NJ Education Report

“Governor Corzine is an accountability freak!” says Ed Commish Lucille Davy in the latest issue of New Jersey Family when queried about school spending.

Today’s Star-Ledger features Newark Superintendent Clifford Janey’s efforts to transform the troubled school system. As he starts his second year at the helm, new initiatives include a school uniform requirement, higher GPA cut-offs for athletic participation, replacing ¼ of the system’s principals, taking a tougher stance with inadequate teaching, and increasing academic expectations for students.

N.J. silliness about whether to let kids listen to President Obama telling them to work hard in school.

Arianna Huffington thinks out of the box in “So We Can’t Have Single Payer for Health Care, But How About Single Payer for Education?”: “In a single-payer education plan, the federal government, in conjunction with the states, would provide an education allotment for every parent of a K-12 child. Parents would then be free to enroll their child in the school of their choice.”

Diane D’Amico of Press of Atlantic City analyzes school district legal costs.

Teach For American has placed 95 instructors at schools in Newark and Passaic, reports the Star-Ledger. Michael Larson, development director for the Newark TFA office, said “about 60 percent of the program’s participants continue with careers in teaching and education.”

James Ahearn of The Record comments on Corzine’s plan to have all N.J. students pass college prep courses: “I think that’s unrealistic. The fact is that some kids are smarter than others. Some have supportive families and some don’t. Some thrive in Advanced Placement classes and some struggle in areas where studying is scorned as ‘acting white.’”

Negotiated teacher annual raises in South Jersey are coming in at about 4.5%, reports the Press of Atlantic City.

Dysfunctional School Board of the Week Award goes to Easton Area School Board, where President Patricia Fisher asked V.P. Pat Vulcano to stay home from a public meeting because he supports the striking secretaries’ union. (Lehigh Valley Live.)