The administration of Mayor Ras Baraka has launched a multi-ward Town Hall series focused on literacy, bringing together a variety of community groups to discuss ways to address the literacy crisis in the city.

“The 5 Wards Literacy Town Hall,” kicked off Saturday, July 26, at the United Vailsburg Services Organization in the West Ward, where dozens of community leaders and concerned parents learned what role they can play to help the city’s youth become better readers.

Following reports in TAPinto Newark that only 19 percent of third graders in Newark public schools could read at grade level, Mayor Baraka launched a 10-point literacy plan in 2023 to boost literacy among the city’s youngest learners.

Sharnee Brown, the chief education officer for the Office of Comprehensive Community Ed

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