Mercer Street Friends hosted a special celebration to honor the academic growth and literacy achievements of local students enrolled in its highly successful Reading Intervention Program.
Operating under the organization’s nationally recognized Community Schools Initiative, the program provides targeted literacy support to help young learners reach vital grade-level reading proficiency. The initiative is currently active across three Trenton public schools: Luis Muñoz-Rivera Elementary, B.C. Gregory Elementary and Cadwalader Elementary.
During the event, students showcased their newfound skills by reading aloud to an audience of proud parents, teachers, peers, representatives from the New Jersey Department of Education and Mercer County elected officials.
The backbone of the Reading Intervention Program relies on a High-Impact Tutoring model. During the standard school day, students receive consistent, personalized, small-group instruction led by retired certified teachers. This structure allows educators to closely monitor progress, build student confidence, and bridge learning gaps.
Since its launch in 2021, the model has seen rapid scaling and increasingly impressive outcomes:
- 2024–2025 School Year: The program served 125 students across two schools, resulting in a staggering 190% increase in the percentage of students reading at grade level.
- 2025–2026 School Year: The initiative expanded to a third school, actively supporting 162 students on their path to literacy. Final assessments to lock in this year’s growth data will be conducted this upcoming June.
The Community Schools strategy aims to turn schools into neighborhood hubs by intentionally bringing together families, educators, and community partners to support students’ academic, social, emotional, and physical well-being.
“The achievements we celebrated today demonstrate the power of investing in the whole child,” Randall West, chief administrative officer of Mercer Street Friends, said. “When schools, families, educators and community partners work together, students receive the support they need to overcome challenges and reach important milestones. Seeing these students grow as readers and learners validates what can be accomplished through the Community Schools model.”
Bernadette Trapp, director of Community Schools, emphasized that early literacy is a lifelong equalizer. “Literacy is the foundation upon which all future learning is built,” Trapp said. “By helping students achieve grade-level reading proficiency, we are empowering them to engage more fully in the classroom, build confidence, and create stronger pathways to long-term academic success.”
