NJ Gov Recognizes Montgomery Resident for Racial Equity Initiative

By Barbara A. Preston | Posted September 19, 2024

Montgomery resident Sandra M. Donnay says she was honored to be invited to Gov Murphy’s signing of legislation on August 13 aimed at improving literacy in New Jersey for all children.

Sandra M. Donnay (left) of Montgomery shakes hands with Gov. Phil Murphy. The governor signed legislation to bolster literacy for all children.

Under the new law, districts will be required to conduct literacy screenings at least twice annually for students in grades K-3, beginning in the 2025-2026 school year. Districts must notify parents and guardians of their child’s results within 30 days of the close of the initial screening period.

The Fiscal Year 2025 budget includes $5.25 million for literacy initiatives to advance this work. The literacy instruction and intervention programs will be especially important for students who have experienced academic disparities, according to Senate President Nick Scutari. “They will help advance educational equity in New Jersey’s schools. I want to commend ... education advocacy groups who helped to get this done.”

As executive director of The Racial Equity Initiative, Inc. Sandra Donnay advocates for using evidence-based solutions (i.e., phonics-based literacy pedagogy) to improve the literacy of New Jersey’s young children. “New Jersey typically ranks as one of the best school systems in the country,” Donnay said. “Yet, for 2022, data from the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) show that only 19% of Black, 24% of Hispanic, and 46% of White children were proficient readers by the end of 3rd grade.”

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The bills signed by Gov. Murphy will establish a framework to address the alarming fact that 57.6% of all third graders statewide are not meeting reading proficiency levels. Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz cited the even more troubling literacy rates for students of color. She said “73.6% of Black and 72.5% of Latino third graders not reading at grade level.”

Donnay told The Montgomery News that poor literacy is not just a problem of underemployment, but also related to increased risks of incarceration and teen pregnancy. Donnay’s Racial Equity Initiative, Inc, organization, which is based in Skillman, held a webinar in 2023 with literacy experts from around the country to discuss best practices in literacy instruction.

“On June 19, prominent literacy activist and Executive Director of JerseyCan, Paula White, invited me to testify to the NJ Senate Education Committee on the psychological impact of poor literacy in young children,” Donnay said. “I am excited and grateful to the Governor and NJ legislature for their hard work and taking steps to implement best practices to tackle this pressing challenge.”

To learn more about Donnay’s organization, visit the website at theracialequityinitiative.org. She said her non-profit, non-partisan organization informs interested parties on the psychological processes that underlie racism and advocates for evidence-based solutions that can bring about change. “We will continue to build coalitions and disseminate research on best practices to reduce prejudice and discrimination in various settings,” Donnay said.