Welcome to this week's education news round-up and remember to help your school celebrate Newark 350 by applying now!!!

LOCAL

Do Newark Teachers 'Like' Their Facebook-Funded Contract?
The 2012 contract for Newark teachers has been met with mixed reviews amongst teachers. According to a new study, fewer than 30 percent of those polled believe the new compensation system is working well.

Newark High School Students and Alums Meet Local Employers for Lessons in Networking and Job Skills
Schools That Can Newark (STC Newark), partnered with the Newark City of Learning Collaborative to host a networking and job interviewing skills symposium — “Bridging the Gap between Education and Employment.

Newark High School Comic Fest Highlights 'People of Color' 
The Second Annual Khem Comic Fest, an annual convention dedicated to promoting youth literacy and arts, was hosted at Central high School last weekend with more than 600 people in attendance.

New Elliot Street School Facility Ready to Accept Students for the Coming Academic Year
On Wednesday, February 24^th, the new Elliot Street School officially opened its doors.The new 138,000 square foot building will serve approximately 900 students in grades pre-kindergarten through the fifth grade.

Newark Board OKs Plan to Sell Off 12 Former School Buildings
Following a majority vote by the Newark Public Schools Advisory Board to sell 12 district properties, Superintendent Cerf announced the district’s plans to sell the buildings to the Newark Housing Authority for evaluation and repurposing.  The move, which is expected to save approximately $ 2 – $4 million dollars of operational costs, comes as part of the District’s continued efforts to explore new methods to fix its ailing budget.

REGIONAL

State Approves Only Three New Charter Schools, Gives OK to 16 Expansions
The Christie administration announced this past Monday that it happroved three new charter schools and the expansion of sixteen charter schools, including two new schools and six expansions in Newark.

See Which N.J. Districts Had the Most Students Skip PARCC
Data on the number of New Jersey students who participated in last school year’s ‘opt-out’ movement for the PARCC exams have been released.  Check out this interactive data visualization to see results from Newark and surrounding areas in Essex County.

How Secure is Student Privacy as More Learning and Testing Go Online?
Questions about the protection of students’ personal and educational information have increased as schools move toward more digital testing and learning. The recent revelation that the PARCC testing company monitored students’ social media activity has added to the controversy.

NATIONAL

Recap: National Walk-Ins for the Schools All Our Children Deserve
Take a closer look at the on-the-ground scenes of the 40,000 people nation-wide walk-ins organized by Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools.The walk in, which included students, parents, and community members, occurred in over 30 cities across the nation in early February.  

Will the Push for Coding Lead to ‘Technical Ghettos’?  
In light of the recent push towards teaching coding in elementary, middle, and high school computer science classes, concerns on how this new focus may affect students of color are rising among educators and technology professionals.

Strong Evidence Meets Local Control
Robert E. Salvin, Director of the Center for Research and Reform in Education at John Hopkins University, shares his analysis on how the ESSA balances state and local control, with an emphasis on evidence-based reform.

Read more about the ESSA and its potential impact here.

Trauma Informed Schools – An Essential for Student & Staff Success
Using a community school model, the Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP) discusses the steps taken to create a trauma-informed school that addresses the effects of trauma and student behavior. Read the rest of this three part series here and here.

Why Non-Academic Needs Matter, Too  
New York City’s efforts to revitalize 94 of its low performing schools reveal that in addition to providing academic support, addressing students’ physical, emotional, and other non-academic needs are also essential to impact student performance.