School district unpacks cartons of new books for Philly kids

Philly school kids just starting out in elementary school have a special surprise waiting for them when they start school this year —cartons of new, educational books.

The School District of Philadelphia announced today that more than 130,000 new books will be delivereed to create classroom librariesin 53 schools Tuesday as part of The Right Books Campaign.

Kindergarden through third grade students will get new age-specific classroom libraries “that have been designed specifically for their students to help them become proficient readers and writers,” the school district said in a news release.

“There’s a deep connection between poverty and not reading,” said district Superintendent Dr. William Hite.

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“Right now over 40,000 of our students in grades K to 3^rd grade are economically disadvantaged,” he said. “Getting the right books, in the right hands, at the right time can make all the difference, especially among our youngest readers.”

The Right Books Campaign, started by The Fund for the School District of Philadelphia, aims to get every student reading at grade level by fourth grade. The fund is a nonprofit that works to connect philanthropic resources with Philly’s cash-strapped public schools.

They strive to use these funds to “target strategic priorities that have a measurable impact on the success of students, regardless of zip code, family income or chance,” according to the fund’s website.