Oregon’s Portland Public Schools was recently selected as the recipient of the Richard M. Robinson Literacy Champion Award, sponsored by Scholastic, the global children's publishing, education, and media company, in partnership with the Council of the Great City Schools.

Named in honor of the late Scholastic Chairman and CEO, this annual award recognizes a Council member school district for demonstrating progress in advancing reading achievement to further support gains by increasing access to digital and print books, magazines, and materials within the district.

As the Richard M. Robinson Literacy Champion Award-winner, Portland Public Schools is provided the opportunity to select a site for a school library makeover. This spring, Jason Lee Elementary will receive a donation of more than 6,000 high-quality, age-appropriate books, 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 ebooks for purposeful, independent reading, allowing personalized student choice while providing teachers with real-time data to inform instruction.

In addition, every enrolled student will receive a summer book pack of 10 titles to take home and own, encouraging independent reading beyond the classroom.

“Scholastic is committed to expanding literacy for every child, as a gateway to equity and opportunity, and as a means of preparing for the future,” said Rose Else-Mitchell, President of Scholastic Education Solutions. “The research clearly shows that increasing access to books supports learning to read and reading to learn. We're excited to build upon the successes of Portland Public Schools."

“We appreciate Scholastic's generous support to provide an opportunity for urban school students to increase their literacy skills with access to high-quality reading materials that will help them develop a lifelong interest in reading and ensure academic success,” said Council Executive Director Ray Hart.  

"There is no more fundamental responsibility we have as educators than making sure every child can read," said Portland Public Schools Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero. “We're honored that our early literacy work has been recognized. We will continue implementing proactive measures to ensure our youngest scholars acquire a strong foundation in literacy."

Portland Public Schools is the second Council-member school district to receive this award; the first was the School District of Philadelphia.