In what ways is Squeaky a better person at the end of "Raymond's Run" by Toni Cade Bambara than she was at the beginning?

Squeaky becomes more tolerant of others by the end of the story.

Squeaky has a high opinion of herself and her abilities, but she also is a hard-working and talented young lady.  She is very successful at taking care of her brother and a good runner.  She is not so good at making friends.

One of the problems Squeaky has with other kids her age is that she is very judgmental of them.  She hates false modesty and insincerity, and she believes that these are the traits of many kids in her neighborhood.  Squeaky knows the value of hard work, and she knows that everyone has to work for their achievements.

For example, Squeaky complains that Cynthia Proctor pretends she doesn’t study for tests or practice the piano.  She just magically gets good grades and knows how to play. This irritates Squeaky, who works hard and does not care who knows it.

I could kill people like that. I stay up all night studying the words for the spelling bee. And you can see me any time of day practicing running. I never walk if I can trot, and shame on Raymond if he can’t keep up.

When Squeaky hears that Gretchen, the new girl, is going to run in the May Day race, she is annoyed.  She feels like she is the fastest runner in the neighborhood and everyone knows it.  Gretchen is friends with the girls who used to be her friends.  Squeaky feels left out.  She and Gretchen smile at each other, but it is insincere.

Gretchen turns out to be a pretty good runner.  Squeaky acknowledges that she has talent when she comes in second place.

And I look over at Gretchen wondering what the “P” stands for. And I smile. Cause she’s good, no doubt about it. Maybe she’d like to help me coach Raymond; she obviously is serious about running, as any fool can see.

This shows some personal growth for Squeaky.  She judged Gretchen, but she also watched what she could do.  Now that she sees that Gretchen actually is a good runner, she does not despise her any more.  In fact, she wants to be her friend.  She feels like she finally has something in common with someone.