5.15.2008 - 02:30pm ET

Students poised to reach new academic heights as 20 Canadian high-needs elementary schools receive literary grants from the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation. Investing in the country's future, the three-year grant provides each school with up to $160,000

(CSRwire) TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 05/15/08 -- Today, the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation committed another $1.5 million to high-needs elementary schools totaling $6 million in funding to date. Twenty elementary schools across Canada will receive grants of up to $160,000 over three years.

"The Indigo Love of Reading Foundation focuses attention on Canada's most valuable resource - our children," said Heather Reisman, CEO of Indigo Books & Music Inc. "By providing schools with funding for books we are, in a small way, helping to brighten the future of young children and mitigate the literacy crisis in Canada. In addition to our direct work with schools, we remain committed to encouraging Provincial Governments across Canada to follow the Ontario Government's lead to invest more boldly in school libraries and librarians."

Early Love of Reading Results

A focus on literacy and enriched libraries produces results. Mary Street School in Oshawa, Ontario, achieved tremendous results over the past three years, including dramatically improved reading levels from grades 1 through 8. Prior to the grant, no students at the grade
2 level were assessed as being able to read at the standardized levels for their grade. Now over 35 per cent of students are reading at standardized levels. Grades 7 and 8 were previously struggling to read at Level 1 and now 78 per cent of students' reading skills have significantly improved, reaching Levels 2 and 3 - the latter considered the provincial standard.

At St. Francis of Assisi in Edmonton, Alberta, overall academic performance improved significantly. St. Francis initially ranked last out of 705 Alberta schools. After one year, this school moved up to a ranking of 578, garnering a nomination for the Garfield Weston Award in the area of Academic Performance and Improvement.

King Edward Public School in Kitchener, Ontario, demonstrated a marked improvement with just 32 per cent of students reading at standard grade 3 reading levels prior to receiving their grant. In their second year of the Love of Reading program, 59 per cent of students scored above or at provincial reading standards for grade 3.

Important Statistics

- A 1 per cent increase in literacy adds $18.4 billion to our
economy.(1)

- In 1970 public schools received the equivalent of three new books per child per year. Today it is less than one third of a book.

- 87 per cent of Canadian public schools lack a working library with a full-time librarian.(2)

- 42 per cent of Canadian adults lack basic literacy skills.(3)

- 80 per cent of people who end up in jail are functionally
illiterate.(4)

2008 Love of Reading Recipients

This year, the following 20 schools will receive funding from the
2008 Indigo Love of Reading Foundation. Excerpts from the grant recipient calls can be found online at loveofreading.org.

British Columbia:                        Quebec:

Lena Shaw Elementary School, Surrey      Orchard Elementary, LaSalle

Conrad Street Elementary School,         Shigawake Port Daniel School,

Prince Rupert                            Shigawake



Alberta:                                 New Brunswick:

Parkdale School, Edmonton                Elsipogtog First Nation
School,

Prince Charles Elementary School,        Elsipogtog

Edmonton

Saskatchewan:                            Prince Edward
Island:

Glen Elm School,Regina                   Prince Street Elementary
School,

                                         Charlottetown

                                         Belfast Consolidated School      
                               

                                         Belle River

Manitoba:                                Nova Scotia:

North Memorial School, Portage la        South Centennial Elementary
School,                                  Yarmouth

Prairie                               

Kelsey Community School, The Pas

Plum Coulee Elementary School, Plum

Coulee



Northwest Territories:                   Newfoundland:

Sir Alexander Mackenzie School, Inuvik   Woodland Primary, Grand Falls-

                                         Windsor

Ontario:

Roxborough Park Public School,

Hamilton

Abe Scatch Memorial School, Poplar Hill

Fenelon Township Public School,

Fenelon Falls

Alexander Muir / Gladstone, Toronto

For more information please contact: