Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Leads 150 Men in Fourth Annual Literacy Series Celebrating Fatherhood at Watts’ 99th St. Elementary

Innovative Program Has Renewed Male Participation In School Through A Reading Plan Designed To Involve Fathers In Their Child’s Education

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Partnership for Los Angeles Schools:

WHAT:	Almost 150 men, including Southeast Area LAPD Captain Phillip Tingirides and Mayor Villaraigosa will participate in a program called “Donuts with Dad” at 99th Street Elementary aimed at getting fathers involved in their children’s education. The yearly event is the brainchild of Principal Sherri Williams (now leading the Partnership’s Jordan High School campus) who found that 50% of her students do not have a father living in the same household. In response, she started the program, in which men read to students at the elementary school for an hour a day.
WHO:	Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will be leading the children’s read-along with Captain Phillip Tingirides and over 150 fathers and adult male role models from the Watts community.
	The media are also invited to attend.
WHEN:	Thursday, January 26, 2012
	7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
WHERE:	99th Street Elementary
	9900 Wadsworth Ave.
	Los Angeles, CA 90002

For information on the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, visit www.partnershipla.org.

Media inquiries can be directed to Patrick Sinclair at [e-mail] or 310-998-7449.

About the Partnership - The Partnership for Los Angeles Schools was founded in 2007 as the cornerstone of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s strategy to improve education in Los Angeles. It is a unique collaboration between the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Unified School District to turnaround LA’s lowest performing schools and to create a model for doing so district wide. The largest non-district school operator in Los Angeles, the Partnership currently manages 22 schools with 17,000 students and 1500 employees. The Partnership is a 501(c) 3 non-profit education management organization with nearly 37 employees.