NJ Education Report

Paging Diane Ravitch: New Jersey is one of 14 member states that have signed on to the agenda of the Partnership for 21st Education Skills, or P21, along with National Education Association. Over at Education Week, Stephen Sawchuk examines this group that detractors “allege, is a veiled attempt by technology companies—which make up the bulk of the group’s membership—to gain more influence over the classroom.”

Bob Ingle on the DOE missing the deadline for Race To the Top money:

Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean and Sen. Diane Allen describe as disappointing the news that Corzine’s Department of Education can’t complete applications for federal “Race to the Top” education grants. Published reports say Education Commissioner Lucille Davy’s minions stopped working on the application in mid-November. Gosh, suppose that has anything to do with that election earlier?

Davy Gets Sent to the Principal’s Office: The Record reports that Ed Commish Lucille Davy will have to answer for a “lapse in judgement” in missing the RTTT deadline by appearing before the State Senate’s Education Committee tomorrow. Commented Ilene Sterling of the Paterson Education Fund, “The two leaders of the state [Corzine and Christie] are each finger pointing. The kids are the political football.”

The Star-Ledger Editorial Board urges Governor-Elect Christie to expand the Interdistrict School Choice Program (see our post here), which allows some kids to cross district lines to attend better schools.

James Ahearn thinks that the Quinnipiac poll is wrong and that, in fact, New Jerseyans are willing to pay higher taxes in order to avoid school district and municipal consolidation.

Marques Lewis, all of 21 years old, is the youngest person ever elected to the Newark School Board.

Carl Golden prognosticates in the Asbury Park Press that these times they are a’changin:

Spending cuts once shunned as draconian may now be embraced as necessary. Counties, municipalities and school districts long accustomed to relying on state aid will be forced to look for greater economies in their operations. Government work forces may be required to accept downsizing or, at the least, givebacks in scheduled salary increases and benefits.

And In the Lobby prophesizes that new Senate President Steve Sweeney will get serious about cutting state employee benefits since “he won’t have the rug pulled out from under him by a governor who at times acted more like a union organizer than the employer.”