Mission
Read Better Be Better’s mission is to connect young readers and youth leaders to inspire a love of literacy and learning.
Vision
Read Better Be Better envisions a world in which empowered communities demand equitable access to foundational skills.
In 2014, Read Better Be Better (RBBB) was founded by Sophie Allen-Etchart in Phoenix as a response to Arizona’s literacy crisis. The state is ranked 48th in the nation for preK-12th education. Currently, 59% of 3rd-graders in Arizona are NOT proficient in reading, making many students unable to make the necessary transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.”
However, with proper reading intervention, there is an 89% chance that students who can read at grade level by the end of 3rd grade will graduate from high school, irrespective of socio-economic status.
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Beginning with two schools and 28 students, Read Better Be Better has grown to impact 99 schools and over 13,000 students.
The only after-school program to partner young Readers with youth Leaders, students who graduate from the RBBB program see gains in reading comprehension, confidence, enjoyment of reading, leadership, and critical thinking.
Better yet, 89% of Readers reported that they were getting better at reading than before they were in RBBB and 88% of Leaders reported that they have what it takes to be a good leader after participating in RBBB.
Read Better Be Better's 2023-24 Partner School Districts
