Read to Succeed launches 2018 Summer Reading Program
Supporters from the National Grid Foundation, The Warren Alpert Foundation and Rhode Island Department of Education join rising 4th and 5th grade students at Community Preparatory School
Read to Succeed enrolls 355 students with the help of the National Grid Foundation, The Warren Alpert Foundation, and Rhode Island Department of Education
For Immediate Release
Contact: David Guertin, Executive Director, 401-868-0365, david@readtosucceedri.org
PROVIDENCE, R.I., Read to Succeed, an innovative literacy nonprofit, experienced a successful student and parent orientation week, welcoming 355 students to their 2018 Summer Reading Program. Ed White, Executive Director of the National Grid Foundation, former Providence Mayor, Angel Tavares (National Grid Foundation Board Member), former TV personality Carmen Fields (National Grid Foundation Board Member), August Schiesser, Executive Director of The Warren Alpert Foundation, and Carol Blanchette, Chief of Teaching & Learning from the Rhode Island Department of Education, participated in the orientations with brief remarks to students and parents about their commitment to literacy and education in Rhode Island.
Read to Succeed’s student and parent orientations occurred on April 23rd, 24th and 25th at Read to Succeed’s partner schools – Highlander Charter School, Bishop McVinney Elementary School, and Community Preparatory School– where students selected their six books to read over the summer. In the fall, the organization will award approximately $319,000 in college scholarships to students in South Providence who completed their reading assignments. This will be the largest scholarship award amount to date.
Free of charge to students, parents and schools, Read to Succeed addresses the summer learning loss by providing a college scholarship as a powerful incentive to read over the summer. There is no similar program in Rhode Island. Students select six books from a wide range of topics selected by their teachers. After reading each book, which is provided free of charge, students take a comprehension exam. After passing the exams for all six books, students receive a $1,000 college scholarship in the Rhode Island CollegeBound|Saver, the state’s 529B college saving plan.
Founded in 2008 by Ralph and Barbara Papitto, Read to Succeed has awarded over 7,600 books and $871,000 in scholarships to disadvantaged Providence students. Read to Succeed was founded to reduce and eliminate the summer learning loss. We are now also documenting retention and gains in reading proficiencies as measured by the Student Growth Percentile (SGP) of the STAR Reading report. For more information or to make a scholarship donation, please visit www.readtosucceedri.org.