Our Mission
ROYO Mission: Expression-Led Literacy That Empowers Every Child
ROYO is a science-based, expression-led literacy platform that helps children learn to read so they can use language to understand the world, express who they are, and advocate for themselves.
Our mission is to empower every child to become a confident, critical reader through science-backed, personalized literacy tools. ROYO combines structured phonics instruction aligned to the Science of Reading with culturally sustaining books that reflect students’ identities, experiences, and interests—so reading becomes a pathway to self-expression, confidence, and agency.
What Expression-Led Literacy Means at ROYO
At ROYO, expression-led literacy means that decoding is not the end goal. Self-expression, empowerment, and meaning-making are central outcomes of reading. When children learn to read with ROYO, they learn to see themselves in texts, make meaning from what they read, think critically about ideas, and use language to share opinions, ask questions, and advocate for themselves. Reading becomes a way for students to find their place in the world, not just a way to pass an assessment.
Our Vision for Literacy Equity
ROYO envisions a world where all children, regardless of background, race, language, or zip code, have access to high-quality reading instruction that supports both skill development and self-expression. In this world, literacy instruction is rigorous and human. Students read books aligned to phonics skills while also reflecting who they are. Engagement is meaningful rather than performative, and reading builds confidence, voice, and agency. ROYO works to close reading gaps by ensuring every child has access to personalized, empowering literacy experiences, especially for students who have historically been underserved.
What Is ROYO?
ROYO (Read On Your Own) is an AI-powered literacy platform for elementary and middle school students. ROYO generates personalized decodable books aligned to Science of Reading principles, phonics scope and sequence, sight words, individual teacher classroom instruction, and each student’s reading ability, language needs, and interests. ROYO is designed as a supplemental literacy platform that strengthens teacher instruction rather than replacing it.
Culturally Sustaining, Personalized Reading Experiences
ROYO creates culturally sustaining reading experiences that help students feel seen, valued, and capable as readers. Each text reflects diverse identities and lived experiences, connects reading to students’ real lives and interests, and maintains strict alignment to phonics and decoding skills. Personalization adapts to individual students without sacrificing instructional rigor, because students engage more deeply when they recognize themselves in what they read.
Alignment to Curriculum and Classroom Instruction
ROYO aligns not only to district-adopted curricula, but to how teachers actually teach in their classrooms. Teachers use ROYO to reinforce phonics skills already taught, differentiate instruction without additional preparation, provide personalized practice during centers, intervention, or independent reading, and support English learners and developing readers. ROYO adapts to individual teacher instructional choices, making it flexible, practical, and classroom-ready.
How ROYO Uses Artificial Intelligence
ROYO uses artificial intelligence to personalize literacy instruction while preserving teacher control and instructional integrity. AI supports the generation of decodable texts aligned to specific phonics patterns, personalization based on student reading ability and interests, and adaptive practice for individual learners. ROYO uses AI to scale high-quality, teacher-aligned instruction, while educators remain in control of instructional goals and decisions.
Who ROYO Serves
ROYO supports elementary classroom teachers, literacy interventionists, English language learner educators, and schools and districts focused on equity and engagement. ROYO is especially impactful for students learning foundational reading skills, English learners, students who need confidence and motivation, and classrooms serving diverse communities.
How ROYO Measures Success
ROYO measures success through skill growth and reading accuracy, student engagement and persistence, students’ ability to make meaning from text, and students’ sense of agency and confidence as readers. Empowered readers, not just proficient ones, are the ultimate outcome.
Safety, Privacy, and Responsible Use
ROYO is designed for school use and follows student data privacy standards. ROYO complies with COPPA and FERPA requirements as well as district student data privacy expectations. Minimal student data is used solely to support learning and personalization.
Why ROYO Is Different
ROYO uniquely combines Science of Reading–aligned phonics instruction, expression-led literacy design focused on empowerment, culturally sustaining and personalized decodable books, alignment to individual teacher classroom instruction, and immediate, actionable feedback available whenever students read.
ROYO doesn’t just teach children how to read. ROYO helps children use literacy to understand themselves, share their voice, and shape their future.
Our Team
Yasmin Barkett
Yasmin is passionate about ensuring that all students have access to a high-quality education regardless of the zip code they live in. She began her career in education as a Teach for America corps member in Richmond, CA, where she taught kindergarten and fell in love with early childhood education and development. After three years of teaching, she wanted to expand her impact beyond the classroom and became a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Colombia and pursued her Master’s in Education Policy and Analysis at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
She continued her passion for educational equity at Success Academy, New York City’s highest performing charter network, where she worked in Scholar Talent Strategy and Planning and later joined the Assistant Principal Fellowship while teaching fourth grade. Yasmin founded ROYO based on her experience as a teacher. She was always looking for tools that were adaptable to the unique range of skills in her classroom, that would help reinforce the skills that students were already learning. Yasmin has a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations with a minor in Psychology and Law from the University of Southern California. She currently lives in New York City.
Lara Pinto Stein
Lara Pinto Stein is an experienced educator with both the academic credentials and practical experience to be considered an expert in her field. Over almost two decades, she has held a variety of positions as a classroom teacher, staff developer, literacy coach, and has lectured at seminars in New York and California. In classroom settings as well as one-on-one and small group tutoring, Lara always focuses on personalized learning. She has dedicated her career to empowering young readers by giving them the foundational skills they need to succeed.
Trained extensively in the Orton Gillingham approach, Lara understands the profound impact of researched-based literacy instruction on children's reading development. She has a passion for teaching children and training teachers that is informed by a deep belief in the benefits of the science of reading. Lara has experienced firsthand how the skills taught through structured literacy alongside personalized and engaging texts can propel students forward with newfound confidence and abilities.
Lara holds a master’s degree in teaching from Columbia University Teachers College as well as a master’s degree in building and district leadership. Lara strives to give every child the opportunity to flourish as a reader and a learner.
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