57 More School Districts Get Free Tutoring In NJ

TRENTON, NJ — A $7 million grant toward tutoring in 57 additional New Jersey school districts and charter schools is on the way in a second round of funding, the Department of Education announced earlier this month.

The tutoring services, dubbed High Impact Tutoring, consist of schools working with educational service vendors, nonprofit organizations, and colleges, according to officials. They focus on frequent and lengthy periods of tutoring with individuals or small groups of students, subject matter that is aligned to state learning standards, and customized, data-driven instruction.

The first round of grants, announced in November, awarded $41 million to around 240 districts and schools, which — according to officials —"are already seeing meaningful improvements from this program."

Franklin Township, for example, has seen improvements in academic performance on a series of district assessments including six percent growth in English language arts and 13 percent growth in math following an intensive, twelve-week tutoring program for 86 students with the greatest need.

Meanwhile, Bergenfield Public School District in Bergen County used its grant award to implement 30 high-impact small tutoring groups, with almost all students showing growth following the first cycle, officials said.

This second round of funding aims to "help the schools establish highly effective, evidence-based strategies to promote learning acceleration among students," according to the department. It is supported, in part, by federal American Rescue Plan funding outlined in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget.

"These High Impact Tutoring grants give our schools access to a powerful tool that can accelerate learning for students throughout New Jersey," Kevin Dehmer, Acting Commissioner of Education, said in a news release March 19. "Our efforts are focused on proven approaches that are designed to place students in the best position for academic growth. We know the need is there, and now we have the program in place to help address the need."

See the complete list of districts and schools who have been given preliminary tutoring grants at the Department of Education's website.