Read Better Be Better's mission is to connect young readers and youth leaders to inspire a love of literacy and learning.
Read Better Be Better (RBBB) was founded by Sophie Allen-Etchart in 2014 in Phoenix as a response to Arizona’s literacy crisis. The state is ranked 44th in the nation for childhood literacy and 48th for preK-12th education. Currently, 66% of 3rd graders from low-income families in Arizona do not read at grade level and often are unable to make the necessary transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” by 4th grade.
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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Read Better Be Better's vision is a society in which all children master the foundational skills necessary to become independent learners.
Beginning with two schools and 28 students, Read Better Be Better has grown to impact 98 schools and almost 6,000 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. In the Fall 2019 semester, RBBB students showed 16% more growth on reading comprehension tests than their non-participating classmates.
Better yet, 88% of Readers reported that they were getting better at reading than before they were in RBBB and 87% of Leaders reported that they have what it takes to be a good leader after participating in RBBB.
Our COVID-19 Response
In order to ensure the health and safety of our students and staff, Read Better Be Better has transitioned our programming to an at-home format. Read Better Be Better At Home is now available free to any family in Arizona, visit the At Home Program page to learn more. Additionally, our offices are closed to all outside guests and work is being conducted through a mixture of at-home and in-office hours, with safety protocols and procedures in place. If you have questions or concerns please contact info@readbetterbebetter.org.