Contact: Brittany Sullivan, (212) 343-4848, bsullivan@scholastic.com

New York, NY – December 1, 2016 – According to the newly released Teacher & Principal School Report: Equity in Education, 46% of teachers and principals say access to fiction and nonfiction books is not adequately available to their students. This percentage increases to 69% in high-poverty schools. To fill this gap and encourage families in all communities to foster their children’s literacy development beyond the school day, Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children’s publishing, education, and media company, has announced the launch of My Books Every Day, a collection of high-quality, take-home book packs with interactive activities for students in grades PreK–3.

Learn more about My Books Every Day, here: www.scholastic.com/face/mybookseveryday

“Research has consistently shown that the more students read, the better readers they become. We realized that our school population was comparable with other low-socioeconomic communities where on average, children own between zero and three books at home,” said Dr. Kelli Cedo, Principal, Forrest Elementary School in Hampton, VA. “To help remedy this text disparity, my school implemented a robust ‘Access to Books’ program including the distribution of elementary take-home books during the winter, spring, and summer, which has truly helped us provide equity and adequacy in our community through the lens of literacy.”

Scholastic first introduced take-home book packs as part of an effort to counteract academic skill loss during the summer months with My Books Summer. To help educators reinforce key learning skills and build students’ home libraries throughout the year, each My Books Every Day take-home pack features:

• Five fiction and nonfiction titles, including a diverse range of books by award-winning authors and popular illustrators
• A Student Journal with activities to entertain and sharpen skills learned in the classroom
• A Family Guide offering tips for families on how to support their child’s language and literacy development, and how to engage in everyday reading

Packs are available across three different themes:

• Open a World of Possible combines new and classic titles to build a love of shared reading within families and prompt activities focused on imagination and exploration
• Let’s Discover! introduces students to a range of topics related to science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) while building content knowledge
• Super Reader! brings together titles that focus on belonging, curiosity, friendship, and more, to build upon the Seven Strengths published by authors and literacy experts Pam Allyn and Ernest Morrell in their influential professional book Every Child a Super Reader

“We are pleased to offer educators a simple, yet effective way to support students’ literacy beyond the school day, every day of the year. As schools and districts all across the country embrace the idea, their students will reap the benefits of having greater access to books,” said Greg Worrell, President, Scholastic Education. “We know that forging a strong link between home and school is vital to enhancing student achievement while inspiring children to become lifelong learners.”

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For more information about Scholastic, visit the Company’s online media room at: //mediaroom.scholastic.com.