New Jersey Children’s Foundation CEO Barbara Martinez was invited to speak at the Municipal Council’s Education Hearing chaired by North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos Jr. on April 22, 2025. She highlighted 10 district and charter schools that outperformed the state average in literacy, telling committee members that these schools are proving what Newark students can do. These schools should be observed and studied by other school leaders who are trying to increase academic achievement.
She also told committee members that our work in K–12 education isn’t complete when so many Newark students who begin college don’t finish. While college isn’t the right path for everyone, when a student chooses to enroll, it reflects a belief — shared by them and their families — that college is meant for them. “If you start college, we as a society need to help you finish because that means it was for you, because you wanted it.”
Watch more of her testimony: