Students at Priority Elementary Schools Can “Shop” for Free Books at Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation’s Opportunities with Literacy (OWL) Fest in September 

Pre-K through 5th grade students and teachers at Priority elementary schools in Tennessee will be able to “shop” for books and literacy resources, at no cost, through Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation’s OWL Fest, in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education. 

Nashville, Tenn. – Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation, in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE), announces the second year of Opportunities with Literacy (OWL) Fest, a curated bookstore and shopping experience that will travel to 39 Priority elementary schools across Tennessee in September. To build home libraries and encourage a love of reading in children, OWL Fest is a one-day event at each school, giving students the opportunity to select books to take home, at no cost to families or schools. Tennessee remains the only state in the U.S. to offer a statewide initiative like OWL Fest. 

In collaboration with Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, Pre-K through 5th grade students will be able to select six high-quality, high-interest books to take home, and teachers will be provided resources to support their classrooms. Through OWL Fest, more than 17,000 students, teachers, and reading specialists will receive over 102,000 books, at no cost. 

Currently, less than half of Tennessee 3rd graders read proficiently, with rates in Priority schools ranging from 22-38%. A two-decade long study found that the presence of a home library increases children’s academic success, vocabulary development, attention, and job attainment. Children with as few as 25 books in the home complete an average of two more years of schooling than those with no books. 

Additionally, research from the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report™: 8th Edition shows that the majority of kids (92%) say their favorite books are the ones they picked out themselves, and they are more likely to finish reading a book (93%) that they have picked out themselves, making the student-selection feature of OWL Fest more critical than ever. 

OWL Fest is a continuation of GELF’s K-3 Home Library program, which aims to build home libraries and strengthen early literacy by delivering books to the homes of students and teachers each summer. In 2024, the program delivered 1.3 million books to more than 230,000 students, teachers, librarians, and media specialists statewide, including Priority schools. 

“Our mission is to promote a culture of reading across Tennessee by ensuring students have access to the books and resources they need to develop a love of reading and learning,” said James Pond, President of GELF. “OWL Fest brings the joy and excitement of choosing your own books directly to students who may not have this opportunity otherwise. It’s not just about providing books—it’s about giving kids a love of reading and ownership of their literacy journey, ultimately, setting them on a path for future success.” 

“We know reading on grade level is the cornerstone of a child’s education and the basis of their postsecondary success,” said Lizzette Reynolds, Commissioner of Education. “Thanks to partners like GELF and Scholastic, students and teachers across the state have a very special opportunity at OWL Fest to have access to books and resources for the classroom for free.” 

“Four decades of research with children of all ages, in varied socioeconomic and cultural groups, reveal that access to books in the home is one of the strongest predictors of educational achievement,” said Amanda Alexander, Chief Academic Officer at Scholastic. “Scholastic is proud to work with the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation and Tennessee Department of Education to ensure the students of Tennessee have access to books at home that not only unlock the power and joy of reading but support them academically. 

In 2023, OWL Fest served 30 schools and provided over 54,000 books to 9,000 students, at no cost to them. The excitement from teachers and students inspired GELF and TDOE to continue OWL Fest in 2024. 

“I couldn’t afford to purchase a set of books for my class lesson on the Titanic, and all of my students were able to get that book for free at OWL Fest,” said one teacher. 

“I’ve never had six books before,” said a 5th Grade student. 

“Seeing the excitement on the faces of the children was amazing,” said one OWL Fest volunteer. “They couldn’t believe they could pick out six books to keep and not have to pay. It is a reminder that little things to some, are big things to a child.” 

OWL Fest is supported by federal funding to promote literacy in Priority schools designated by TDOE for the 2024-2025 school year, including schools in Hamilton County, Haywood County, Jackson-Madison County, Knox County, Metro-Nashville, and Memphis-Shelby County School Districts. As reported by TDOE, Priority schools, also federally designated as Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) schools, are the bottom five percent of schools across the state due to multiple years of low academic performance. Below is a list of the participating Priority schools that OWL Fest will visit in September. 

Hamilton County School District 

Orchard Knob Elementary 

Hardy Elementary School 

Haywood County School District 

Sunny Hill Intermediate 

Jackson-Madison County School District 

Jackson Career Technology Magnet 

Lincoln Elementary School 

Alexander Elementary School 

Isaac Lane Technology Magnet Elementary 

Knox County School District 

Lonsdale Elementary 

Green Magnet Math And Science Academy 

Maynard Elementary School 

Metro-Nashville School District 

Bellshire Elementary 

Park Avenue Elementary 

Cockrill Elementary 

Jones Elementary 

Robert Churchwell Elementary 

Memphis-Shelby County School District 

Cummings Elementary/Middle 

Hamilton School 

Memphis Delta Prep 

A.B. Hill Elementary 

Geeter School 

Riverview Elementary/Middle 

Lucy Elementary 

Alcy Elementary 

Larose Elementary 

Frayser-Corning Elementary 

Georgian Hills Elementary School 

Memphis Scholars Caldwell Guthrie 

Hanley Elementary 

Holmes Road Elementary 

Ford Road Elementary 

Levi Elementary 

Cherokee Elementary 

Winchester Elementary 

Cornerstone Prep-Lester 

Lucie E. Campbell Elementary 

Journey Coleman Elementary 

Douglass K-8 

Scenic Hills Elementary 

For more information, follow @GovEarlyLiteracyTN or visit GovernorsFoundation.org.  

About GELF 

Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation (GELF) equips Tennessee’s children with books and innovative literacy tools that encourage lifelong learning for a brighter future. GELF is a nonpartisan 501c3 driven by a mission to strengthen early literacy in Tennessee by acting as a thought leader, advisor, and catalyst for programs across the state. These programs include Birth-5 Book Delivery through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, K-3 Home Library, Caregiver Engagement, Book Buses, and Storybook Trails. GELF was founded in 2004 by former Gov. Phil Bredesen as a public-private partnership to sustain Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Tennessee. GELF has grown from solely a book-gifting program to an early literacy organization driven by a vision where all Tennessee children have access to the resources, guidance, and support they need to become lifelong learners. For more information, visit www.GovernorsFoundation.org or www.facebook.com/GovEarlyLiteracyTN, or call toll-free at (877) 99-BOOKS.  

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