November 17, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
ePals
(703) 885-3400
info@corp.epals.com

IN2BOOKS RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNICATIONS

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Public Education Network (PEN) awarded In2Books the 2004 Carmen A. Sarnicola Award for Excellence in Communications for best web site at its annual conference in Washington, D.C.

The Sarnicola awards, created by PEN to honor a tireless champion of public education, showcases the many innovative ways local education funds use communications to advance public school reform in their communities. The entries were rated on design, organization of content, message, and branding by a panel of judges that included Rima Calderon, Director of Corporate Communications for the Washington Post Company, and Ken Cosgrove, president of the Virginia-based multimedia communications firm, Carter Cosgrove + Company.

A list of award categories and recipients follows:

Web site: www.In2Books.org, In2Books, Washington, DC, Nina Zolt, Founder and Chair, for "eye-catching graphics, easy to use navigation, excellent 'pull-in' for various constituencies, and clear, straightforward advice."

Annual Report: Report to the Community 2001-2003, Portland Schools Foundation, Portland, OR, Cynthia Guyer, Executive Director, for "well-organized content depicting results and evidence of progress and achievement in language that reveals rather than cloaks the passion for the work."

Special Report: Parent Resource Guide, Education Fund for Excellence in Miami-Dade Public Schools, Miami, FL, Linda Lecht, Executive Director, for "well-written, informative, useful nut-and-bolts descriptions with text in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole."

Newsletter: BPEF News, Berkeley Public Education Foundation, Berkeley, CA, Trina Ostrander, Executive Director, for a "strong voice and message that effectively raises the alarm about budget cuts, while providing readers with many different ways to get involved."

Special Mention: 20th Anniversary Commemorative Flyer, Bridgeport Public Education Fund, Marge Hiller, Executive Director, for "use of network branding elements in a cost-effective, widely distributed piece recognizing all who contributed to the organization's success."

The Carmen A. Sarnicola Awards Program is named for the co-director of the Mon Valley Education Consortium. The program recognizes and encourages excellence in communications by local education funds.

The Public Education Network is a national organization of local education funds (LEFs) and individuals working to improve public schools and build citizen support for quality public education in low-income communities across the nation.

About In2Books
In2Books is the largest nonprofit literacy program in Washington, D.C. In2Books employs a collaborative, communitywide effort to foster reading, writing, and thinking skills in students in underserved schools. Throughout the school year, students receive five different kinds of books to keep. The books are diverse, demonstrate successful problem solving, and align with the national literacy teaching and learning standards. The students are matched with adult pen pals who read the same books and exchange a series of letters with the students, engaging them in critical thinking and the writing process.

In2Books started small—in a single D.C. classroom in 1998. After six years of rapid growth, this unique program involving students, teachers, families, principals, and business and civic leaders is now an integral part of the literacy program in our nation's capital. Pilot programs are under way in Loudon County (VA) and Chicago (the country's third largest school district).

For more information about In2Books, please visit www.In2Books.org.