Newark City of Learning Collaborative Recognized for Boosting College Enrollment Among City Residents

The news site CivicStory featured The Newark City of Learning Collaborative’s success in working to boost the college graduation rate among Newarkers. The collaborative, which is based at Rutgers-Newark,  has already reached  a  goal of helping 25 percent of city residents attain degrees by 2025.

“According to 2022 U.S. Census data, 24.9 percent of Newark residents over the age of 25 now hold an associate degree or higher, even before the calculation is broadened to include non-college postsecondary certifications,’’ wrote CivicStory, a nonprofit news site focused on sustainability, civics and creative change in New Jersey.

“In 2012, Newark’s master plan set a got that by 2025, a quarter of the city’s adult residents would have a college degree. Depending on which data were included, that meant an increase in the college-attainment rate of between 6.7 and 12 percentage points, representing as many as 20,000 people,’’ the story stated.

The Newark City of Learning Collaborative (NCLC) worked with city government, the school system, and partner organizations,  to help achieve the benchmark one year early.

NCLC Executive Director Robyn Ince is proud of the collaborative’s success but she’d like to raise the bar even higher. The statewide figure for a post-secondary degree is 50 percent, while it’s poverty rate is 10 percent, compared to the  city’s poverty rate of 24 percent.

“We see that [25 percent] as the baseline goal. By no means is that a north star goal,’’ she told CivicStory.