Free Center In Newark Will Address Local ‘Hunger’ For Tutoring

NEWARK, NJ — Newark's Metropolitan Baptist Church, Great Oaks Legacy Charter School and the New Jersey Children's Foundation recently announced the upcoming launch of a free tutoring program that will soon be open to all local public school students in grades 9 and 10.

Starting in September, the “Newark Unites Tutoring Center” will provide free tutoring and support to Newark’s 9th and 10th graders in an attempt to combat “unprecedented” learning loss within the Newark public school system, according to a news release.

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Organizers said:

“Over the summer, a series of alarming reports have surfaced showcasing how the pandemic has significantly disrupted students' academic progress. According to Spring 2021 test scores, only 9% of Newark students in grades 2-8 met state expectations in math, and 11% of students met expectations in reading.”

Specifically, the Newark Unites Tutoring Center will provide individualized support in reading and algebra. Lessons will take place at Metropolitan Baptist Church at 149 Springfield Avenue in Newark. Metropolitan will also provide snacks, school materials and security during the tutoring sessions, organizers said.

The free tutoring program will be available to 9th and 10th graders from any Newark public school and will take place starting in September. Those enrolled will be expected to attend each Saturday with their designated tutor. Families interested in the service can sign up here or by going on the Great Oaks website. The program will select students on a first-come, first-serve basis.

“Newarkers are feeling powerless to address what we are seeing in our public schools and going into a new school year there is little understanding to how the school district plans to combat learning loss,” said the Rev. David Jefferson of Metropolitan Baptist Church.

“Unprecedented moments in our history require unprecedented actions,” Jefferson added.

Jared Taillefer, the executive director at Great Oaks Legacy Charter School, said there is a “hunger” for tutoring in Newark – and it’s a “moral responsibility” to take up the call to action.

“There is no one, single solution to addressing the historic and unprecedented learning loss we have seen in Newark over the last year and half, but we must do something … and the center can be a start,” Taillefer said.

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