Last week Governor Phil Murphy signed the Literacy Bill Package, 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.

Over the last year, JerseyCAN built the New Jersey Legacy of Literacy (NJLL) Coalition, which serves as a statewide umbrella alliance to advocate for adopting a high-quality statewide plan that addresses literacy in every public school in the state.  Specifically, NJLL Coalition’s Declaration of Principles includes 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.  

Currently New Jersey students are falling behind in literacy compared to other states (like Mississippi) that have laws mandating universal screening and instruction based on the science of reading, a research-based pedagogy that emphasizes phonics and core knowledge. The National Council on Teacher Quality rates each state on how they ensure teachers properly teach reading; New Jersey is ranked as “weak” and “significantly below” the national average.” Currently 42% of NJ third-graders can read proficiently although the percentage is far lower for students from low-income household. In Newark, for example, only 19% of Newark third-graders can read proficiently, a benchmark for future academic success. In Camden City district schools, according to reading teacher Dawn de Lorenzo, it is only 7%.

The following is a statement from Paula White, Executive Director of JerseyCAN, who attended the bill signing in Trenton:

“​​Attending today’s bill signing was a culmination of months of activity and engagement with individuals, organizations, and government officials statewide, and JerseyCAN is elated to have stood side by side with Governor Murphy at today’s bill signing, and grateful for the efforts of Senate Majority Leader Ruiz, who put forth game-changing legislation for the families of New Jersey and their children.  

“For over a year, JerseyCAN has led a diverse group of organizations and institutions to frame the literacy challenges we face in our state and demand that we take steps to address the crisis, the gravity of which can be reviewed in JerseyCAN’s report, Leveraging Literacy: The Path to Education Recovery in New Jersey. 

“JerseyCAN thanks Governor Murphy for prioritizing a literate New Jersey in 2024 and Majority Leader Ruiz for crafting this legislation, which will positively impact our youth across the state. The easy thing to do would be to ignore the facts and the data we see across New Jersey’s communities. Thankfully, our state decided to address long-standing literacy concerns with specific action. JerseyCAN has worked to ensure a heightened commitment to literacy, which is a crucial part of the strategy to improve life outcomes for New Jersey’s children. Today’s legislation clearly reflects the ethos of placing children’s needs first – a paramount value of JerseyCAN and all our NJLL Coalition members.   

“As we move forward and look to the new school year, there is still much to be done, especially when it comes to serving our most under-resourced learners, who are disproportionately Black and Brown children.  JerseyCAN’s commitment to this cause remains unwavering. We will continue to lead to ensure New Jersey’s sense of urgency continues, and we will fight for straightforward, sensible policy, such as complete statewide adoption of foundational literacy principles that are backed by decades of research and vetted by professionals and researchers alike.  Today, we celebrate the bills signed into law that will have a decisive impact on our public classrooms.  As we look to the future, we must never forget that reading is of utmost importance, and that implementation in the classroom is as significant as legislation. JerseyCAN and our coalition partners remain committed to keeping the momentum alive until every child in the state has the support they need to read at their grade level so that they can ultimately reach their full potential.”

(Photo courtesy of 50CAN.)