by Chanel L. Donaldson | Jun 4, 2019 | News1
Mayor Ras J. Baraka, Newark Public Schools Superintendent Roger León, Newark Public Library Director Jeffrey Trzeciak, Panasonic Foundation Executive Director Alejandra Ceja, United Way of Essex and West Hudson CEO Catherine Wilson, and Newark City of Learning Collaborative (NCLC) Executive Director Reginald Lewis launched #NewarkReads on Tuesday, June 4, 2019.
#NewarkReads is a comprehensive literacy initiative that will begin this summer with the Mayor’s Book Club. The first phase, a sixth to eighth grade pilot, will be followed by a high school to adult segment in September. The literacy coalition will provide residents of all ages with approaches to improve reading, writing, listening, and thinking skills, focusing on adult literacy and birth to third-grade interventions.
As of 2003, the latest year for which statistics are available, 47,000 Newark adults lacked basic prose literacy skills, and 56 percent of Newark youth scored partially proficient on NJ ASK and HSPA standardized literacy tests. Almost 90 percent of the students who scored partially proficient on these tests came from economically disadvantaged families. These literacy statistics place Newark in the bottom six percent of all New Jersey districts. This gap ties directly to a lifelong economic opportunity gap and has financial, social, and civic consequences for individuals as well as Newark as a whole.
NCLC, a citywide initiative working to build Newark’s college-going culture, jumped at the opportunity to be part of the Coalition.
“The bulk of NCLC’s work entails building and sustaining a college-going culture to ensure that our kids are on track to graduate high school on time and prepared to succeed at the college level. Research has shown that these things are really out of reach for students who are not proficient readers,” said NCLC Executive Director Reginald Lewis. “NCLC reallocated $30,000 of a state grant being shared with the Newark Public Library to the launch of the Mayor’s Book Club. Literacy is clearly at the heart of our work.”
Click here for more information about #NewarkReads.
Click here to register for the Mayor’s Book Club.
Visit newarknclc.org to learn more about NCLC.
by Chanel L. Donaldson | May 21, 2019 | News1
NCLC hosted Lead New Jersey for an education seminar on the Rutgers-Newark campus on Thursday, May 16, 2019.
Currently in its 33rd class of Fellows, Lead New Jersey is a year-long opportunity for New Jersey’s public, private, and nonprofit leaders to engage in monthly seminars on a range of public policy topics. Lead New Jersey’s goal is to educate and empower talented leaders to create systemic change around New Jersey’s most challenging issues.
The education seminar began with introductions from Rutgers-Newark Assistant Chancellor LaToya Battle-Brown and Executive Vice Chancellor Sherri-Ann Butterfield on the role Rutgers-Newark plays as an anchor institution and increasing opportunities for Newark students to enter college and complete their degrees. Following were three panel discussions in which key education leaders from Newark participated.
The first panel, titled “The State of Public Education in Newark: A Cross-Sector Perspective,” was moderated by NCLC Executive Director Reginald Lewis and featured Superintendent of Newark Public Schools Roger León, Superintendent of Essex County Schools of Technology Dr. James Pedersen, Chief External Officer of KIPP New Jersey Ben Cope, and Headmaster of St. Benedict’s Prep Father Ed Leahy.
The second panel, “Examining Newark School Reform: Lessons and Strategies,” was moderated by Mary Bennet of the Alliance for Newark Public Schools and featured former Chief Education Officer for the City of Newark Dr. Lauren Wells, Principal of Barringer High School Angela Mincy, Chief Education Officer for the City of Newark Toni Richardson, and Assistant Superintendent of High Schools Dr. Mario Santos.
The final panel, “Building Newark’s College-Going Culture,” featured NCLC staff members: Executive Director Reginald Lewis, Associate Director of Strategic Planning and Development Barry Ford, Senior Manager of Communications and Development Chanel Donaldson, Postdoctoral Associate in Education Research and Policy Dr. Kristi Donaldson, and Special Assistant to the Executive Director and Special Projects Manager Danielle Cohen.
Following the panel discussions, Lead New Jersey Fellows were able to visit East Side High School and meet with Principal Michael West, teachers, and students.
by Chanel L. Donaldson | May 7, 2019 | News1
NCLC Associate Director, Barry Ford, was selected to serve on the NJ Office of the Secretary of Higher Education’s On-ramps to College Working Group in support of the state’s new higher education plan.
The On-ramps to College working group will work to increase post-secondary access for all students in the state by developing innovative solutions for addressing the equity gaps in college attendance by race and socioeconomic status. This group has two major charges to study and make recommendations to the Governor: (1) Creating a coordinated approach to offering fee-free dual enrollment and piloting other models for demonstrating college-level mastery, such as the Modern States Educational Alliance, which prepares students for College Level Examination Program exams. (2) Exploring, and then working to address, the factors affecting New Jersey student decisions to attend higher education institutions outside of the state.
Read the news release announcing all working group members here.
Read the full higher education plan here.
by Chanel L. Donaldson | Mar 27, 2019 | News1
Pictured from left to right: Donald A. Borden, President of Camden County College; Laura Overdeck, Founder of the Overdeck Family Foundation; Reginald Lewis Executive Director of NCLC; and Harvey Kesselman, President of Stockton University.
Executive Director of the Newark City of Learning Collaborative (NCLC) Reginald Lewis was named co-chair of one of five working groups to help the state implement its new higher education plan.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Secretary of Higher Education Zakiya Smith Ellis unveiled the expansive statewide higher education plan at Rutgers University-Newark on March 26, 2019. Known as “Where Opportunity Meets Innovation: A Student-Centered Vision for New Jersey Higher Education,” the plan will ensure higher education meets student needs and galvanizes New Jersey’s innovation economy.
“My Administration has committed to growing New Jersey from the middle out and lifting communities from the bottom up. There’s no better way to achieve those goals than strengthening our state’s institutions of higher education. In a knowledge-based global economy, what New Jerseyans know will matter a lot more than who they know,” said Governor Murphy.
“New Jersey is the state of innovation. And higher education is where opportunity meets innovation,” said Secretary of Higher Education Zakiya Smith Ellis. “The plan we release today seeks to ensure that every student, no matter their life circumstances, has the opportunity to obtain a high quality education that prepares them for life after college.”
Lewis will co-chair the working group on Student Success along with Stockton University President Harvey Kesselman.
“I am truly honored to be part of such a historic moment for New Jersey. It has always been our firm belief at NCLC that every student should have the adequate preparation, information, and resources needed to succeed in college or another post-high school option. I am excited to bring the expertise of NCLC and its partners to this important statewide initiative,” said Lewis.
The other four working groups are focused on (1) Creating On-ramps to College, (2) Safe and Inclusive Learning Environments, (3) Research, Innovation, and Talent, and (4) Making College Affordable, which will be co-chaired by Rutgers University-Newark Chancellor Nancy Cantor.
For more information on the statewide higher education plan, visit https://www.state.nj.us/highereducation/stateplan.shtml.
For more information on NCLC, visit newarknclc.org.
by Chanel L. Donaldson | Mar 18, 2019 | News1
(Newark, NJ) The Newark City of Learning Collaborative (NCLC) is pleased to provide free SAT preparation for Newark high school students for the fourth consecutive year. Done in partnership with the Abbott Leadership Institute (ALI) and East Side High School, and with support from the Rutgers University–Newark Chancellor’s Office, this course offers an intensive eight-week preparation for the May 4, 2019 SAT exam.
Included in the course are 15 hours of instruction on test-taking strategies from experts at The Princeton Review, practice workbooks, in-person and online practice exams that simulate the real SAT, and an interactive online student portal with SAT, ACT, and other college resources. Valued at more than $1,000 per student, this type of rigorous preparation is often out of reach for low-income prospective college students.
Eliminating the cost barrier associated with SAT preparation could help to expand Newark students’ college-going options. A recent report released by NCLC and the Rutgers-Newark School of Public Affairs and Administration finds that after high school, fewer than 10 percent of Newark students attend highly or very competitive colleges, like Rutgers-New Brunswick or NJIT, and only 1 percent attend the most competitive colleges, like Harvard or NYU. Newark students are often staying close to home after high school and attending less selective institutions even if they are qualified for highly selective institutions, a phenomenon known as “undermatching.”
“The SAT is one of the most widely used measures for college admission, but when it comes down to it, a student’s score is really reflective of preparedness to take the exam,” said NCLC Executive Director Reginald Lewis. “By helping students prepare for the SAT and achieve higher scores, we’re actually helping to strengthen their applications and to increase college access.”
Beyond simply preparing students for the exam, the partnership with ALI ensures that students will have all the support they need to successfully transition to college. ALI works through its College Success Center to help students and families as they prepare to enter college and the workforce. In addition to collaborating with NCLC to coordinate the SAT Prep Course on the Rutgers-Newark campus, ALI is also providing ongoing support to students as they complete their applications, look for scholarships, and otherwise prepare for the transition to college.
“There is no better preparation for the SAT than The Princeton Review [model], but for many Newark families it is not affordable,” said ALI Director Kaleena Berryman. “Students in Newark are brilliant and capable. What they often lack is access to game-changing opportunities that will empower them to truly compete. We are proud to serve as a partner with NCLC in this initiative.”
In total, 100 high school juniors are participating in this year’s course, split between the Rutgers-Newark campus and East Side High School. Each site receives the same intensive resources from The Princeton Review.
“This opportunity and educational experience is a game changer for my students (and their families) as they ready themselves for the SAT exam. It is gratifying to partner with such an innovative and dedicated organization committed to the success of our amazing students,” said East Side High School Principal Michael West.
NCLC’s goal is to ensure that Newark students have the opportunity, information, and access to go to college, afford college, complete college, and ultimately obtain good jobs. Through SAT Prep and other initiatives that equip Newarkers to succeed, NCLC helps Newark build and sustain a college-going culture.
For more information about NCLC, visit newarknclc.org.
by Chanel L. Donaldson | Feb 14, 2019 | News1, Video
From Trenton To You from Strategic Marketing Group LLC on Vimeo.
Senator Ronald L. Rice sits down with Executive Director of the Newark City of Learning Collaborative (NCLC), Reginald Lewis, to discuss how NCLC is working to build a college-going culture in Newark. View the episode here: https://vimeo.com/317060607
