We hit our Book Credits goal!

Maria Moreno Elementary students in Dallas, Texas are excited about new books!

Maria Moreno is a Title 1 elementary school with students in Pre-K to 6th grades. The school is a part of Dallas ISD and is located in Southwest Dallas, TX. The administration and staff of Maria Moreno are determined to meet their goal of every student achieving a minimum of one year’s academic growth every year.

Forty-four teachers are working with the population of approximately 650 students, 89% on receive free or reduced lunches and 54% with limited English, to achieve this goal. They offer after school tutoring at every grade level four days of the week throughout the year and solicit help from non-profits to enrich their curriculum.

Our non-profit, My Very Own Book, assists with this endeavor with our reading incentive program. Students read outside of school hours and are rewarded every six weeks for minutes read with a certificate and a new book of their choice. We provide the school with more than double the number of new books they need to set up the “free bookstore” so the students have a great selection from which to choose. The program works to motivate students to read, increase literacy skills, and put new books into the homes of families who often can’t afford to purchase their own new books.

Thank you to all Paperback Swap members for donating credits to help this amazingly determined group of teachers and students.

Kelley Van Auken, Exeutive Director