CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Claire Richardson is not shy. The fifth-grader is a standout at A Better World, an after-school program in West Charlotte.

It’s rooted in helping students in the Freedom Corridor — one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods. 

What You Need To Know

  • A Better World helps students in West Charlotte’s Freedom Corridor, one of Mecklenburg County’s poorest neighborhoods

  • The latest data released by the state’s Department of Public Instruction shows the number of first- through third-graders proficient in reading increased by at least 10% for the 2021-22 school year compared to the 2022-23 school year

  • According to the Institute for Education sciences, students who live in low-income areas and are not reading on grade level by third grade are 23% more likely to drop out of high school

Like most kids this time of year, Richardson can’t help but think about one thing.

“And here is my Christmas list,” she said, pulling out a modest five-item list from her backpack with art supplies topping it.  

ABW is making spirits bright for students — buying each one in the program $250 worth of presents for Christmas this year. Christ Resurrection Church, which hosts the program, had a Christmas party last week.

But, before the big day, Richardson has to handle business first. ABW makes sure she’s still exercising her brain, requiring students to spend at least 90 minutes a week using the computer reading program i-Ready — something she doesn’t have access to at school. 

“I failed a few lessons, but those ones were hard. And ever since I found out about the Christmas party, that’s just been keeping me going to pass more and more lessons,” she said. “It’s also teaching me how to pronounce longer, more harder-to-pronounce words.”

She started showing progress long before the holiday season. Her teachers at ABW say when she joined the program in August, she was reading below average — and in just a matter of months her diagnostic score jumped 44 points, already putting her within reach of reading at a sixth-grade level. 

Beyond the Christmas party, this will help Richardson in the long run. 

According to the Institute for Education Sciences, students who live in low-income areas and are not reading on grade level by third grade are 23% more likely to drop out of high school.   

ABW says i-Ready follows the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s standards, focusing on reading essentials like phonics, vocabulary and comprehension. They monitor each student’s progress a minimum of three times a year, and as much as once a week, depending on each child’s needs.