Masons of California, Raising a Reader and WUSD Expand Programs to Improve Afghan Refugee Student Literacy

10.06.2024

With the generous support of the Masons of California, we’ve developed our first-ever collection of bilingual books in both English and Farsi to serve families in Washington Unified School District in
West Sacramento. This expansion reaffirms our commitment to ensuring every child feels seen and valued. Over the past 13 years, with the Masons’ continued support, we’ve reached more than 920 classrooms statewide, and Washington Unified is the latest addition to our growing impact.

Raising a Reader CEO, Michelle Torgerson, shares more in this interview with CapRadio. You can also watch this clip from ABC News and, click the image below to read the full article from the West Sacramento – News Ledger.

05.08.2026 From the CEO

Three Years, Real Growth: Lessons from Our 2023–2025 Strategic Plan

By Michelle Torgerson, President and CEO, Raising a Reader Over the past three years, we asked a bold question: What does it take to build a sustainable, data-driven, equity-centered national organization—while expanding impact for children and families? In 2023, we launched our first strategic plan as a fully independent nonprofit. As we closed that chapter and reflect, I’m proud of what we built, and ...

04.14.2026 Featured

Beyond the Classroom: Why the Raising a Reader Classic Red Book Bag Program is the Missing Piece in Your Science of Reading Strategy

Districts across the country are making significant investments in the Science of Reading. From adopting high-quality Tier 1 curricula to intensive teacher training in phonics and phonemic awareness, the focus on the “word recognition” side of the literacy equation has never been stronger. But as every educator knows, decoding is only half the battle. According to the Simple View of Reading, literacy is ...