Yesterday Senator Vin Gopal, chair of the Education Committee, took a trip to Red Bank’s Boys and Girls Club, one of twenty-three sites established this summer by the New Jersey Tutoring Corps (NJTC).

This non-profit was established after the pandemic to address the education crisis plaguing schools across New Jersey. It is funded by the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund, the Overdeck Family Foundation, and, for next year, $1.5 million in state money. Last month NJTC released its 2022-2023 report which shows the 500 K-5 scholars served during the 2022-23 school year pilot showed substantial learning gains in reading and math. (The program uses iReady tests, assessments similar to NWEA’s MAP tests, as well as iReady curricula.)  Students performing at grade level in math improved from 16% to 40%, and in literacy from 23% to 40%, across all grade levels. “This is significant,” say NJTC leaders,“ as results from the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments, released in December 2022, revealed that 64.6% and 51.1% of NJ students are not meeting grade-level expectations in Math and ELA, respectively.”

The NJTC is currently serving 2,000 students.

“Senator Gopal has been one of NJTC’s greatest advocates. In the simplest of words, without his leadership and support, New Jersey would not have this vital high-impact tutoring initiative,” said Katherine Bassett, CEO of the NJTC. “We are thrilled the Senator will be visiting our Red Bank site to help showcase the progress New Jersey is making this summer, specifically highlighting the work we are doing in Red Bank and Monmouth County, and thanking the site coordinators, instructional coaches, and tutors who stand committed to ensuring every child receives the strongest public education possible.”