Paterson Teacher Boosts Reading Proficiency to 91%

Ezera Washington turned 65% reading proficiency into 91% in a single school year at College Achieve Paterson Charter School. The fifth-grade teacher didn't use expensive programs or trendy techniques. She talked to her students.

Washington's strategy sounds almost too simple. Find out what each child loves, then hand them books about those exact things. Basketball fans get basketball chapter books. The key is making reading feel like fun instead of work.

The results speak louder than any theory. In her first year teaching at the Paterson charter school, Washington's fifth graders jumped from 29% to 71% proficiency on New Jersey's standardized tests. The next year, as supervisor of kindergarten through fifth grade, she helped push that number to 91%.

Her approach matters especially at College Achieve Paterson, where 91% of the 1,474 students come from low-income families. National data shows economic status strongly predicts academic success, but Washington refuses to accept that pattern.

"Find texts that look like them, see them, or texts that they enjoy," Washington said. Building real relationships means asking about weekends and interests, not offering surface-level compliments.

Washington spends her days pushing a supply cart she calls her "mobile classroom" from room to room. She teaches two periods, coaches teachers for six more, and coordinates testing and tutoring. Students recognize her cart before they see her face.

The work earned Washington recognition from New Jersey's Governor's Educator of the Year program in 2023-24. This April, she became the first recipient of the Nicholas Markets Fresh Grocer Amazing Teacher Award.

The Ripple Effect

Washington's impact extends beyond test scores. Executive Director Gemar Mills says she "leads with heart, holds the highest expectations, and delivers results that change the trajectory of our students' lives." She's now training other teachers to bring that same joy and rigor to their classrooms.

The 30-year-old educator continues taking doctorate classes at night while mentoring faculty during the day. She was the first in her family to finish college, and now she's helping hundreds of children discover that reading can open doors they didn't know existed.

One conversation, one book, one interested teacher at a time, Washington proves that caring enough to ask what kids love might be the literacy solution everyone's been searching for.