Fifty-four percent of third-graders at North Star Academy, the highly-regarded charter school network in Newark, reached grade-level expectations in reading, according to state standardized tests given last spring. That is 15 points higher than the 2023 state average (the state hasn’t released 2024 scores yet) and 134% higher than Newark district third-grade students, which just reported a 23% reading proficiency level among third-graders. Among North Star eighth-graders, 73% percent were proficient in reading, twice as high as district students.

NJ Education Report spoke to Juliana Worrell, Chief Schools Officer K-8 of Uncommon Schools, the non-profit organization that oversees North Star Academy’s 14 Newark campuses, as well as other public charter schools in Camden, New York City, Boston, and Rochester. How does North Star (which enrolls about 6,300 students) achieve this high degree of literacy among an at-risk population—and sustain it? (Per the Department of Education database, 85% of North Star students come from low-income households, ten points higher than the district.)

Worrell, who began her education career as an elementary school teacher in Newark Public Schools, attributes the network’s success to both a highly-energized and educated team of teachers and North Star’s early adoption of the Science of Reading. Way back in 2007, when almost all schools were using the now-discredited approach called “balanced literacy” (which focuses less on phonics and more on “three-cueing,” or guessing), North Star had already implemented research-based reading instruction. Through rigorous professional development and constant coaching by literacy experts, all North Star students learn to read through phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, language comprehension, and core knowledge.

This is critical: As Worrell has written, a study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation found that students who reach fourth grade without being able to read proficiently “are more likely to struggle academically and are four times more likely to drop out of school, which can lead to a number of issues in adulthood, including lower lifetime earnings and higher unemployment.”

This is why, Worrell explains, “North Star has never veered from the Science of Reading since its founding [in 2007], which teachers use consistently. For students who need more help, staff is there to provide necessary interventions. Importantly, high-dosage tutoring, such an important element of learning recovery in post-pandemic days, is embedded during the school day, compared to other districts that tutor after school. 

What about students who enter North Star in older grades? “We welcome students who didn’t come to us young,” says Worrell, “and provide them with the instruction they need to catch up.” 

Math is no different at North Star: On last spring’s state standardized tests, 52% of third-graders were proficient in math compared to the Newark Public Schools’ 23.5%. (See here for a deep dive on North Star’s math instruction.) Worrell attributes students’ success in both reading and math to a balance of firmly grasping basic rules, whether that be letter-sound correspondence or number facts, along with critical thinking and what she calls “cognitively-based instruction.”

There is no secret sauce, just hard work and attention to data. “We’re an open book,” says Worrell. “We stand ready to share with others what we have learned.” Indeed, North Star shares instructional techniques  and collaborates with other schools. 

What are we waiting for?