For decades, a stark and persistent literacy gap has existed between White and Black children in New Jersey. This disparity is not a reflection of student potential but rather a symptom of unequal access to high-quality resources, systemic funding inequities, and a lack of culturally responsive support.

This pre-existing crisis reached a breaking point during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sudden shift to remote learning disproportionately disrupted Black and Brown communities, which frequently faced severe technology gaps, economic instability, and a lack of traditional classroom interventions. As a result, catastrophic learning loss occurred, drastically widening the reading achievement gap and leaving a generation of vulnerable students even further behind.