The Baltimore Sun was among eight companies across the nation honored last week by the Conference Board, one of the world's largest business membership organizations, for corporate efforts to improve primary and secondary education.

The newspaper received the Conference Board's Best in Class Award for its "Reading by 9" program, which includes continuing news and editorial coverage of reading issues; interactive reading pages for children and parents; an employee tutoring program; recognition programs for students and teachers; and community partnerships.

Reading by 9 has received regional and national awards for journalism and community service. It has also prompted education policy reform in Maryland and was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in its report on the most successful literacy programs in the nation.

The Conference Board established the award for education efforts in 1991. Other companies named as winners Thursday at the Conference Board's Business and Education Conference in San Francisco were: Chase Manhattan Bank, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Microsoft, Intel, Phillips Petroleum and United Technologies Corp.

Pub Date: 5/09/99