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This teacher needs your help!

Ms. Kroener-Valdivia from Los Angeles, CA is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Ms. Kroener-Valdivia is requesting

Books Bring Brighter Futures.

My students need more books that appeal to their interests. They are required to read from a book of their choosing every day in class. We just don't have enough books.

  • $744 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Keep the momentum going! Make a donation to Ms. Kroener-Valdivia for her next project!

Help Ms. Kroener-Valdivia

Keep the momentum going! Make a donation to Ms. Kroener-Valdivia for her next project!

My Students

I teach 12th grade English, and the average reading level of my students is 6th grade. Our collective goal is to raise their reading levels by more than one full grade level by the end of the year. All the research shows wide reading is the only way to accomplish this goal.

My school is 99% Latino and free-reduced lunch.

Most students are second and third generation Angelenos. The neighborhood our school is located in is being gentrified and many Latino families are struggling with rapid increase in monthly rents. There is much violence and loss in our community. We just had two girls from the community brutally murdered. We had a loaded gun on campus a month ago. There is gang activity and what feels like a disproportionate amount of disease like cancer. One of my students is homeless and wanders to friends' homes for the night. Several students have a deported parent. All of students are extremely worried about what their lives hold for them after high school, and are panicking over college entrance choices and the exorbitant cost of college these days. We are a small pilot school, which means we are a public school, not charter. Our small staff works hard to help our students with all the challenges they are facing.

My Project

Students have a monthly reading point goal. The goal, and related progress towards the goal, are tracked in a system called Accelerated Reader. Students can choose any book within their reading level range. We read for 12 minutes a day at the start of class, and then students are to read for another 15 minutes a day for homework. Because my students are 6 years behind their grade level in reading ability, they display all the classic symptoms of "struggling readers." In order for them to continually stay motivated to reach their point goals, they need a wide selection of high interest books to read. All the books included in my wish list come from a students' wish list. I have purchased one copy of many of the titles out of my own pocket, but in order to meet the demands of 150+ students total, we need multiple copies of the most popular titles available for check out. Students are able to take these books home, and carry them with them all the time.

I feel a sense of urgency in helping my students raise their reading levels before graduating from high school.

Whether they go to college or work after high school, a 6th grade reading level simply isn't high enough. The reading level of the LA Times is 8th grade. My dream is for them to become life-long readers, but at the very least, I want them to have a reading level that allows them to compete and not be taken advantage of in our society.

Ms. Kroener-Valdivia Sotomayor La High School-Lars Grades 9-12

Equity Focus

At this school, more than 50% of students are Black, Latino, and/or Native American, and more than 50% come from low-income households. Learn how your donation to this school supports a more equitable education.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

More about Ms. Kroener-Valdivia

Los Angeles, CA View local requests

Nearly all students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

150 students impacted 8donors

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Expand the "Where your donation goes" section below to see exactly what Ms. Kroener-Valdivia is requesting.

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Seven for the Revolution • Amazon Business $14.35 5 $71.75
The Tattooed Soldier • Amazon Business $14.13 5 $70.65
Breaking Through • Amazon Business $7.99 5 $39.95
How It Ends • Amazon Business $18.65 2 $37.30
Reaching Out • Amazon Business $6.99 5 $34.95
The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child • Amazon Business $11.00 3 $33.00
L.A. Confidential • Amazon Business $12.27 2 $24.54
Such a Pretty Girl • Amazon Business $11.39 2 $22.78
The Big Nowhere • Amazon Business $11.26 2 $22.52
Leftovers • Amazon Business $11.04 2 $22.08
A Piece of Cake: A Memoir • Amazon Business $10.69 2 $21.38
Now Is the Time for Running • Amazon Business $8.29 2 $16.58
Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America • Amazon Business $14.00 1 $14.00
White Jazz • Amazon Business $12.78 1 $12.78
Once a King, Always a King: The Unmaking of a Latin King • Amazon Business $12.72 1 $12.72
My Bloody Life: The Making of a Latin King • Amazon Business $12.72 1 $12.72
Thirteen Reasons Why • Amazon Business $6.11 2 $12.22
Lady Q: The Rise and Fall of a Latin Queen • Amazon Business $12.19 1 $12.19
The Black Dahlia • Amazon Business $5.99 2 $11.98
Living Dead Girl • Amazon Business $9.18 1 $9.18
Outcasts United: The Story of a Refugee Soccer Team That Changed a Town • Amazon Business $8.99 1 $8.99
Little Brother • Amazon Business $7.54 1 $7.54
Counting by 7s • Amazon Business $5.99 1 $5.99
Paperboy • Amazon Business $5.99 1 $5.99

Materials cost

$543.78

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $49.76

3rd party payment processing fee

$8.16

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$631.70

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$111.48

Total project goal

$743.18

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $743.18

5 Donors

-$625.52

Donations toward project cost

-$546.70

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$78.82

match offer

-$100.00

Match offer toward project cost

-$85.00

Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$15.00

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$17.66

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Kroener-Valdivia and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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