JerseyCAN, the only statewide advocacy organization in New Jersey committed to ensuring access to high-quality public schools for every child regardless of zip code, cultural background, and socioeconomic status, released today an in-depth statewide survey of parents’ attitudes across the Garden State in the areas of School Quality; Availability of Tutoring, Summer Programs and Mental Health Assistance; Out-of-School Activities Opportunity; School Information Dissemination and Engagement; and College and Career Readiness.  

Participating just before the launch of the new school year, “The State of Educational Opportunity in New Jersey” was conducted by Edge Research, the national polling firm that provided the bi-lingual survey to a diverse sample of 396 New Jersey parents and guardians of K-12 children from across the State. The results were part of a broader national initiative by JerseyCAN’s anchor institution, 50CAN, that provided data in the 50 states plus the District of Columbia.  A digital copy of this report is available at jerseycan.org.  Please visit 50can.org to view the full nationwide report and data set.

“As we get beyond the first month of school and classrooms fully settle in, JerseyCAN is providing a clear picture of current attitudes and concerns of New Jersey parents – and the data outlined in our poll must serve not only as an affirmation of what’s working well for parents in our state but as a wake-up call as well,” stated JerseyCAN’s Executive Director Paula White.  “While the last year has been paradigm-changing in New Jersey, especially in evolving our strategies to address literacy and general learning loss from the pandemic, we must continue to respond to parents’ perceptions and needs. Every child deserves an opportunity and a high-quality 21st-century education, but as we have showcased in the past – and as our parents’ voices now prove – New Jersey must do more to ensure that equity is provided across the State and that basic services are provided to all families.  As the new school year continues, as we participate in our Fall general election, and then look to an important statewide election the following year, we hope this data provides valuable insight into various areas of education and ultimately strengthens the voice of one of our most important constituent groups – New Jersey parents.”

Among the general key findings:

• New Jersey’s parents are engaged. The State has among the highest percentages of families attending parent organizations’ meetings at their child’s school.
• New Jersey parents need support and a stronger understanding of how school budget decisions are made. New Jersey’s parents surpass the national average of parent meeting attendance, but fewer than average know how dollars are spent on their child’s education.
• College and workforce preparation requires our immediate attention. New Jersey’s parents lack confidence that their children will be either well prepared for college or well equipped to succeed in the workforce; less than 1 in 3 feel extremely confident about these areas, below the national average.
• New Jersey is securing positive out-of-school activities for most of our children. Sixty-two percent of parents had children recently participating in organized sports, and we exceeded the national average of children’s participation in art, dance, music, or other lessons.
• Thanks to the new statewide development of initiatives like the New Jersey Tutoring Corps, the State is on the right track but far from the finish line with student tutoring. However, only one in four of our children received academic tutoring this past school year, but with a persistent lag in learning recovery, tutoring is still an under-leveraged tool to accelerate learning.

Last year, JerseyCAN released Leveraging Literacy: The Path to Education Recovery, a detailed and solution-based Report outlining the gravity of third-grade literacy data in New Jersey.  In addition, JerseyCAN built the New Jersey Legacy of Literacy (NJLL) Coalition, which served as a statewide umbrella alliance to advocate for adopting a high-quality statewide plan that addresses literacy in every public school in the State. NJLL Coalition’s Declaration of Principles included investment in teacher training, student literacy screeners, parent engagement, and deep engagement with local universities and colleges to prepare future teachers to address the State’s literacy challenges. The NJLL Coalition includes the Urban League of Essex County, The Reading League New Jersey, New Jersey Tutoring Corps,  Decoding Dyslexia NJ, The Racial Equity Initiative, Inc., New Jersey Business and Industry Association, Teach for America New Jersey, NJ Children’s Foundation, Read 4 NJ, Project Ready, Parent Impact, My Brother’s Keeper Newark, Westside Citizens United, Camden Education Fund, Roots & Bridges, Newark Opportunity Youth Network, and Unapologetic Parents.  

The Coalition was instrumental in developing and advocating for New Jerseyy’s Literacy Bill Package during the last budget cycle, which includes Bill A2288 ACS (ACS), directing the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) to establish the Office of Learning Equity and Academic Recovery, and Bills S2644/2645/2646 Scs (SCS), requiring the NJDOE to establish a working group on student literacy; mandating universal literacy screenings for kindergarten through grade three students; and requiring literacy-related professional development for certain school district employees.