Carteret, NJ – The administration of Mayor Dan Reiman has released end-of-school-year data from the Borough’s “Teacher in the Library” Homework Help program, which just completed its second year of operation. The program, open to all local K-12 students and free of charge, provides for three certified teachers, at least one of which is bilingual, to be available at the Carteret Public Library weekday afternoons and Saturday mornings for general homework assistance. Students attend on an as-needed basis without the hassle of registration or a predetermined number of hours of assistance.
“The increase of participation in this second year of programming has been nothing short of astounding,” said Reiman. “In the month of October alone, we saw over 600 local students receive free educational support from teachers within our school district. ‘Teacher in the Library’ has truly transformed our community’s approach to academic enrichment.”
The program, which originally began as a pilot in January of 2014, has also begun to spawn supplementary educational offshoots over the course of the year. October’s “Games of the Mind” provided free chess, checkers, and Sudoku lessons, while “Summer Projects Sessions” in August offered assistance to students in completing summer assignments. Funding for all programs is provided through a combination of grants from the Carteret Public Library, the Carteret Business Partnership, and Verizon Wireless.
“We never could have imagined just how successful the program has become,” commented Daniel Croson, the Borough’s Director of Community Development and an elected member of the Carteret Board of Education. “The potential growth and expansion of this model is limitless.”
Borough officials plan to use the summer to retool and expand certain elements in anticipation of a September return. Some highlights of the 2014-15 school year include the following:
- 3,527 total students served
- Approximately $123,445 saved on private tutoring
- 537 hours of instruction
