Yesterday, Dewey, an organization that creates educational products with the goal of sparking joy in reading and writing, celebrated World Read Aloud Day (WRAD).
They did this with some very special role models and superheroes. Dewey’s CEO and the creator of WRAD, literacy expert Pam Allyn, and New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks and Mayor Eric Adams celebrated the power of reading aloud at P.S. 123 Mahalia Jackson in Harlem.
“Literacy is a key foundational skill for young people to thrive, yet for too long we’ve been working from a flawed playbook,” said David Banks, New York City Schools Chancellor. “Literacy instruction, grounded in the science of reading, is our top priority for New York City’s public school students, and World Read Aloud Day is a great reminder that something as simple as reading out loud with your children at home can have a significant impact on their education.”
Allyn, Adams and Banks read aloud to a group of elementary students in the school’s library. Mayor Adams shared his admirable story of overcoming dyslexia and read “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me” by Maya Angelou. Chancellor Banks emphasized the importance of literature and embraced it by reading “I Am Golden” by Eva Chen. Pam Allyn recounted how WRAD was born out of a child’s idea for a celebratory day dedicated for reading aloud and is now celebrated across the globe. She then read “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault.
“World Read Aloud Day originated in the vibrant heart of New York City, and it’s an honor to be partnering with the city’s esteemed leaders, Chancellor Banks and Mayor Adams, to spread the importance of reading aloud with your children,” said Pam Allyn, founder of World Read Aloud Day and CEO of Dewey. “Reading aloud is critical for modeling good reading habits, for making the invisible skills of reading more visible, fostering empathy and creating the foundation for lifelong literacy learning — and it’s so powerful to have these two great role models to lead the way.”
Pam Allyn created WRAD with her team at LitWorld in 2010 to celebrate the power of reading aloud to create community and amplify new stories, and to advocate for literacy as a foundational human right.
Since then, World Read Aloud Day has evolved into a global movement of millions of readers, writers, and listeners from communities all across the world coming together to honor the joy and power of reading and continue expanding the definition and scope of global literacy. In 2022, over 57 million readers spanning across 40 countries participated in WRAD.
Pam Allyn is an educator, curriculum developer and literacy advocate, creator of WRAD and founder and CEO of Dewey. Allyn works collaboratively with parents and teachers to bridge the literacy gap and ensure every parent has the resources they need to actively participate in their children’s education.
Education organization Dewey focuses on the four programmatic pillars of phonics, meaning-making, writing skill and the power of story. The organization supports children’s foundational academic needs with playful and fun learning tools that inspire joyful learning.
Since its inception, Dewey has positively influenced the lives of more than 100,000 children with a wide range of products and tools available to parents, caregivers and educators in English, Spanish, and Arabic.
For more information about Dewey and World Read Aloud Day, reach out to Jocelin Leon at Jocelin@TheTASCGroup.com.
Dewey
Dewey is an organization that creates educational products to spark joy in reading and writing. Founded in 2020, Dewey takes a unique approach to education by focusing on the powerful intersections of home, school and everywhere in between.
Unlike traditional education models, Dewey prioritizes children’s foundational academic needs by introducing playful and engaging learning tools to remove the fear and anxiety that can come with school. The four pillars that make up Dewey’s program are: phonics, meaning-making, writing skills and the power of story.
Since its inception, Dewey has positively influenced the lives of 100,000 children with a wide range of products and tools available to parents, caregivers and educators in English and Spanish with more languages in development.
To learn more about Dewey visit DeweyCommunity.Com or follow Dewey on LinkedIn.
Photo credit: 1-3) Dewey Community.
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