'Abbott Elementary': ABC Is Doing Something Incredible for Underfunded Schools
The creators of ABC's Abbott Elementary go above and beyond to deliver smiles yet again –– this time, by partnering with Scholastic to bring free book fairs to underfunded public schools.
Variety reports students at seven Title 1 schools will be given two free books and each teacher will receive ten between March 14 and 18. The list of schools includes Philadelphia's Harrity Elementary (of which the ABC series is based), Diehl Elementary in Erie, Pa., Bond Elementary in Chicago, Dayton's Bluff Elementary in Minneapolis, Freeman Elementary in Flint, Mich. and Cortada Elementary and Florence Griffith Joyner Elementary in Los Angeles.
"Abbott Elementary shines light on and reflects the experiences and challenges faced by our country's educators," said Erin Weir, executive vice president of marketing for ABC & General Entertainment. "We had an extraordinary opportunity and responsibility to amplify that mission in our series marketing efforts. Giving back to this deserving community has been a pillar of our campaign from day one, and thanks to several incredible partnerships, like our collaboration with Scholastic, we've had the great fortune of celebrating teachers through supply donations, grassroots activations, and more, while also sharing the joy of our hilarious new comedy."
"Our mission at Scholastic has always been to support teachers and provide them with the resources and materials needed to build warm, positive classroom experiences for their students. That's why we are so thrilled to team up with ABC and Abbott Elementary — a show dedicated to uplifting educators and reflecting their experiences — to put books into the classrooms that need them most and get kids excited about reading and learning," said Billy DiMichele, senior vice president of creative development at Scholastic.
The synopsis for the show reads: "In this workplace comedy, a group of dedicated, passionate teachers—and a slightly tone-deaf principal—are brought together in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life. Though these incredible educators may be outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do — even if they don't love the school district's less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children." Abbott Elementary is currently on hiatus but will return with four more episodes to finish its first season on March 22.