Scholastic Starts the New School Year with New Service Providing Comprehensive Literacy Solutions to School Districts

NEW YORK, Aug. 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- As the new school year begins, Scholastic has significantly expanded its resources and organization to provide customized Comprehensive Literacy Solutions for school districts. Scholastic has realigned its approach to increasing student achievement by combining its well-known teaching and learning programs into a comprehensive literacy improvement  program in four key areas: research-based programs including print and digital content for instructional reading and writing; expert-led consulting services and resources for professional learning; programs that engage families and the community;  and independent reading support through classroom libraries and magazines, including digital learning supplements.

"Scholastic's well-known programs such as Guided Reading, Leveled Libraries, Classroom Magazines, as well as digital reading programs like Storia® and BookFlix®, are widely favored by  pre-K to grade 8 educators as tools which help raise student achievement," said Scholastic Chairman, President and CEO Richard Robinson. "Now we are augmenting our services to provide comprehensive solutions including both instructional programs and professional development, which will expand our ability to be a partner for educators in building student achievement at the school and district level. Scholastic's comprehensive literacy solutions are more customizable than ever and are directly connected to the changed world we live in as educators, parents and students -- one with new standards, greater accountability and a need for higher levels of thinking and learning."

Scholastic Education centers its work on four areas of focus designed to support student achievement both inside and outside of the classroom:

• Instructional Reading & Writing
  Scholastic Education combines the best research with the expertise of the top minds in reading and writing instruction to create a range of resources, materials and curricula that educators can use to tailor instruction to their students' needs.
  • Enhancing its ability to customize offerings for districts, Scholastic Education offers curriculum mapping and pacing tools that allow it to easily meet the diverse needs of individual districts, schools and educators.
  • Expanding the student populations served by the widely-used Guided Reading suite of research-proven instructional curricula, Scholastic Education this fall is launching Guided Reading: Lecturas Cortas for English Language Learners.
  • Covering the latest topics in social studies, science, reading and math, Scholastic's Classroom Magazines and their digital learning extensions enhance classroom instruction.

• Professional Learning
  Scholastic Professional provides professional books, curricular resources, literature collections, and consulting services developed to help transform instruction in any school or district.
  • Partnering with leading experts in the field of instruction, Scholastic Professional continues to expand its work with literacy advocates and researchers including Ruth Culham, Nell K. Duke, Stephanie Harvey, Phyllis C. Hunter, Jan Richardson, Laura Robb, Maria Walther, providing side-by-side support in tested strategies for classroom success.
  • New additions to the Scholastic list of professional books are planned throughout this year– the first of which, Every Child a Super Reader, is authored by literacy expert Pam Allyn and renowned educator Ernest Morrell. Scholastic also plans to publish Page-to-Stage Writing Workshop by Newbery medal-winning author and educator Kwame Alexander.
  • District-wide, customized professional learning programs are delivered in a variety of formats to create ongoing, systemic change in literacy instruction.

• Family & Community Engagement (FACE) and Learning Supports
  Scholastic Education recognizes the important role families and communities play in ensuring children succeed in school and beyond. In 2011, Scholastic FACE™ launched to bring research-based family engagement strategies to scale. We are now expanding this service to include district and state wide programs of Learning Supports to build comprehensive community plans for helping children inside and outside the school.
  • This summer, renowned family and community engagement expert and Senior Lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Education Dr. Karen Mapp has collaborated with Scholastic to begin offering a 3-day workshop series to provide professional development to district leaders, school staff, parents and community members in the area of family engagement.
  • Scholastic's Integrated Learning Supports is a consultative approach that helps school leaders identify and reduce barriers to learning so that all students can achieve. Together, districts and expert consultants map out how to expand beyond the school to help children get ready to learn – from instructional materials to community partnerships, and after school and summer programs – and to develop community-wide action plans that help children overcome learning barriers.

• Independent Reading
  Scholastic increases the availability of high-quality, affordable books and encourages independent reading both in-school and at home through its long-established Leveled Book Rooms, Classroom Magazines, Reading Club and Book Fairs as well as emerging digital platforms.
  • The Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report^TM found that, while 33% of children ages 6–17 say their class has a designated time during the school day to read a book of their choice independently, only 17% do this every or almost every school day.
  • Robust and customizable classroom libraries continue to be at the heart of what Scholastic Education does to increase opportunities for independent reading in schools by making books widely available.
  • eReading subscription services such as Storia School Edition, BookFlix, TrueFlix® and FreedomFlix™ increase access to high-quality text both in school and beyond to anywhere with an internet connection.

For more information on the extensive literacy solutions provided by Scholastic, visit www.scholastic.com/education. Additional information about Scholastic is available on the Company's Media Room: Mediaroom.scholastic.com

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SOURCE Scholastic Inc.

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