Scholastic announced the Rising Voices Library, a new collection of books for K–5 classrooms containing high-interest, authentic texts that celebrate the stories of Black and Latino boys—some of the historically most underrepresented people in children’s literature. The collection was curated with David C. Banks, President and CEO of the Eagle Academy Foundation and Founding Principal of The Eagle Academy for Young Men, an all-boys public school educating young men in grades 6–12 in New York City and Newark, New Jersey. The Rising Voices Library features nonfiction, biographical, and fiction titles paired with teaching materials designed to help foster rich classroom communities through deep discussions about social justice and identity development, helping students grow as leaders and independent thinkers.
To learn more about the Rising Voices Library, visit: http://www.scholastic.com/RisingVoices.
Findings from the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report™ show that only one-third of school-age children say they have a classroom library that has enough of the types of books they’d like to read. The same report shared that about half of kids ages 9–17 and parents overall agree, “I wish there were more books available that include diversity.” The Rising Voices Library is designed to provide equitable access to engaging texts that represent the cultures and identities of students. Using Rising Voices research-based instructional resources, teachers gain the tools to navigate difficult conversations in the classroom while helping students reflect on their feelings and the crucial historical and social contexts they need to understand the world around them.
