Boston Public Schools Superintendent Tommy Chang and Eastern Bank President Quincy Miller Highlight the Value of Partnerships in Closing the Achievement Gap

Boston Public Schools Superintendent Tommy Chang and Eastern Bank President Quincy Miller Highlight the Value of Partnerships in Closing the Achievement Gap

Boston, MA, Sept. 28, 2017 - National literacy and mentoring non-profit Read to a Child® announced that Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh read aloud to children in its Lunchtime Reading Program today at the Maurice J. Tobin K-8 School in Roxbury.  The mayor was joined by Boston Public Schools (BPS) Superintendent Dr. Tommy Chang, Eastern Bank President Quincy Miller and Read to a Child CEO Paul Lamoureux to highlight the importance of non-profit, corporate and community partnerships to help close the achievement gap and boost literacy skills in greater Boston public schools. Photos from today's event can be accessed via a link at the end of this release.

The Tobin K-8 School is one of 17 public schools in greater Boston where Read to a Child operates its Lunchtime Reading Program. Read to a Child enlists and manages a force of 1,700 corporate volunteers from more than 125 organizations that visit urban elementary schools once a week and read aloud one-on-one to at-risk children during lunch.  This time spent with a caring adult ignites a love of reading in struggling children, while providing students with the skills and self-confidence to succeed in school and in life.

"Thank you to Read to a Child and to the many area businesses that provide volunteer reading mentors for the Lunchtime Reading Program in our public schools," said Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. "These partnerships strengthen our efforts in boosting literacy skills among our students and closing the achievement gap. Because of the support from organizations like Eastern Bank, our children get the extra help and attention they need for a brighter future."

 

"Improving literacy and social-emotional skills in our youngest students is a major factor toward closing the opportunity and achievement gap," said BPS Superintendent Chang. "I am thankful to Eastern Bank, Read to a Child CEO Paul Lamoureux, and all of our community partners for helping us in these crucial efforts."

 

"Mayor Walsh and Superintendent Chang's commitment to promoting literacy and closing the achievement gap is evident," said Read to a Child CEO, Paul Lamoureux.  "In addition, Eastern Bank's support, along with that of our other corporate partners, is critical in enabling Read to a Child to serve the hundreds of struggling children that remain on our waiting lists in resource-challenged schools."

"Supporting Read to a Child's work in bringing community volunteers into under-resourced schools is a natural investment for us and a great way for us to give back to the community," said Eastern Bank President Quincy Miller. "To support the work of outstanding non-profits, Eastern Bank utilizes our Charitable Foundation to contribute, in a meaningful way, to the health and vitality of the communities in which we operate."

At today's event, students from the Tobin School presented Mayor Walsh, Superintendent Chang and Eastern Bank President Quincy Miller with personal copies of 'The Magician's Hat,' each signed by author and New England Patriot's wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell. The Mayor went on to read this book to the students and engaged them in a lively discussion.  Because the book ends with the question, "What are your dreams?" the Mayor received many imaginative responses from the students.

 

After the read-aloud session, the Mayor and Superintendent thanked Eastern Bank for its financial support of the Lunchtime Reading Program and thanked Read to a Child corporate partners for providing both financial support and more than 120 volunteer reading mentors for the Lunchtime Reading Program at the Tobin School. Read to a Child partners include ArcLight Capital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Charles River Associates, Citi Private Bank, Harvard School of Public Health, New England Journal of Medicine, Partners HealthCare, Posternak, Blankstein & Lund, LLP, and Wayfair.

"I deeply value our partnership with Read to a Child because I see the results of the dedicated mentors who come each week to read with our students," said Efrain Toledano, Tobin K-8 Principal.  "Our partnership with Read to a Child enables many of our students to improve literacy skills, develop a love of reading and become life-long learners. Also, as part of the mentoring relationships that develop, I see our student's self-confidence improving, a critical component of future success."