Newark Trust
Welcome to this week's education news round-up. Here’s what’s happening in education news both locally and nationally!
LOCAL
Three Things I Learned By Taking a Road Trip From Newark to the White House with 38 Seventh-Graders
Fade Ojeikere, Social Studies teacher of Dr. E Alma Flagg Elementary School, shares three lessons he gleaned from the school’s recent 7th grade road trip to the White House, including the importance of field trips for high-need students and the importance of relatable role models for youths in underserved areas.
Teens n Tech at Science Park High School
The New Jersey Advocates for Education (NJAE) is accepting applications for its free 6-week program, open to rising 10th grade students. The program is aimed at exposing young adults to and developing in them the technical and interpersonal skills needed for today’s ever growing field of information technology.
The Newark Thrives! Youth Program Locator Is Here
The Newark Thrives! 2016 Summer Program Listing is now available. Newark Thrives! provides Newark families with convenient, quick, and searchable access to youth programs offered throughout the city.
Driving Success at Quitman Street School Community School
A recent video from Edmentum features the amazing work of Quitman St. School -one of Newark’s best-kept secrets, and how its blended learning program (which prioritizes both engagement with technology, and relationships with teachers and peers), strengthens student’s success and drives achievement.
The Departure of the 'Turnaround Principal'
A new article from the Huffington Post takes a closer look at the school climate in Malcolm Shabazz High School’s after the leadership transition from ‘Turnaround principal’ Gemar Mills to present-day principal Damon Holmes’.
2016 Recipients of Superintendent’s 3E Awards
Newark Public Schools has announced the graduating seniors who received the Superintendent’s “3E” Award – Equity, Excellence, & Effort, for carving their own pathways to success in high school and as they transition to life after secondary school.
Educate, Engage, and Empower
The Abbot Leadership Institute has released a new guide for education leaders and advocates on how to make parent engagement in school reform more effective.
Know Someone Graduating? Send Them to Newark City of Learning Collaborative
In honor of graduation season and to celebrate young Newark graduates across the city, the Newark City of Learning Collaborative will feature Newark students graduating from high school and college for its special summer newsletter. Highlighted graduates will be identified via submissions from the community.
Deadline for the submission of high school graduates is Friday, June 24.
REGIONAL
NJDOE Data Shows More Students Using Portfolio Process to Graduate
The New Jersey Department of Education has released its first preliminary analysis of the State’s 2016 imposition of new testing rules and graduation requirements for high school students. The analysis is part of the settlement reached with the Education Law Center in May.
Nine More Charters Advance Through Phase I of Application Process
Out of the 24 applications filed to establish new charter schools that would open in the fall of 2017, 9 received preliminary approvals from the Christie administration, including the Innovation STEM Charter School in Newark (Essex County).
Should N.J. Preschool Teachers be Paid the Same as K-12 Teachers
Following his recent visit to Clifton Early Learning Academy on June 14th, Secretary of Education Jon King calls attention to the wage gap between preschool educators and k-12 teachers, and its impact on the provision of high-quality preschool.
Currently, the median wage for preschool teachers is $28,570, about 55 percent of wages earned by kindergarten teachers ($51,640).
Suspending Teens Ruins Lives and Costs Taxpayers $35 Billion a Year
Amidst the rapid expansions of ‘no excuse’ charter schools and nationwide calls to bring consistency and fairness to discipline practices in both district and charter schools, a new study by UCLA’s Civil Rights Project digs deeper into the relationship between racial discipline gaps in schools and the costs of publicly funded social and health services.
In addition, the article also sheds light on how school suspension rates impact tax revenues for states and districts.
A Group Of Bronx Teens Are Trying To Transform New York City’s Segregated Schools
After a day-long exchange with peers in an affluent school, high school students from the Bronx raise awareness of the importance of equitable funding across a school district and the impact that would have in fostering equitable, quality learning environments in schools.
The Complicated Task of Identifying Homeless Students
A recent article from the Atlantic provides a comprehensive review of the pervasiveness of homelessness across schools in U.S., exploring how school systems identify homeless students, and offering suggestions as to what districts can do to help them stay in school.
During the 2013-14 school year, more than 1.3 million students were homeless, a 7 percent increase over the previous school year.