Serving as an elected member of school board is difficult in the best of circumstances. Imagine what it takes to raise your hand to serve on an Advisory Board of Education in a state-controlled and frequently controversial district such as Newark?

We applaud all who serve and all who are willing and interested in serving children and their community. Being a school board member can be both deeply rewarding and thankless; gratifying and frustrating. And get this: it is a volunteer position with no financial compensation. So why serve? Because our future depends on it. Our children and their future depend on it. And the return to local governance absolutely depends upon those who care and who have the capacity to lead stepping forward.

The Newark Trust for Education continues its Straight Talk series with Nancy Cantor, Chancellor of Rutgers University-Newark. Straight Talk is a series of interviews centered on education in the city of Newark with a focus on educational leadership and the essential components necessary for high performance. The series also examines what outside-the-classroom supports are needed to benefit to children and the community.

In this brief, candid interview, Cantor discusses Rutgers' role in the Newark's public education community, as well as how the University works with the city's schools, parents, and students in order to provide additional access to higher education.

Straight Talk w/ Nancy Cantor from Newark Trust on Vimeo.

The Newark Trust for Education marked its fourth anniversary on January 29 with a celebration focused on the city's rapidly shifting educational landscape and what the future holds for the approximately 35,000-student school district.

The event, held at the Trust's Broad Street headquarters, also served as a tribute to Dr. Clement A. Price, Rutgers-Newark historian and founding Trust board chair, who passed away in November. A broad consortium of representatives of the city's public schools, the mayor's office, parents, foundations, and universities joined Trust staff and board members to honor the legacy of Dr. Price.

One Newark Enrolls offers Newark families the opportunity to select from nearly 100 public schools on one application. This application is the only way to enroll in traditional district schools and many district charter schools in Newark for the 2015-16 school year.

But first, click here to use the Newark Trust for Education's SchoolScope tool to map the distance from your home to school options and learn more about all school options in Newark.

Then go to One Newark Enrolls and get a jump start on 2015-2016!