A Fun, New Way to Practice Reading! 

BRiLLiANT Book Clubs aims to assist and support schools and teachers in their efforts to address the alarming rates of illiteracy present in our nation’s youth, by organizing and equipping community members to mentor elementary students during weekly lunchtime book clubs. It is our hope that students exceed their grade requirements for literacy, and that BBC and its volunteers make a significant impact on local, and then national, school drop-out rates, crime, and poverty.

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THE ALARMING STATISTICS:

Our State

​65% of 4th graders are not proficient in reading in Oklahoma

​​ Approximately 1 in 4 children live in poverty​

Our Schools

• ​​More than 7 percent of Oklahoma students are being taught by a nontraditionally trained teacher as the state recently set a record for the number of emergency teaching certificates.
• Oklahoma’s average teacher pay ranks near the bottom of all states.​

Our Future

Students below their reading level in 3rd grade are
​6-8x less likely to graduate from high school

• If a child can’t read proficiently AND is poor, that child is 8 times less likely to graduate than their classmates.1
• A dropout is 8 times more likely to be incarcerated than a person with a high school diploma.2
• Dropouts are less likely to find employment, and if they do, they earn about half as much as high school graduates.3
•  70% of all incarcerated adults cannot read at a 4th grade level​

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1. (Hernandez, D. J. (2011). Double Jeopardy: How poverty and third grade reading skills influence high school graduation. New York: Annie E Casey Foundation.
2.  (John M. Bridgeland, J. J. (2006). The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts. Washington D.C.: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.)
3. (Sum, Khatiwada, & McLaughlin, (2009). The Consequences of Dropping Out of High School. Boston: Northeastern University Center for Labor Market Studies

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​HELPING KIDS BECOME BRILLIANT READERS​
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WATCH OUR VIDEO:

BRiLLiANT Book Clubs Promotional Video
By Mark Nehrenz of OKC GOOD

BRiLLiANT Book Clubs provides an avenue for individuals, businesses, and churches to make a difference in neighboring schools without having to utilize staff to create and implement similar programming. With BBC, fighting illiteracy is easy—the battle takes place during a standard lunch break and we provide the weapons! It’s BRiLLiANT! For less than an hour a week, any individual, business, or church member can pour into the life of a student by signing up for a lunchtime group.

​Let's join together to help show these kids they, too, can be BRiLLiANT!

THE VOLUNTEER COMMITMENT

It's only 30 minutes each week!

​Volunteers go through the short application process to make sure that they are trained and equipped to be a Book Buddy. Then, they get matched with 3 students to meet with in their lunch period and weekday of choice. ​It’s simple. It’s effective. It’s BRiLLiANT!

learn more about our book buddy volunteers HERE