Teaching a child to read is one thing, but getting a child to love

“I believe the Teen Trendsetters program has been great for my
struggling readers. Teen Trendsetters has become the best hour
in our school week! The teens and the 2nd graders have bonded
through reading! It is an awesome program which has inspired
over ten students in two years to pursue a degree in education.
Amazing asset to our Teaching Academy.”
Carol-Grace Mullen, Program Advisor
Naples High School, Naples
“Working with the elementary students makes me feel special.
I’m inspired by their desire to really become better readers.
I didn’t expect to learn from them as much as I did. It was such
a wonderful surprise.”
Ciara, Teen Trendsetters Four-Year Reading Mentor
“My daughter has shown such great progress in reading! She
loves the books she receives as part of the program, and is so
excited to read them when she gets home.”
Windham Primary School Parent
Cumberland County, Maine
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For more information about starting a
Teen Trendsetters program,
email info@BarbaraBush.org
or call us at 352-237-6685.
Teaching a child to read is one thing,
but getting a child to love reading
takes time and care.
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Teen Trendsetters™ is a hands-on, reading mentor program
that is expanding across the U.S. It offers 1st, 2nd and
3rd graders an opportunity to take part in a program
that supports kids as they read through the sciences,
resulting in improved reading skills, an interest in science,
higher reading scores and confident learning. Meanwhile,
teens are the true champions of this volunteer program,
spending one-on-one time reading each week with their
young mentees and bonding over books.
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Teen Trendsetters 101:
A child who is, on average, at least six months behind their peers in reading
is paired with a local teen, who has been trained as a reading mentor.
The two meet regularly for a fun mentoring session at an elementary school
or local community center. Each program is overseen by an adult advisor,
but the teens and their reading partners do the work, have the fun and reap
the rewards.
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Together, the elementary child and the teen mentor work with a series of
educational, entertaining books and resources to improve reading skills and
promote an interest in science. All materials – which were developed in
partnership with Scholastic, Inc. – are provided to participating schools.
Every elementary student who participates receives approximately 17 books
over the school year to add to their home library, providing an additional
opportunity to enjoy science and reading.
Results – Readers and Leaders Succeed:
• Mentees begin the program, on average, six to nine months below
grade level in reading.
• More than half of the first graders enrolled in the 2013-2014 program ended the school year reading on grade level.
• The graduation rate of teens who participate in the Teen
Trendsetters program is 98%. By comparison, the national
graduation rate averages 81%*.
*2011-2012 school year, National Center for Education Statistics
Trending Now:
Teen Trendsetters programs
participate in annual community
service projects. Our mentors
and mentees are giving back and
making a difference in big ways
tackling important local issues.
Projects include feeding the
hungry, collecting books for local
charities and assembling care
packages for U.S. soldiers. This is
another reason why communities love
Teen Trendsetters.
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Teen Trendsetters is rapidly expanding with plans to double the number
of school-based programs for the 2014-2015 school year. Throughout
the U.S., more teens and struggling young readers will benefit.