Newark Has Plan To Improve ‘Alarming’ Student Reading Scores

NEWARK, NJ — The numbers are stark: only 19 percent of Newark’s third grade students passed a New Jersey reading exam last year. The numbers weren’t too much better for all grades in the city, which reached a combined 27 percent passing rate. And when compared to the state average of 49 percent, it’s a total that becomes even more concerning.

But local officials say they have a plan to turn things around.

Last week, several Newark community leaders gathered for a news conference at the Newark Public Library to announce a 10-point plan to improve youth literacy in the New Jersey’s largest city. The plan will rely on cooperation between local schools, parents and community groups, who will team up to boost child literacy for toddlers through third graders.

Mayor Ras Baraka, a former educator and school principal in the city, said that the recent reading scores are “incredibly alarming” – and they may impact these children’s futures.

“Up to third grade, children are learning to read,” Baraka said. “But by fourth grade, reading becomes the tool for drawing their learning from the curriculum. Children lacking proficiency by third grade are up to six times more at risk for leaving school without a diploma and on a trajectory toward limited lifetime economic growth.”

“This is unacceptable for the children of Newark,” Baraka added.

• See Related: Study Says 'COVID Slide' Is Hurting New Jersey Students

According to the coalition that spearheaded the effort, here’s what local schools, parents and community groups will be doing to empower Newark’s youth:

SCHOOLS

TUTORING - Implement one-on-one high dosage tutoring embedded in the school day and after school. Studies show evidence that one-on-one tutoring is the most effective intervention to accelerate reading growth even with struggling readers. Create and enroll struggling readers in reading tutoring for two to three days a week for 30 minutes for most impactful results.

MORE RELEVANT BOOKS - Select books that reflect children’s cultural and ethnic background. Studies showed that giving students agency to select culturally relevant texts has shown to increase reading performance in the following areas: critical evaluations, connections and making meaning.

MORE WRITING - Incorporate more writing to improve reading comprehension. Studies recommend three writing practices that enhance students’ reading. Have students summarize, take notes, respond to or interpret text. Also, teach students format, grammar and spelling skills to create specific text.

PARENTS

PRE-K PROGRAMS - Enroll children in free pre-k3 and pre-k4 programs, and ensure everyday attendance. All pre-k programs offer small class sizes which do not exceed 15 students, proven curriculum, and certified staff. Children receive Newark residents have various pre-k options to choose from in district schools, charter schools, and community-based providers as well as Head Start programming for high quality learning in reading and writing, math, science, visual and performing arts, as well as health, physical education, and social living development.

READING TO KIDS - Read aloud and listen to your child read daily, and ask questions. Studied show that reading aloud to children benefits them in several ways: builds vocabulary, improves comprehension, improves active listening, strengthens fluency and reduces stress. Resources such as audiobooks on Audible, Google read and opt out can act as the reading guide while students follow along and keep their eyes on the text. Reading one to five books a day to children can address a million-word gap. Studies show that young children whose parents read one book daily expose their children to 296,660 more words or those who read five books a day expose their children to 1,483,300 more words a day before they enter kindergarten than those who do not. Research shows when readers, parents and teachers ask readers specific types of questions before, during and after reading, it increases comprehension.

PRENATAL CARE - Get quality prenatal care and read books to unborn children. Research shows that literacy starts before birth. Studies show that getting prenatal care, eating nutritiously and reading to the unborn child as early as 18 weeks build healthy brain development in the baby and lay an important literacy foundation for the child. Once born, parents should constantly talk directly face-to-face with the baby and read to the baby daily to lead the child down a solid literacy trajectory. If a mother needs prenatal support call the Department of Health and Community Wellness Mary Eliza Mahoney Health Center at 1-800-734-7083. South Ward Healthy Beginnings Program is also available to provide necessary support, quality early childhood programming and an age 0-5 community of practice.

IMPROVE VOCABULARY - Build vocabulary during all ages (newborn to third grade). At every stage of development, parents should use the world around them to name things to practice vocabulary. Encourage students at all ages to build vocabulary. Pre-k, and kids aged three to four should have sight words that parents and teachers are committed to teach them before entering kindergarten. School age children should practice using a dictionary and thesaurus when writing.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS - Ensure all afterschool programs have a reading component. Nonprofits and other community partners should mandate that all funding would be relegated to programs and sports that incorporate some level of reading or literacy component. Also, community partners should implement reading tutoring or programs with components embedded in them.

LITERACY INITIATIVES - Develop literacy initiatives throughout the city. Publish a calendar of literacy events and offer incentives for families to obtain a library card when visiting your local Newark Public Library’s website or other stores such as Source of Knowledge Bookstore.

BOOKS FOR FAMILIES - Distribute books for family access to help develop home library. Children growing up in a home with a 500-book home library could boost a child’s projected educational career 3.2 years further in education than growing up in a similar home with few or no books. Ensure funding is provided so that at local events quality books are given to families to help develop home libraries.

The city’s plan is being embraced by some key administrators in the Newark Public School District.

“[The district] is committed to ensuring that Mayor Baraka’s 10-Point Youth Literacy Action Plan are realized,” Superintendent Roger León said.

According to León, the district has already taken steps to ensure the first three action items on the coalition’s list are being done.

“High-dosage tutoring, culturally relevant texts for all students, and an emphasis on writing are underway and will continue,” León said. “We join with the mayor and the committee in supporting all of the 10 actions and ensuring that our children develop into powerful readers and writers.”

• See Related: Free Kids Book Vending Machines Combat 'Summer Slide' In Newark
• See Related: Newark Firefighters Read Books To 1,000 Kids Across City

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page.