Featured Blog Posts

Speaking Up and Talkin' Back: Newark Students Sound Off On Education

On June 9, the Newark Trust for Education hosted "Speaking Up and Talkin' Back: Newark Students Sound Off on Education," a unique theatrical showcase at Rutgers-Newark. There, students from our High School Policy Advisory Group took to the stage to share their stories and sound off on their education. The event featured student-led monologues and original performances.

Christie And Baraka On Schools: New Board Will Pave Way to Local Control

It's a deal 20 years in the making.

After two decades of state control, the Newark school system will be transitioned back to the hands of its residents, via a roadmap outlined by a newly appointed board, Gov. Chris Christie and city Mayor Ras Baraka said in a joint announcement Friday afternoon.

"Together, we have created a Newark Educational Success Board that will be charged by us with developing a clear, specific pathway with appropriate timelines and benchmarks for the return of local control to the Newark community," the politicians said in the announcement.

$100,000 Available for Science Labs

Northrop Grumman Foundation is on a mission to get kids excited about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), so it's making five grants of up to $100,000 available to public middle schools for their very own fabulous school lab makeover.

Newark Trust Hosts NPS Advisory Board Assessment of District Progress

On April 24, the Newark Trust's Committee of Advocates welcomed Rashon K. Hasan, chair of the Newark Public Schools Advisory Board, and board member DeNiqua Matias to report on an assessment of district progress.

The 39-page report makes 20 findings and offers recommendations for improving Newark Public Schools. The assessment has already been submitted to Commissioner Hespe and State District Superintendent Cami Anderson.

Trust President and CEO Ross Danis said the goal of the presentation is to create a dialogue about the assessment's findings and its implications.

“Serving as a member of a school board is often a thankless task. The care and the time that went into preparing this assessment of district progress is commendable.” Danis said. “These findings provide a starting point for a larger community conversation about our children and their future.”

Rashon K. Hasan, chair of the Newark Public Schools Advisory Board, and board member DeNiqua Matias report on an assessment of NPS progress during a presentation to the Newark Trust's Committee of Advocates.

Newark Trust Holds Forum for Newark Public Schools Advisory Board Candidates

From school closures to local control, candidates for the Newark Public Schools Advisory Board weighed in on a host of issues during a forum sponsored by the Newark Trust for Education's Committee of Advocates.

A Podcast of the forum is available. Scroll to the bottom or subscribe to Straight Talk from the Newark Trust on iTunes.

Six of the eight candidates vying for three seats on the school board engaged in a lively debate about the issues likely to impact the city’s 35,000-student, $1 billion district long after the April 21 election.

The Trust’s Broad Street headquarters was filled to capacity with parents and stakeholders, as well as representatives from the district and from City Hall for the April 14 event.

The candidates (starting from top left clockwise) Crystal Fonseca, Dashay Carter, Veronica Branch, Sheila Montague, Marques-Aquil Lewis, Charles Love. Read their full bios.

Newark Trust to Hold School Board Candidates’ Forum

The Newark Trust for Education is holding a forum for Newark Public Schools Advisory Board candidates on Tuesday, April 14 at 6 p.m. at their offices at 494 Broad Street in Newark.

Seven candidates have agreed to attend the two-hour forum to answer questions about the issues facing Newark Public Schools, which has been under state control since 1995.

Chess v. Checkers: Newark Trust in the Star-Ledger

Newark Trust President & CEO Ross Danis was quoted in the Star-Ledger this week about the leadership qualities of NPS Advisory Board Chair Rashon Hasan. The article examines the careful balancing act Hasan must take in addressing the needs of the NPS community and the relationship with the state—which controls Newark's public schools—as local control appears to inch closer to Newark's shores.

Danis said that the state's decision to return fiscal control to Newark and the changes to the board's operations are a step in the right direction.

"It might reassure people in Trenton when you give control back that the people you are giving it back to have systems in place," Danis said.

Read the article here.

What school districts can do to recruit and retain leaders

In advance of the Trust’s March 26 Forum: Finders Keepers: Recruiting and Retaining High Quality Leaders, we are posting a series of research based best practices to enhance our collective understanding of the issues.

According “Lacking Leaders,” a report published by the Fordham Institute, there are four things school districts can do to improve their efforts to recruit and retain high quality school leaders.

Leaders Grow Leaders

REGISTER FOR THE FORUM

For the past 15 years the Wallace Foundation has focused its work on leadership. In 2013 they published a report titled, “The School Principal as Leader: Guiding Schools to Better Teaching and Learning. In it they state that effective school principals have five key responsibilities:

Jon Weinstein, principal of Bard High School Early College-Newark, with a graduating student. Bard has received support from the Trust's Funders Collaborative. Bard continues to provide a college level experience for Newark high school students, resulting in many students receiving an associates degree's from Bard College upon graduation from high school.

Leadership is a Choice

Along with ensuring access to high quality public schools for all Newark children, the Newark Trust for Education is committed to supporting efforts to recruit and retain outstanding school leaders.

Our Committee of Advocates Forum: Finders Keepers: Recruiting and Retaining High Quality School Leaders will take place in our Community Room on March 26 between 6pm and 8pm. Seating is limited so RSVP now!

In the days and weeks leading up to the forum, we will be posting some of the latest thinking on leadership recruitment and retention, and the qualities and characteristics of effective leaders. We invite you to join the conversation.

Luis Muñoz Marin School Principal Maria Ortiz, who received funding for a Therapeutic Learning Room through the Trust's Funders Collaborative.

Funders Collaborative Principals’ Roundtable Discuss Challenges

Dozens of principals from Newark Public Schools convened last month for the Newark Trust for Education's principals' roundtable. The event, sponsored by the Trust's Funders' Collaborative for High-Quality School Options, focused on many of the obstacles schools face each day that can take away from a principal's full vision of high-quality schools.

"How is the collaborative making an impact in your school?" asked Dale Anglin, Senior Program Officer with the Victoria Foundation. "We can only make an impact if we know what's going on, and these types of venues are immensely valuable in that regard," she added.

Turning Public Data Into Public Knowledge

Our very own Natalie Brathwaite, Newark Trust's Director of Programs and Community Outreach, will be a featured panelist at the SXSWedu Conference Festival in Austin, Texas, in March 2015! She'll join peers from around the country to discuss "Turning Public Data into Public Knowledge."

Click here to read more about this important discussion: http://bit.ly/1wpSwVJ

Eagle Academy for Young Men’s Tie Ceremony

The Newark Trust extends our heartfelt congratulations to all of the fine young men who earned their Eagle Academy Tie at the Tie Ceremony held on Saturday, November 1. Eagle Academy for Young Men of Newark is a Newark District Public School, located at Historic Weequahic High School.

Netnavigator Shows Who Is Funding What and Where in Newark Public Schools

On October 17, the Newark Trust hosted its first-ever Webinar on Netnavigator, an innovative tool that easily enables you to see just what programs and initiatives are operating, and, how much is being invested in each of these programs -- school by school -- throughout public district and public charter schools in Newark.

Newark Trust Hosts First Committee of Advocates Meeting of 2014-15

The Newark Trust for Education hosted its first Committee of Advocates meeting of the year on Wednesday, October 22nd with a diverse group of community members, civic leaders and district staff. This meeting focused on the collection and review of initial feedback on Newark's school enrollment process. Participants not only analyzed the obstacles and roadblocks encountered during the enrollment process, they also identified opportunities for moving forward, and were joined by NPS staff members who presented and listened to feedback.