NJ Education Report

Did Newark boycotters succeed in their mission to keep schoolchildren out of school to protest Newark One, the district’s universal enrollment plan? Depends upon whom you ask. Boycott booster Bob Braun declared, “Wilhelmina Holder, leader of the Secondary School Council, declared the boycott a “huge success” and said as many as 50 percent of children stayed away. I  believe her.” However, the Star Ledger says that “organizers of the boycott,” which includes Holder,  declined to provide a full count.” The HuffPost says “neither activists nor school officials had hard numbers” although  Superintendent Cami Anderson said she “did not see high rates of absenteeism.”  NJ Spotlight says that “attendance overall was down, although it was unclear if it was any lower than the usual first-day numbers.” Spotlight adds that enrollment this year is up by more than 1,700 familiies.

Star-Ledger: “Jersey City public school teachers will boycott tomorrow’s “I Love Jersey City Public Schools Back to School Festival” at Liberty State Park, saying they want to send a message to the board of education that teachers often work under intolerable conditions.”

The Press of Atlantic City reviews trends in teacher salaries:

Statewide teacher salaries will increase an average 2.4 percent in 2014-15, a slight increase over the 2.3 percent average increase in 2013-14 according to data compiled by the New Jersey School Boards Association, or NJSBA.This year’s increase is far less than the 4.23 percent average increase in 2009-10, but salaries have still continued to rise steadily.

The Princeton Regional Education Association is playing hardball with the local Board of Education, publishing an editorial on contract negotiations at Planet Princeton.

In case you missed it, here’s my column at WHYY’s Newsworks on the misguided ways that NJ pays teachers. 

The Star-Ledger examines the opposition to the Common Core State Standards. They’ve been in place in N.J. for three years  but maybe nobody  noticed until now.  “There is great unrest about this,” declared Carolee Adams of the Eagle Forum, a conservative organization and national volunteer group led by Phyllis Schlafly. “The number of people opposed to it far outweighs those in favor.”

NJ Spotlight examines the successful consolidation of four school districts in Hunterdon County.

Here’s a great Dana Goldstein piece on the evolution of Teach For America as it “listens and changes.” And a bit of myth-busting. Are TFA-ers all white rich kids from elite colleges? Uh, not so much.   American public school teachers are  82% white, 6.8% black, and 7.8% Latino. TFA teachers are 48% white, 22% black, and 13% Latino. Over a third of TFA corp members are the first in their families to go to college.

Here’s the Courier Post on Camden’s own evolution, which is not necessitated by a lack of funds. From the article: “In the past 13 years, a normal K-12 cycle, the Camden School District has received more than $3.3 billion in state aid. That is an average of $261 million for each school year — or $1.4 million a school day. Camden’s annual subsidy represents what the Cherry Hill school district will get in state aid over more than two decades.”

The New York Times Magazine today is all education. The piece on Eva Moscowitz is particularly good.