The International Paper Foundation has awarded a $7,500 grant to the Craven County Partners In Education to fund the International Paper Literacy Grant. This grant is just one example of International Paper’s commitment to the company’s signature causes, which include education, hunger, health and wellness, disaster relief and initiatives that improve our planet. In addition, the company is committed to addressing critical community needs where our employees live and work.
The most successful way to improve the reading achievement of our students is to increase their access to print. Jason Jones, President of Partners In Education, explains, “Funding of this grant will give our students at Trent Park Elementary the opportunity to select their own books to keep through the Lexia “level up” reading program to improve their literacy skills and to help them fall in love with reading by allowing them to choose books to keep as their own as they reach their learning goals. We know that providing the means for children to decide which books they want to read at home and keep for their own will help students build healthy habits of life-long reading.”
This grant aims to enable students to improve their reading skills to the point where they can succeed in school and develop the comprehension skills that will give them the foundation for career success, post-secondary education, and life skills. Studies have shown that poor readers reading at a grade level or more behind are more likely to be disruptive in the classroom, truant from school, and at risk of dropping out of school. Therefore, it is an essential prerequisite for life and academic success that as learners, students must be given multiple opportunities to read text, discuss text, and write about text that challenges their skills.
“At International Paper, we believe our company cannot succeed if our communities do not succeed,” said Catherine Burgess, communications coordinator, New Bern Mill. “We are proud to support Craven County Partners In Education as they positively impact education and literacy awareness within the Craven County school system.”
By Darlene J. Brown