Arizona Students Become Reading Coaches, Boosting Younger Peers

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In classrooms across Arizona, middle school students are serving as reading coaches for younger elementary school students through a nonprofit program called Read Better Be Better. The program pairs fourth through eighth graders with kindergarten through third-grade students for structured, twice-weekly afterschool reading sessions. An independent evaluation found that participating students are making stronger gains in foundational reading skills compared to their peers, with third graders in the program scoring higher on the state's English Language Arts exam.

Why it matters

The peer-to-peer reading program is helping to address literacy challenges in Arizona by empowering older students to take on leadership roles and support the academic growth of younger students. Improving reading proficiency at an early age is crucial for long-term academic success.

The details

The Read Better Be Better program pairs trained middle school 'leaders' with younger elementary students for structured afterschool reading sessions twice a week. The sessions go beyond just story time, with a focus on building foundational reading skills. An independent evaluation found that students participating in the program are making stronger gains in reading compared to their peers, and third graders in the program are even scoring higher on the state's English Language Arts exam.

• The Read Better Be Better program has been operating in classrooms across Arizona.
• A new independent evaluation of the program was recently completed.