Arizona State University
ASU Preparatory Academy
Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation
Avnet Contributions Council
Carus Publishing
National Home Library Foundation
Skype Limited
Learn more about Reading Revolution:
Related Blog: KNTR Receives National Home Library Foundation Grant
Related Blog: Reading Revolution: Stupendous Student Softwire Presentation
Related Blog: KNTR and ASU Youth Literacy Initiative Kickoff was “Out of this World”
Related Blog: Kids Sign Reading Pledge Pumpkins at ASU Prep Fall Festival
Video: Student Softwire Presentation at ASU Preparatory Academy, Part 1
Video: Student Softwire Presentation at ASU Preparatory Academy, Part 2
Video: Aliens Land at ASU Preparatory Academy
