$320K State Grant Awarded For Tutoring In Brick Schools

BRICK, NJ — The Brick Township School District has been awarded a $320,000 state grant to support special tutoring programs to help students in reading and math.

The New Jersey Department of Education announced the grant, one of 55 awarded totaling $7.5 million to school districts and charter schools across the state through the third round of funding in the New Jersey Learning Acceleration Program: High-Impact Tutoring Grant.

The grant aims to accelerate student learning in English language arts and mathematics and directs resources to communities with the greatest academic need by targeting districts where student proficiency rates in grades 3 to 8 remain below 50 percent, state officials said.

"High-impact tutoring is one of the smartest investments we can make in our students," Gov. Mikie Sherrill said. "Through programs like this, we’ve seen that when tutoring is done well, it leads to real, measurable learning gains. These grants reflect our commitment to investing in strategies that work and making sure every dollar drives progress for students and strong outcomes for our state."

"When high-impact tutoring is integrated into a school’s broader system of academic supports, the results can be significant," said Lily Laux, Commissioner of Education. "Through targeted funding, we are helping districts design and implement high-quality programs that are aligned to classroom learning, delivered consistently, and evaluated over time so students get the support they need to meet, and exceed, grade-level expectations."

The preliminary grant awards — which are based on district enrollment and student performance data — are designed to support tutoring programs during the 2026-2027 school year.

"Research has shown that tutoring is most effective when it is part of an intentional, highly focused effort," state officials said.

The high-impact tutoring programs are expected to incorporate research-based components, including frequent tutoring sessions of three or more times per week; small-group instruction with highly qualified tutors, and continuous use of data to monitor and adjust instruction.

The initiative also allows tutors to use artificial intelligence through scheduling or as a diagnostic tool to identify a student’s gaps in learning while ensuring educators retain strong oversight.

The tutoring programs will be during and outside of the school day, including before- and after-school programs and through summer programs, with them being tailored to meet local needs.

As part of the program, schools will track student participation and progress using both local assessment tools and statewide data systems to measure growth and impact.