The Newark Trust for Education announced last week that Newark Mayor-elect Ras J. Baraka and Rashon K. Hasan, president of the Newark Public Schools Advisory Board, have been invited to join the organization's board of directors.

Baraka and Hasan would serve in an ex officio capacity, filling the seats reserved for the mayor and school advisory board president.

"We would be honored to have Mayor-elect Baraka and Mr. Hasan as strong voices on our board of directors," said Dr. Ross Danis, Newark Trust president and CEO. "Over time and through changing education and political landscapes, the Newark Trust for Education's mission remains constant and our work consistent with our core values. Our sole focus is to ensure that all Newark's young people have access to a quality public education.

"The incoming mayor and new board president understand this crucial role, and have signaled their support for the same results that we all want for all of our children: A future of unlimited possibility" Danis added.

The work of seven young Newarkers was on full display June 5 as the Newark Trust for Education premiered its new documentary, Straight Talk: Students Sound off on Education.

The film, which premiered at the Newark Public Library in front of dozens of community members, captures the work of the Trust’s High School Policy Advisory Group (HSPAG). The Newark Trust and YouthBuild Newark are co-conveners of HSPAG, designed to facilitate dialogue that is then conveyed to district administrators and city officials to better communicate the needs and concerns of the city’s youth.

"We have the largest city in New Jersey—approximately 280,000 residents—and more than a quarter of the population comprises youth under the age of 18," said Dr. Ross Danis, president & CEO, Newark Trust for Education. "Policy decisions made on every level need to consider heavily the needs of our kids. This group is designed as a significant first step in achieving that goal."

So much of what the Newark Trust for Education does is centered on civic engagement and fostering community dialogue, but it was only a matter of time before that engagement took a more illustrative form.

The Trust is honored to display art by students from around the city at our offices at 494 Broad St. With over 20 works to come form Newark's Arts High School, the first ten images of the Trust's permanent collection, were acquired from Gallery Aferro—products of their workshop on cyanotyping attended by Newark high school students.

"When we moved into our new offices in December, we immediately saw an opportunity to use the open spaces to celebrate art created by the children of Newark," said Natasha Dyer, the Trust's Director of Operations and Communications.

With Newark Public Schools issuing enrollment notifications for the more than 12,000 Newark families for Fall 2014, we are eager to see how the district addresses student transportation needs, particularly for those students traveling from one end of the city to the other.

In light of this, as part of its "Fact or Fiction" series where we examine important policies that affect our students, the Newark Trust for Education recently examined whether the city is, in fact, required to provide transportation to all students living in Newark.

The short answer is that the Newark Public Schools are not mandated to supply busing under the stated limits even for safety reasons, but the municipality can choose to do so.