READ > LEAD > ACHIEVE
Changing Lives, Families and Communities More than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, students and teachers still face unprecedented challenges. Access to books, both in homes and classrooms, remains more critical than ever as existing gaps in academic achievement continue to grow. As we shared in the Spring 2021 issue of The Arrow, our spring literacy initiative was created to respond to this need when our help was needed most. With many of our traditional literacy events on hold, Pi Beta Phi collaborated with our partners at First Book® to reimagine the ways we could continue to make an impact. Pi Phis across the United States and Canada identified need within their own communities and connected qualified educators and organizations with First Book memberships. Each new registrant received immediate access to First Book’s extensive library of reading materials and resources, as well as a gift certificate toward new books from First Book Marketplace. Half of the books available featured titles from First Book’s “Stories for All” collection.
Books from this collection include diverse characters and themes, helping children gain confidence and develop empathy. As with all Read > Lead > Achieve® programs, the initiative was fully funded by grants from Pi Beta Phi Foundation, made possible by generous donors supporting The Literacy Fund. Educators and representatives from the newly registered organizations have reached out to tell us about the impact our literacy advocates and donors are helping to make for the children and families served through this initiative. Jamie Lanagan, an educator who works with students with special needs in Brooklyn, New York, shared the following reflection. “I work at 53K, a public school in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. We’re a middle school serving students with moderate to severe special needs in grades six through eight. In my classroom, I support students with autism, intellectual disabilities and emotional behavior disorders. While my students have these disabilities, they’re very socially aware that they are “different,” are interested in and inquisitive about world affairs and challenge me with pop culture references. They overcome so many obstacles every day, and I will forever shout from the rooftops how incredible they are! “Anyone who knows me knows my students have no choice but to love reading by the time they leave me — but as with any Title I school, our main need is always funding. For my students, funding directly impacts the availability of books in our classroom. We don’t have a school-wide library, so any books my students have access to come mainly from what I’m able to provide for them in our physical classroom — and we’ve been learning remotely for this entire school year due to the pandemic. “Most of my students are children of color, so the need for diverse books that represent their voices and experiences is even more imperative. In addition, having a library that meets the needs of all my students is an ongoing struggle. In one classroom, I have students learning their letters alongside students who are practicing reading
Left: Jamie Lanagan’s students at 53K in Brooklyn, New York, enjoyed reading three books in the “Harry Potter” series before moving to remote learning in the wake of the pandemic.
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