Beyond Basics' Literacy Program to Impact 500 DPSCD Students through GM's $1 Million Grant
Contribution supports Beyond Basics’ goal to tutor 11,000 Detroit public high school students over the next three years.
Detroit, Mich., Feb. 3, 2020 – General Motors recognizes the importance of supporting literacy, especially in Detroit, through a $1 million donation to the Beyond Basics’ Be The Solution literacy campaign. This investment will provide nearly 500 Detroit high schoolers the opportunity to participate in the nonprofit’s literacy program.
“Beyond Basics delivers outstanding results that are real, measurable and impactful,” said Mark Reuss, General Motors president. “At General Motors, we believe investing in Detroit’s children and families is an investment in the future – for them, and for all of us residing in SE Michigan. Our team is proud to support Beyond Basics’ ambitious mission, and we encourage other companies to do the same as we work together to revitalize the city.”
General Motors’ donation is the largest single investment to Beyond Basics’ Be The Solution literacy campaign, to date, and marks the half-way point of the $3 million goal. The campaign launched last summer with the endorsement of the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD).
Beyond Basics works closely with DPSCD and has already achieved tremendous success with 50 tutors at schools across the city — including Mumford High School, where today’s grant announcement was held. The number of trained, certified tutors is expected to jump to 300 over the next three years.
“This is not about throwing money at another problem. Beyond Basics gets at the heart of the challenges linked to reading below grade level and delivers a strategy that is coherent, comprehensive and truly research-based,” said Dr. Nikolai P. Vitti, superintendent of the Detroit Public Schools Community District. “With the support and leadership of General Motors and Beyond Basics, we will begin to address, at scale, high school literacy challenges so students can be on a college or career path. Due to the legacy of emergency management, too many of our high school students are behind.”
Today’s $1 million donation continues General Motors’ support of Beyond Basics’ results-driven work. In 2018, General Motors helped establish Beyond Basics’ first bricks-and-mortar space in Detroit at the Durfee Innovation Society in Detroit. The Beyond Basics Family Literacy Center provides literacy and workforce development services, including GED and SAT prep, with a large focus on reaching an adult population.
“Most Detroit public high school students are reading below grade level,” said Pamela Good, co-founder and CEO of Beyond Basics. “When students fall behind in literacy, they fall behind in every subject because curriculums assume children can read. With this generous $1 million donation from General Motors, Beyond Basics can pair even more trained tutors with struggling students who are eager to learn and need that extra boost.”
Providing a child the tool of reading can change the trajectory of their life. It opens a world of possibilities that can provide them opportunities that would be impossible without literacy. For over twenty years Pamela Good and the Beyond Basics team have been committed to giving children the chance to read and see the potential they have to succeed in the world. It is a mission that has helped thousands, but there are many more in need of help.
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About Beyond Basics: Launched in 2002, Beyond Basics, a literacy-focused nonprofit offers a range of individual tutoring, group learning and other multi-sensory programming to dramatically improve the literacy skills of students across Detroit Public Schools. Beyond Basics has a proven track record of getting kids reading at grade level in an average of six weeks. Beyond Basics is a dedicated to one-on-one reading, tutoring and literacy enrichment programs for K-12 students in Metro Detroit.
Beyond Basics’ proven methods unlock the miracle and power of reading and open a whole new world and future to those who need it most.
About General Motors
General Motors is a global company committed to delivering safer, better and more sustainable ways for people to get around. General Motors, its subsidiaries and its joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Holden, Baojun and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety and security services, Maven, its personal mobility brand and Cruise, its autonomous vehicle ride-sharing company, can be found at http://www.gm.com.
About Detroit Public Schools Community District
Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) is Michigan’s largest public education system. It is governed by a locally-elected, seven-member board with Dr. Nikolai Vitti serving as superintendent. The District’s mission is to provide every student with a beneficial and rightful educational experience, preparing students to be career and college ready, and qualified to compete in the global market. The District has more than 100 schools and educates 50,000 children. For more information, visit detroitk12.org.