The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted learning for all students, and literacy rates highlight that trend. According to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Assessment of Educational Progress, fourth and eighth-graders scored an average of five points lower on reading than students who tested before the pandemic. Likewise, Chalkbeat Newark reported that 51.6% of Newark Public Schools’ third graders met state reading standards, with that rate dropping to 36.9% in 2023.