Scholastic Unveils Global Literacy Campaign: Read Every Day. Lead A Better Life.

NEW YORK, Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Scholastic, the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books, is celebrating its 90th anniversary with Read Every Day. Lead a Better Life., a global literacy campaign that underscores the importance of reading as the pathway for young people to succeed in the 21st century. Scholastic is asking everyone committed to the support of young people - partners, educators, business leaders, publishers, booksellers, librarians, nonprofits, parents, caregivers and students - to work together to expand and support children's reading throughout the world.

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The cornerstone of the Read Every Day campaign is the Reading Bill of Rights, eight beliefs that inform Scholastic's commitment to increasing literacy in the 21st century. These beliefs affirm every child's right to read in today's world - from access to books and great stories to the ability to analyze, interpret and understand information in the digital age.

"The ability to read, write, and understand text has never been more important," said Dick Robinson, Chairman, President and CEO of Scholastic. "We hope that the Read Every Day. Lead a Better Life. campaign will inspire people everywhere to work together to bring reading and deeper understanding to children everywhere."

The goal of the campaign is to provide information and ideas to parents and teachers for making reading easier, more fun and more accessible to children while promoting the importance and value of reading for success in school and in life.

The Read Every Day. Lead a Better Life. campaign contains several key elements, all accessible through the Read Every Day website at scholastic.com/readeveryday:

• The Reading Action Steps are actions that everyone can take to encourage a child to "Read Every Day." In support of this global call to action, more than 120 organizations and individuals to date have joined the Read Every Day campaign as Literacy Champions, and Scholastic is proud to recognize these groups for their important contributions for improving literacy around the world. In addition, to date, thousands of individuals have pledged to help encourage a child in their life to "Read Every Day" at scholastic.com/readeveryday.  

• Several celebrities have already offered their support of the Read Every Day campaign by recording PSAs to encourage children, teachers, and parents to come together to help improve global literacy. These PSAs, by notable names such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Whoopi Goldberg, Kathy Bates, Keke Palmer, and NFL star Justin Tuck, are available for download at scholastic.com/readeveryday. In addition, 12 high-profile children's illustrators, including David Shannon, Mark Teague, Norman Bridwell, and Barbara McClintock, have created exclusive posters featuring their interpretations of what it means to "Read Every Day." These posters will be available through Scholastic channels, and the originals will be offered for sale with proceeds to benefit Reading is Fundamental and Reach Out and Read, two reading nonprofit organizations which promote reading for children.

• To help celebrate the importance of books and reading, Scholastic has created You Are What You Read, a social networking site for readers around the world. Users post the five books that had the biggest impact on their lives, connect with others through these shared "Bookprints," and discover new titles to read. The site also contains the Bookprints of more than 125 "Names You Know" – notable people from entertainment, academia, business, media, publishing, and more – including Bill Gates, Eva Mendes, Damien Hirst, Tony Hawk, Jodi Picoult, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Malcolm Gladwell, and President George H.W. Bush. You Are What You Read will launch on October 22 at www.youarewhatyouread.com.

• In addition, Grammy-winning recording artist Taylor Swift is participating in a live webcast exclusively for schools to celebrate the Read Every Day campaign. READ NOW! with Taylor Swift will include an interview with Taylor on how reading has helped shape her life, followed by a live performance. The event takes place on October 27, 2010 and is hosted by actor and musician Nick Cannon. Teachers can find more information and register at scholastic.com/readeveryday.

• To mark Scholastic's 90th anniversary on October 22, Scholastic employees will be visiting famous landmarks around the world, including stops in Los Angeles, Chicago, London, India, and the Philippines, to distribute the Reading Bill of Rights and help spread the message about children's literacy. In New York City, Scholastic employees – along with Clifford the Big Red Dog, Ms. Frizzle, and WordGirl – will ring the closing bell at NASDAQ. That night, the top of the Empire State Building will be lit red in recognition of 90 years of Scholastic and the Read Every Day campaign.

Visit www.scholastic.com/readeveryday to download the Reading Bill of Rights, learn how you can get involved by following the Reading Action Steps, see a list of organizations and individuals who have pledged to help support children's literacy, and join the effort to encourage a child to read every day.  

About Scholastic

Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology and related services and children's media. Scholastic creates quality books, print and technology-based learning materials and programs, magazines, multi-media and other products that help children learn both at school and at home. The Company distributes its products and services worldwide through a variety of channels, including school-based book clubs and book fairs, retail stores, schools, libraries, on-air, and online at www.scholastic.com.

SOURCE Scholastic Inc.