Adeola Whitney is the CEO of Reading Partners 

Like many communities across the country, Newark is grappling with a concerning literacy crisis. Only 23 percent of students are reading at grade level. At the most critical stage of reading development—third grade—just 19 percent of Newark students are reading at grade level—compared to 42 percent statewide. 

As an Essex County resident and the leader of a nonprofit centered on early literacy and educational equity, I know that kids in Newark deserve far better. 

Reading is so much more than a skill; it’s a civil right. And since we’re nearing a contentious election where community needs should be front and center – now is the time to advocate for proven, data-driven solutions that extend beyond classroom walls.

The state’s current reading scores paint a dire picture. Trends are showing slow academic recovery following the pandemic, which can have huge impacts on students’ future academic and life outcomes. 

Current systems and approaches also have limitations. Schools are facing resource constraints, especially since emergency federal funds are running out and districts cannot reasonably make up the difference. Teachers are also overwhelmed and experiencing burnout at higher rates than ever. Schools and teachers alone cannot solve this crisis. 

Evidence-based solutions that are designed to address our community’s unique challenges and opportunities are needed. Thanks to GreenLight Fund Greater Newark, students will soon have access to high-impact literacy tutoring through Reading Partners.  

GreenLight Fund’s community-driven approach is a masterclass in how funders can invest—and spark further investment—in organizations with track records of success to directly adapt those proven strategies in partnership with new communities. 

In Reading Partners’ case, while our core model of recruiting community members who are passionate about education to provide personalized literacy tutoring to elementary students has remained a programmatic constant, our growth mindset and willingness to learn from successes and mistakes has driven the evolution of our program offerings over 25 years serving communities coast to coast.

And while our approach has always been deeply rooted in an evidence-based methodology, featuring a one-on-one tutoring model, environmental factors have changed. During the pandemic, Reading Partners adapted to the shifting educational landscape to provide flexibility and accessibility for students, families, and partner organizations. 

The pandemic accelerated the progress we were able to make in terms of developing an online tutoring platform: Reading Partners Connects. It also expanded who we can reach and how we can support them. Because of Reading Partners Connects, we have started to develop program licensing and training partnerships with nonprofits, schools, and organizations, allowing them to implement a version of our program with students they already serve. 

As our Powered by Reading Partners work continues to evolve in new regions across the country like Newark, we’re finding that partner organizations such as schools, after-school programs, community centers, and other youth-serving organizations, are leveraging our curriculum to successfully build a community-centered literacy ecosystem.

As excited as we are to bring our experience to New Jersey, we’re equally excited to learn from and alongside the community about the literacy solutions that are going to work best for Newark’s youngest students.  We don’t purport to be a panacea and we believe we have as much to learn as we have to offer. 

Organizations like ours are eager to work with communities, but we can’t do it without investments from funders and lawmakers and dedicated time from community members. Our ability to mobilize local tutors—paid and unpaid—and empower schools and community organizations to address reading challenges depends on available resources. 

Addressing the literacy crisis is more critical than ever. We are calling everyone to action because we know when communities work together, we can collectively determine what is needed and what will work. 

Based on a quarter century of community mobilization efforts nationwide, we know that our partnership can help significantly improve the opportunities for Newark’s students to develop the reading skills and confidence they both need and deserve.