The Impact of the Reading & Running Initiative

Increases physical activity, improves reading levels, develops character and social skills, increases graduation rate, & helps students get scholarships to the United States

Our 12 Step Strategy

The R&R Academy is an evidence-based model consisting of 12 components that together help to structure, support, & achieve maximum impact in 4 areas of the child’s development: Physical, School, Social and Psychological.

 

  • Purpose: Builds a child’s sense of belonging and self-confidence. They feel they are a valued member and contributor to the academy’s success.

    Psychological Outcome: Develops a sense of belonging and self-confidence.

    Social Outcome: develop coach relationships and social competence.

  • Purpose: Discovering ways different words can affectively be put into action. Recalling the word and actively implementing it helps the children expand their vocabulary. Children who can demonstrate words through positive actions are more likely to succeed in life.

    Psychological Outcome: increased self-esteem, efficacy, and competence.

    Social Outcome: Increased vocabulary directly links to academic engagement and performance.

  • Purpose: Decreases a child’s stress response by decreasing cortisol, thus removing obstacles to learning. Activates a protein in

    the brain (BDNF) that facilitates remembering and recalling information. Children develop transferable life skills/character qualities.

    Psychological Outcome: increased self-esteem and efficacy, improved self-competence and regulation, resiliency, grit.

    Social Outcome: improved peer coach relationships.

  • Purpose: Allows children to further develop cardio-vascular fitness and motor skills, muscular strength, and agility. They learn

    how they can be active for life without material resources.

    Psychological Outcome: increased self-esteem, self-regulation, self-competence, development of grit, determination.

    Social Outcome: improved peer and coach relationships.

    Physical Outcome: improved strength, flexibility, motor skills.

    School Outcome: motor skill development linked to cognitive.

  • Purpose: Builds cardiovascular fitness and makes physical activity fun. Uses working memory as kids must remember rules and implement them. Teacher self-regulation as kids waits their turn promotes teamwork and child’s recognition that they are valuable contributors to the team.

    Social Outcome: improved peer and coach relationships, social competencies and self-regulation developed.

    Physical Outcome: children are exercising without realizing it.

    School Outcome: development of school attachment.

  • Purpose: The snack is often the only nutritious food the children have that day. It helps to refuel after a great workout, eliminates hunger as an obstacle to learning, & introduces healthy foods they may not be familiar with.

    Physical Outcome: Exposure to healthy foods; Fuels body and rain; Meets basic needs

    School Outcome: Nourishes the brain and sets children up for reading success

    Social Outcome: Kids learn etiquette and discipline

  • Purpose: Learning new words, their meaning, spelling, and how and when to implement them builds character, develops vocabulary, & gives children new skills and tools to respond in situations.

    Psychological Outcome: Increased self-esteem and competence

    Social Outcome: Coaches share personal life experiences

    School Outcome: Increased vocabulary has a direct link to academic engagement and performance

  • Purpose: Documenting their running journey gives children a powerful tool to see progress. The journal helps them reflect on how they felt and that they overcame to finish the run.

    Psychological Outcome: Increased self-esteem, competency, and a sense of belonging

    Social Outcome: Coaches sharing on a personal level with the group builds connections, trust, & provides role-modeling

  • Purpose: Reading on their own, with a peer or coach expands the child’s vocabulary and imagination. The fear of looks is removed when they read with a trusted, patient, encouraging mentor

    Psychological & School Outcomes: Having a mentor decreases stress and facilitates learning

    Social Outcome: Improved peer and coach relationships; developing social competencies and self-regulation

    School Outcome: Increased academic performance & creation of a positive school attachment

  • Purpose: Positive and public acknowledgment helps change the negative mindset the children have of themselves. Cleaning upbuilds teamwork, recognition of need, and the opportunity to contribute.

    Psychological & School Outcomes: Increased self-esteem, competency, and a sense of belonging; create a positive mindset

    Social Outcome: Improved peer and coach relationships

  • Purpose: Provides closure and assurance Club is on next week. Positive affirmation and Word-of-the-Day end Club with momentum and purpose. Dismissal attendance; child pick-up instructions adhered to.

    Psychological & School Outcomes: Develops a sense of belonging and self-confidence

    Social & Psychological Outcomes: Builds coach relationships, social competence, trust

  • Purpose: Positive changes in the children are shared and celebrated as a team. Issues with behaviors/activities are raised and a resolution is determined as a group. Teachers share tips. Tasks for next week are assigned.

    Psychological Outcome: Builds belonging and teamwork

    Social & School Outcomes: Increased confidence

What Research Says

 

  • The reading and running initiative has conducted broad research into the effects of poverty on children's overall well-being, academic success, and future earning potential. UNICEF reports that children in poverty tend to attain lower levels of education and are more likely to live in poverty as adults. Low literacy as early as grade 1 increases the risk of a child dropping out of school by a big percentage. The reading and running initiative gap by helping kids improve their literacy scores.

  • Research shows that physical fitness plays a significant role in increasing children’s ability and motivation to learn and also their social/emotional/mental health by reducing the “stressors” on the )rain that they face, enabling them to focus, retain information, and learn better.

  • Leading Psychologist Angela Duckworth has found that students’ scores on self-discipline tests predict their GPAs better than their other scores and that character gives a more accurate indication of future success than intellect does. The reading and running initiative develops fundamental character skills that foster belonging and leadership, encourage learning, teach grit, perseverance, and self-discipline, and build self-esteem, equipping children with the psychological agencies to stay in school, graduate, and achieve future success.