To register your high schooler to Newark United Tutoring Center, please click this link:   bit.ly/newark-unites-tutoring

With a series of recent data showcasing unprecedented learning loss within the Newark public school system, Newark’s Metropolitan Baptist Church, Great Oaks Legacy Charter School, and the New Jersey Children’s Foundation (NJCF) is launching the “Newark Unites Tutoring Center” in September which will provide free tutoring and support to Newark’s 9th and 10th graders.

Specifically, the Newark Unites Tutoring Center will provide individualized support in Reading and Algebra and take place at Metropolitan Baptist Church at 149 Springfield Ave, Newark, NJ. Metropolitan will also provide snacks, school materials, and security during the tutoring sessions.  The free tutoring program will be available to 9th and 10th graders from any Newark public school and will take place starting in September 2021. Those enrolled will be expected to attend each Saturday with their designated tutor. Families interested in the service can sign up here.  The program will select students on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Anchoring the new community Tutoring Center will be a city-wide expansion of Great Oaks Legacy Charter School’s high-dosage tutoring model. The award-winning ten-year old Newark public school has gained national and state recognition during the pandemic for providing one of the most effective, research-based interventions to address learning loss. To ensure all public-school students are aware of the free program, Metropolitan Baptist Church will lead engagement efforts for the Center and host the tutoring on its campus.  The Church’s involvement comes on the heels of a long history of community-based education initiatives in Newark, including their mentorship program with the Eagle Academy School for Boys, partnering with the Leaguers to host its own preschool program, and hosting summer “Freedom Schools” to support learning in Newark. The initiative was made possible by a grant by the New Jersey Children’s Foundation.

“Tutoring works. There is a real hunger for it right now in Newark and it is our moral responsibility to respond to this call to action with substance. 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,” stated Jared Taillefer, Executive Director, Great Oaks Legacy Charter School. “For over ten years, tutoring has been our passion. It is what we know and we have developed a unique and effective model that has brought valuable results to Newark families. Being asked to serve the community we love is an honor, and with the help of Pastor Jefferson and NJCF we are proud to expand our tutoring program beyond our school campus. Our tutors are ready, and we hope that in the coming weeks we can look to further develop this initiative.”