Federal Dollars Will Help Build Digital Literacy Skills, Secure Materials that Reflect Diverse Cultural Backgrounds

Photos (Dropbox) | Livestream (Facebook)

RANDOLPH – Yesterday, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) visited John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Randolph to deliver $275,000 in federal community project funding for culturally responsive resources and digital literacy tools for Randolph Public Schools.

“I was proud to celebrate the $275,000 in direct federal funds that we delivered for Randolph Public Schools,” said Rep. Pressley. “Students of all backgrounds – Black, brown, AAPI, Indigenous, disabled, LGBTQ+, and more – deserve to see themselves reflected in their school materials and should feel supported to develop digital literacy skills. At a time when school districts nationwide are banning books and undermining the critical work of our educators, this is exactly the type of investment we should be making in our public schools. I’m so grateful to local leadership for their collaboration to make these critical resources a reality and help students thrive.”

“This is an exciting educational initiative that will allow the Randolph Public Schools to enhance the use of technology to prepare our students for the necessary applied digital skills to succeed in college and their careers of choice,” said Town Manager Brian Howard.  “In addition, these funds will support the RPS curriculum to ensure cultural literacy for our students of all backgrounds to have access to books that are culturally relevant and inclusive to our community.  I thank Congresswoman Pressley for her continued support of the Randolph community.”

“Randolph Public Schools (RPS) thanks Congresswoman Pressley for shoring up federal funding to help close the opportunity gaps for our students.  Literacy is a foundational skill that opens doors for children and adults in all academic content areas and throughout life,” said Thea Stovell, Superintendent Randolph Public Schools. “When children are strong readers, they tend to excel in school and graduate.  Congresswoman Pressley’s continued advocacy assists RPS in purchasing high quality, culturally relevant, instructional materials that represent the demographics of the students.  Our students love to see themselves represented on the pages of their books and in their curricula.  We hope to increase literacy proficiency, inspire the love of reading, generate interest in learning, and also acknowledge the cultural and linguistic strengths that students bring to school.” 

View photos from the event here and watch the recorded livestream here.

Rep. Pressley secured the federal funding for Randolph in the government spending package that passed Congress and was signed into law by President Biden in March. In total, Rep. Pressley secured over $8 million for 10 community projects across the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District, capping off nearly a year of advocacy by Rep. Pressley and local leaders.

In March, she visited La Colaborativa in Chelsea to celebrate the $300,000 in federal community project funding that she delivered for La Colaborativa’s COVID Employment Recovery Program, and in April she visited Randolph to deliver $1,000,000 in federal community project funding for a new school-based community health center at Randolph High School. In May, she visited Bunker Hill Community College to celebrate the $1,000,000 in federal community project funding she secured to expand the City of Boston’s Tuition-Free Community College program.

In June, Rep. Pressley visited the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology to deliver $300,000 in direct federal funding for the development of a Clean Energy Building Automation Systems certificate and associate degree program.

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