July 19, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

U.S. Department of Education to award Library grant to Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools

Dr. Mary Cohen, the Secretary's Regional Representative for the U.S. Department of Education, will announce the awarding of an Improving Achievement through School Libraries grant to the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools (KCKPS) at 9:00 am on Friday, July 21, 2006 at the District office, 625 Minnesota Ave., 3rd floor, in Kansas City, Kansas. Dr. Jill Shackelford, KCKPS Superintendent, will accept the grant.

The grant, in the amount of $292,976, will fund a project entitled "Zap the Gap: Read to Succeed". The goal of the project is to increase the reading achievement of all students by empowering students to choose their own reading materials, increasing recreational reading, eliminating the "summer slump" and bringing back the love of reading to young people. Grant funds will be used to purchase new, culturally relevant and interesting books and media resources, to provide age-appropriate incentives to students for reading, and to provide additional staff, support, training and equipment to make libraries more accessible to students.

Along with Dr. Cohen and Dr. Shackelford, district staff will be available to talk about the new program, and the District's efforts to close the achievement gap.