"One thing I enjoyed a lot was when we all talked about what our reader did for a living and what we wanted to be. Thanks to him, now I have tons of ideas on what I want to be when I get older. He taught me that reading is important and you have to read in order to get a good job and be successful at it."
-- Christina, a middle school student visited by a Big Cheese Reader
Boston Partners in Education's Big Cheese Reads Initiative has been running in Boston since 2004. It is the nation’s first CEO-driven academic mentoring campaign, designed to build the bridge between reading and career success. Boston area senior executives and community leaders ("Big Cheeses") visit a middle school classroom once during the school year to read a short selection aloud to students, give a brief personal account of the ways reading and learning have impacted their lives and career achievements, and respond to questions. This initiative also introduces students to today's many different career opportunities, broadening their knowledge of possible career paths.
What is the impact of reading aloud to middle school students?
National research findings show the percentage of students reading for pleasure consistently and drastically declines throughout the grades, dropping from 100% in kindergarten to 24% by the end of high school.
In an attempt to solve this problem, the Commission on Reading conducted research to find that "the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success is reading aloud to children." The commission also recommended that reading aloud should continue throughout the grades. A study performed in a Boston middle school clearly illustrates the impact that reading aloud has on adolescent reading attitudes. Four years after instituting daily sessions of reading aloud to students, the school's reading scores went from last place to first in the district.
Where do Big Cheese Readers come from and what is their role?
"Big Cheeses" come from companies throughout the Greater Boston area. Readers reinforce the excitement of reading and focus on the importance of literacy and it's impact on professional success. Since its inception, more than 120 corporate and community leaders have gone back into the classroom to support the initiative, including Mayor Thomas Menino, Regina Pisa, Governor Deval Patrick, Liz Walker, and Keith Lockhart, to name just a few.
Big Cheeses support Boston Partners in Education by sponsoring the program at a given funding level. For a list of sponsorship levels, please see the Sponsorship Pledge Form. Funds raised through the campaign enable us to recruit, train, place, and manage more volunteers in Boston Public School classrooms, grades K-12, helping us continue to provide quality education assistance and adult role models to Boston's school children.
Who are Boston Partners in Education's Big Cheese Reads sponsors?
To learn more about Boston Partners in Education's Big Cheese Reads Initiative, please contact:
Karen L. Tefft, Director of Special Projects
617.451.6145
ktefft@bostonpartners.org
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