March 22, 2018

Meet Sophie Etchart of Read Better Be Better

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sophie Etchart.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Originally from England, I studied Spanish, French and German at University and applied that love of language traveling independently from the age of 16. After graduating, I took a consulting job that in 2009 led to the opportunity to design and execute the Private Equity Foundation / Deutsche Bank Leadership Program: instructional workshops and networking events in partnership with INSEAD business school, France. Under the mentorship of the CEO, Shaks Ghosh, that year with a Private Equity Foundation opened my mind to the nonprofit sector.

Taking a transcontinental leap, I moved to Peru to run the education department at SKIP, an international development organization, where I managed an international team of 25 staff and volunteers working with 330 young people aged 3-17 on a comprehension curriculum designed to complement the national public schooling system. During my time there, this program received several recognitions including one from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

It was in Peru that I met my husband, an Arizona native. I moved to Phoenix in 2012 and spent two years managing the JA BizTown® team at Junior Achievement. It was during this time that I noticed that an alarming number of the 20K+ students served lacked foundational reading and education skills. Upon further investigation, I identified the need for basic reading comprehension support.

When the “Move on When Reading” law was announced, the timing was critical to support third graders at-risk of being kept behind and Read Better Be Better was born. RBBB served just 60 students in 2015. This school year, they reached the milestone of having helped more than 1,000 children improve literacy skills and become better learners. Sophie lives in the Coronado District of Downtown Phoenix with her husband, son and two dogs.

Has it been a smooth road?
Not at all! While most people do not fundamentally have a problem with supporting third-grade reading, they do struggle to take a perceived risk on a new nonprofit. Funding is restricted for organizations less than one-year-old. So for the first few years, I really had to hustle. Friends and family were hugely supportive and, as soon as we were able to show our initial data, then funders were convinced to invest, despite our relative inexperience – you can’t argue with data!

It has been a struggle to put myself in the spotlight. I would never claim to be perfect and have made so many mistakes along the way. It’s so difficult to drive yourself forward if you are constantly self-critical, but the power is in this work. What is happening in our classrooms is so much more important than my own perceived shortcomings. It forces you to remove yourself from the equation and just work.

I also gave birth to my son during the summer when we were preparing to double the amount of schools we were serving. I had just hired our first full-time staff member besides myself. She came on board when I was 40 weeks pregnant (thankfully Cody was a week late) and I returned to work just 2 weeks later. It has been hard work, for sure. But every sacrifice pales into insignificance when we consider the huge impact that this program is having on the community. It is a privilege to be a part of this organization.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
For generations, education has been the springboard to opportunity in the United States for those that can access it. Disappointingly, the state of Arizona ranks 50th overall in the nation for inadequate spending in public education. Arizona is now witnessing what happens when we do not support children enough during their early years of education.

Arizona depends on three main sources of revenue to fund its public education system; local, state, and federal funds. During 2002-2011, a span of almost a decade, funding for K-12 schools in Arizona fell by 21%, the largest decline in the country. Local funds in the form of property taxes pay for nearly half of the State’s public education expenses.

Children needing to attend schools in districts that generate low property taxes are worse off, not better, than those living in an area producing high property taxes. With elected officials reluctant to raise the State’s sales and income taxes, increasing State funds seems unlikely at this time. Without a choice, our children’s quality of education relies on unequal property taxes despite the Arizona Supreme Court ruling this practice as unconstitutional in 1994.

As a whole, we are not meeting the needs of children in Arizona, especially those stigmatized by their family’s economic position. Research shows concentrated neighborhood poverty breeds concentrated disadvantages for all people, particularly children in school. Underperforming reading scores reflect an education gap between children from low-income earning families and children from higher income earning families. In Arizona, a staggering 70% of third graders are unable to read at grade level.

Additionally, 86% of them are from low-income backgrounds. Yet we have known that if third graders cannot read by the fourth grade, they are four times less likely to graduate high school. Revealing differing experiences children are facing at school and at home, these statistics acts as a red flag as well as a marker for intervention.

At RBBB, we propose a different approach that does not keep Arizona’s children further off track to graduate high school on time or ever. Acknowledging children as our future leaders, RBBB equips third and sixth graders with tools to handle future responsibilities and grow into healthy, independent adults. Our mission supports children in creating a new opportunity to overcome their reading setbacks. We create change by helping children master reading comprehension in three proven ways: improving concentration, encouraging an active enjoyment of reading, and developing a richer understanding of what is being read.

All children completing the RBBB program are more likely to increase their educational attainment by successfully graduating high school, engaging in higher education, becoming independent learners, obtaining gainful employment, accessing health care, increasing civic engagement, inspiring others to read well, and holding a positive sense of self. Third-grade students, called “Littles”, are paired with middle school students, called “Bigs”, to work one on one through our scripted reading comprehension curriculum and group activities proven to develop literacy skills as a foundation for future academic success.

Students meet twice a week after school for 90 minutes each day, beginning the day greeted by an RBBB site leader, the staff member on site for the program. Littles and Bigs pair up with each other, working with the same partner throughout the semester. By working together every week, these students form a bond that goes beyond reading together after school; Littles look up to their Big as a role model and Bigs realize a sense of responsibility and mentorship.

For the first 45 minutes, Bigs lead their Littles through a structured curriculum that is designed to improve reading comprehension. During this first session, Bigs track their Littles’ effort on a behavior chart, encouraging Bigs to objectively assess their Little. After a snack, Littles who have demonstrated positive behaviors are rewarded with the chance to choose an activity for the group to do for the remaining 45 minutes: Be a Better Thinker (e.g. board games, puzzles) or Be a Better Reader (extended comprehension activities).

Read Better Be Better’s afterschool program has achieved tremendous results and improved the lives of thousands of students in the Phoenix area. Read Better Be Better students outperform their peers by an average of 37% on standardized reading tests. Additionally, teacher evaluations show a 25% improvement in reading comprehension in just one semester. Arguably most importantly, the students themselves feel like they improve: 86% of participating 3rd graders agree or strongly agree that they read better than they did before.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
There is a lot of work to do in Arizona. Before starting anything, I would recommend ensuring that someone else isn’t already trying to address the same problem you are. I spent 7 months trying to find an organization that was supporting classroom instruction with additional, intentional reading comprehension programming. Only when I was absolute that I would not be “reinventing the wheel”, did I (somewhat reluctantly / cautiously – remember what I said about putting yourself out there …?!), offer to try and build a pilot program.

The reason that the state of education is where it is in AZ is because of historic, chronic under-resourcing. The importance of education has been under-valued. But the tide is changing as the results become apparent. There are extraordinary grassroots organizations that have begun leading for change. With the shift of the political environment, then the recognition of education as the cornerstone of social justice has risen.

You will find friends here that are willing to work alongside you. And success feels even better when the stakes are so high.

Contact Info:

Address: 715 East Montecito Ave Phoenix AZ 85014
Website: www.readbetterbebetter.org
Phone: 602-374-8695
Email: info@readbetterbebetter.org
Instagram: www.instagram.com/readbetteraz/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/readbetterbebetter
Twitter: www.twitter.com/readbetteraz
Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGOI-Ayo78D7soEXXuaZ7HQ

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.