“Belonging Through Books” Program Will Support 36,000 Underserved Students – WOSU Classroom Receives RemotEDx Subgrant
COLUMBUS, OHIO, MARCH 30, 2021 – WOSU Classroom received a subgrant from RemotEDx, a nonprofit and community-based student learning organization, to implement a program called “Belonging Through Books” that focuses on the need to create diverse and inclusive materials for educators and students. “Belonging Through Books” will feature engaging, digital read-along videos to make it easier for teachers, educational institutions and librarians to share these stories with their students in multiple settings.
WOSU Classroom will partner with Harper’s Corner, a nonprofit aimed at building diversity and inclusion among children, and participating schools: Columbus City Schools, Reynoldsburg City Schools, South-Western City Schools and Whitehall City Schools. The program will serve 36 elementary schools, 36,000 underserved students, and provide training for 360 educators on how to use it in their teachings.
“We know that our student populations throughout Central Ohio are becoming more diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, country of origin, family composition, LGBTQIA+ status and gender expression,” Amy Palermo, chief content director, WOSU Classroom said. “Belonging Through Books strives to create the most inclusive environment for all students.”
With the transition to hybrid and remote learning, WOSU Classroom recognizes the challenge of teaching through physical books and plans to make literature accessible to elementary schools in different settings through this program.
“We want to provide educators with diverse literature and learning resources for remote, hybrid and blended learning,” Palermo continued. “We strive to better reflect students’ lives and faces through representation in literature and educational materials and provide the high-quality curriculum and integration support to bring this vision to life.”
The digital read-along videos will begin to be available to educators this fall, with the rest of the program developed and implemented in stages over the next year and a half.
About WOSU Classroom
WOSU Classroom, a part of WOSU Public Media, offers a wide variety of professional learning opportunities suitable for educators of all grade levels and subject areas. Courses are offered for educators wishing to extend their knowledge and experience with technology integration. Learn more at wosu.org/classroom.
About WOSU Public Media
The mission of WOSU Public Media is to engage, inform and inspire our diverse community. An NPR and PBS affiliate, WOSU is a noncommercial multimedia organization serving over two million citizens in Central Ohio through broadcast, digital, programming, events and education experiences. A licensee of The Ohio State University, member-supported WOSU Public Media moves its headquarters and studios to the new 15+HIGH District on campus this summer. Learn more at wosu.org.
About RemotEDx
RemotEDx is a state-level initiative that brings together a unique mix of remote, hybrid and blended learning partners from across the state to help schools and districts enhance, expand and more effectively scale high-quality remote, hybrid and blended education delivery models. Consistent with Each Child, Our Future, Ohio’s strategic plan for education, RemotEDx places a premium on equity and seeks to support Ohio’s most underserved students.
CONTACT:
Amy Tillinghast
Senior Director of Marketing and Communications
2400 Olentangy River Road | Columbus, OH 43210
amy.tillinghast@wosu.org