Kean University this week signed an agreement with New Jersey officials to facilitate a study of literacy and learning loss among elementary students as lawmakers work to improve educational outcomes for children statewide.
Governor Phil Murphy on Tuesday signed into law two pieces of legislation to bolster literary education across the state.
In this initiative, Kean, the state’s urban research university, will provide a learning and literacy loss consultant to the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) to analyze data, coordinate policy and implement best practices to improve students’ literacy outcomes.
“A student’s educational outcomes, primarily literacy skills, are paramount to ensuring educational success. Kean University is committed to supporting all young people on their path to excellence,” said Kean President Lamont O. Repollet, Ed.D. “We look forward to working with the NJDOE on this critical research and policy initiative.”
Murphy described literary education as “the foundation upon which all future learning is built.”
“Recent years have brought forth many challenges for our schools and our children,” Murphy said in a state news release. “Understanding that strong reading skills have the potential to open countless doors for young learners, we must work together to support accelerated literacy learning in communities across the state.”
Kean’s objective will be to help create a permanent NJDOE workstream to enhance NJDOE's capacity to improve elementary literacy and mitigate learning loss across New Jersey schools.
Kean’s College of Education is a leading producer of teachers in New Jersey and its faculty frequently conduct research on pedagogy and curriculum.
Sancha Gray, Ed.D., acting dean of Kean’s College of Education and senior vice president for entrepreneurial education initiatives, said K-12 schools have faced challenges in recent years due to learning loss.
“As the state’s urban research university, Kean prioritizes its role in supporting this kind of critical research and policy work,” Gray said. “We want to help New Jersey educators provide the best possible education to students, especially those who come from marginalized communities and face additional barriers to success.”
Under the memo of understanding signed by Repollet and NJDOE Acting Commissioner Kevin Dehmer, the consultant will identify and compile state-collected data relevant to literacy and make policy recommendations.
Kean’s consultant will also engage with school districts and stakeholders to understand local needs and develop strategies for implementing best practices in the state’s schools.
“Student literacy, especially for our youngest learners, is both fundamental to all student learning and a core element to bridging achievement and opportunity gaps,” Dehmer said in the release. “These new initiatives, when coupled with our other programs to foster literacy, such as high-impact tutoring for students and existing professional development for teachers, can help students build those foundational skills that are so crucial to learning. These combined efforts will have lasting benefits for generations of students.”
The state’s initiative relies on evidence-based strategies, data-driven decisions, a coordination of resources, and research to create effective literacy strategies and promote learning equity.
“This is a forward-looking package of educational enhancement bills that will help rectify pandemic-related learning loss, close the achievement gap and improve literacy rates for our students,” Senate President Nick Scutari said in the release. “The literacy instruction and intervention programs will be especially important for students who have experienced academic disparities. They will help advance educational equity in New Jersey’s schools.”
It is a package of bills that serves every community in New Jersey, said Assembly Speaker Craig J. Coughlin.
“When every child in our state has greater opportunity to succeed, we all benefit,” Coughlin said in the release. “These laws will ensure more strategic use of resources for our best-in-the-nation public schools. I want to commend my colleagues for all of their work on this legislation, partnering with teachers and other experts and advocates in the field to deliver for New Jersey’s kids.”