N.J.’s call for school volunteers is far from meeting its goal
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Loading... - Annette Monet
- 03 Mar 2023
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Recruitment of New Jersey residents to volunteer in the schools has been moving slowly, with less than a tenth of the projected helpers signing up, according to an update Wednesday at the state Board of Education meeting.
Angelica Allen-McMillan, the acting commissioner of the state Department of Education, said the department had received applications from 400 individuals and organizations out of the 5,000 it sought.
The applicants hope to participate in the New Jersey Partnership for Student Success (NJPSS), an effort Gov. Phil Murphy announced in early December, to address pandemic-related academic and mental health challenges in the schools. In January, Allen-McMillan told the board 330 people and organizations had signed up.
The partnership, part of a national effort, is supposed to recruit, screen, train, and support volunteer tutors, mentors, and student success coaches. It would “create the opportunity for members of the broader community to get involved in supporting the social, emotional, and academic needs of students,” Murphy said in December.
At its first in-person meeting in almost three years, Allen-McMillan told the state board that the department is continuing its search for “5,000 caring adults by December 2023.” In January, education officials had said they hoped to have “something in place over the next couple months.”
Allen-McMillan said people who signed up received additional correspondence from the department last week. “It is so exciting as we’re moving forward,” she said.
One volunteer, who wished to remain anonymous, said they had filled out a form to join the effort in December and only received a welcome email from the department on Feb. 23, followed by a retraction, a repeat welcome email, and another retraction. It did not inspire confidence, they said.
Education advocates hope the volunteer effort can be effective. Read More…
