New Jersey Department of Education issues $13M in literacy grants, Trenton gets zero [L.A. PARKER COLUMN]

The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) announced monies totaling almost $13.6 million for the first year of federally funded Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grants to improve student literacy throughout the state — and Trenton public schools received not even a dime.

Gov. Phil Murphy offered these insights.

“My Administration has made it a priority to equip our children with the skills and support necessary to set them up for lifelong success. This includes our work to bolster literacy education and improve literacy rates among New Jersey students, ensuring our young learners can thrive in the classroom and throughout their academic careers,” Murphy noted via a press release.

“Literacy is the tool that unlocks the opportunities education creates for our students. These grant awards will help sustain our efforts to infuse best practices into classrooms across our state, uplifting our school communities with crucial tools and resources.”

New Jersey was awarded a total of $50 million in the federal CLSD grant to be used over five years.

Except for Foundation Academy Charter School, a recipient of a COACH Grant of $149,995 portion of the $5.9 million allotment, no other Mercer County learning institution made the grade. Trenton public school students, mired in low-performance literary numbers and in desperate need of a turnaround, received nothing.

If literacy unlocks the box that holds opportunities for students to live successful lives, then illiteracy moves students toward boxes of incarceration where keys lock then away for years. This is not rocket science — a correlation exists between illiteracy and incarceration.

The first year of New Jersey’s CLSD program establishes four distinct grant programs:

Cultivating Ongoing Achievement through Coaching in Literacy (COACH-L grants) for teacher coaches: Nearly $6 million in grant funding will help 41 school districts and charter schools hire or train qualified literacy coaches to support kindergarten to grade-12 educators. Grantees will participate in a statewide coaching network.

Reading Intervention for Secondary Engagement (RISE) for middle and high-school readers: Over $1,000,000 will provide funding for school districts and charter schools to implement evidence-based best practices or high-quality literacy instruction materials identified through criteria set by the NJDOE. Eligible costs include tutors, literacy coaches, and staff training. A total of 31 districts and charter schools have been awarded up to $50,000 in the first round of funding.

Instructional Materials for Professional Advancement and Coherent Teaching (IMPACT) grants for high-quality instruction materials and training: This nearly $5 million grant will help schools implement high-quality instructional materials and provide professional development to ensure staff will effectively utilize the materials. Awards have been given to 25 school districts and charter schools, which range up to $400,000.

Literacy Initiative for Families and Thriving Communities (LIFT) grants for family outreach: This nearly $1.6 million initiative, led by the NJDOE in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, provides funding of up to $60,000 for 41 districts and charter schools in this initial year to create programs that develop home-based literacy habits and encourage family involvement in literacy development of children from newborns to age 3. Wait, Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer needs a word.

“Literacy is a foundational skill needed for learning in all subjects, and these grants build upon our commitment to improving literacy for students across New Jersey (but not Trenton).

“The strength of this initiative is its comprehensive design. It builds a network of teacher coaches, equips schools with training and high-quality materials, and supports readers from birth through high school.”

Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz (D-29 Newark) offered comments. Mind you, Essex County landed $460,000 in funding for 13 schools to strengthen reading skills.

“Literacy is the foundation for success in every lesson our children are taught, and building that foundation requires the commitment of everyone – parents, educators, and students alike,” said Sen. Ruiz.

“These new grant programs take a holistic approach to strengthening literacy – training educators to deliver effective instruction, equipping schools with evidence-based resources, and fostering meaningful familial connections through reading at home.”

Pending the availability of federal funds, the CLSD grant program will continue supporting the COACH program for awarded grantees in good standing for the next four years, and introduce new cohorts of awardees for the IMPACT, LIFT, and RISE grant programs. The NJDOE also intends to make an additional round of LIFT grants available this year.

L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist. Find him on Twitter @LAParker6 or email him at LAParker@Trentonian.com.