NJ Education Report

New billboard in Trenton: “Eric Jackson Endorsed Tony Mack. Eric Jackson Worked for Tony Mack.” See the Trentonian for the scoop that David Tepper, head of B4K, a NJ education reform group, paid for the signs to boost the candidacy of Jim Golden (who is the only candidate with a meaningful education agenda for the city and had no knowledge of his benefactor’s plans). Also, here’s my piece this week at WHYY Newsworks, which compares the six candidates’ education agendas.
 
The anti-charter group Save Our Schools and NJEA organized a protest in Camden to protest the opening of two new charter schools run by two of the best charter operators in the country. The head of SOS-NJ, by the way,  is Susan Cauldwell of Spring Lake. Spring Lake is one of NJ’s richest districts. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

The South Jersey Times reports that Camden Superintendent Paymon Rouhanifard gave a progress report on one of his goals, increasing pre-K enrollment: “Pre-K enrollment in Camden is currently at 89 percent — a 17 percent increase since January, according to Rouhanifard. The superintendent has stated the district should be working toward universal Pre-K enrollment.”

The Wall St. Journal reviews Cami Anderson’s superintendency in the context of its role in the Newark mayoral race and community division over her strategies to improve  student outcomes.

Also, the Journal looks at President Obama’s Race to the Top prospects: “as the program’s four-year grant period nears an end for most of the winners, some of those new policies are running into opposition, and it is unclear whether the changes will boost student achievement in the long term.”