Welcome to this week's education news round-up. Here’s what’s happening in education news both locally and nationally!


 Regional National


LOCAL

N.J. Schools Land Extra $50K Each in Federal Money
Three Newark Public Schools have been selected to receive $50,000 from the state Department of Education as part of the federal Title I money awarded to schools with a high percentage of children from low-income families. 

Technology High School Student Valeria Angel Selected by National Geographic to Participate in the Australian Expedition  
Congratulations to Valeria Angel for winning the 2016 National Geographic Student Expedition award.  The award will provide her with a full-scholarship to cover her summer travel and learning enrichment experiences in Australia.

Uncommon Schools North Star Academy Donates Kindergarten-Readiness Workbooks to 1,000 South Ward Preschoolers
Thanks to North Star Academy’s project in celebration of Newark 350 supported by the Newark Trust for Education, more than 1,000 preschoolers in the South Ward now have an additional tool to help them academically prepare over the summer for kindergarten.

The tools, which are 200-page workbooks, are designed to help with letter and number recognition and writing practice. 

RegionalREGIONAL

Can a Five-Year Plan Fix 'Unfair' N.J. School Funding System?
In hopes to end New Jersey’s chronic underfunding crisis for schools, a newly introduced legislation from State Senate President Stephen Sweeney seeks to establish a four-member School Aid Funding Fairness Commission to review the state’s system for school aid, and would give the commission one year to submit a plan for fully funding New Jersey’s School Finance Reform Act.
       
Currently, about 80 percent of N.J.’s school districts are underfunded.

Jersey City Kids Show Off Green Science Projects During Student Forum
Last Wednesday more than 80 Jersey City middle and high school students showcased their urban sustainability projects at the Honeywell Institute for Ecosystems Education’s Jersey City Eco-Schools Student Forum.

Showcased at the event was an 8th grade project that focused on improving the school's air quality through the creation of air filters, a research project which won the school $40,000 in Samsung technology.

National NATIONAL

Five Eye-Opening Figures from the U.S. Education Department’s Latest Civil Rights Data Dump
Data from the U.S Education Department’s survey findings of almost all of the nation’s 95,000 public school reveal alarming numbers on absenteeism, the availability of law-enforcement officers vs. counselors in schools, racial disparities in student discipline, and more.

LGBT Pride Month: Where We Are, Where We’re Going, and What Educators Can Do Right Now
Amidst the controversial North Carolina’s anti-trans bathroom law and Pride Week a few days away, Desiree Raught, 2015 GLSEN Educator of the Year, provides context to why school support services for LGBT students is increasingly important, and shares tips on how educators can provide support systems in the classroom.

According to the 2013 GLSEN School Climate Survey, “74.1% of LGBT students reported incidents of verbal harassment because of their sexual orientation and 55.2% because of their gender expression.”