Viral Testing

Laura Waters December 16, 2010

NJEA President Barbara Keshishian in the Asbury Park Press bemoans the “test score culture” that has invaded our public schools like a stealthy virus, begotten

Quality-Blind Lay-Offs

Laura Waters December 7, 2010

Sometime this afternoon, NJEA promises, it will unveil its blueprint for reforming our outdated tenure laws and using student growth as a measure of teacher

Finalists for NJ DOE Commissioner

Laura Waters December 6, 2010

NJ Spotlight says that the short list includes Acting Commissioner Rochelle Hendricks, Christopher Cerf, Andy Smarick, Deborah Gist, and Michelle Rhee (though we just heard

Legislative Inertia and Charter Schools

Laura Waters December 2, 2010

Here’s what’s missing in the Democratic Assembly pile-on regarding NJ’s loss of $14 million in Federal funding to help expand charter schools: the main reason

Leave Your Foreskins at the Door

Laura Waters November 22, 2010

The Asbury Park Press, as part of its series on racial disparities within New Jersey’s special education placements, zooms in on Lakewood Township Public Schools

NJ NAEP Scores Out

Laura Waters November 18, 2010

The National Assessment of Education Progress has released results of the new 12th grade reading and math tests. According to the NJ DOE press release,

Remember the Lightbulb Jokes?

Laura Waters November 17, 2010

There’s no dearth of ink for the ongoing roiling over school superintendent caps in New Jersey. Every paper is featuring it, and now the Wall

A Rumor is Circulating

Laura Waters November 17, 2010

that Dr. Aaron Graham, currently Executive County Superintendent in Bergen, will be appointed Assistant Commissioner for the Department of Education, replacing Willa Spicer.

DOE Strategic Blunder

Laura Waters November 8, 2010

It’s been a bad week for the NJ Department of Education. Acting Commissioner Rochelle Hendricks’ conspicuous absence at last week’s NJEA Convention produced volumes of

Logical Corollary

Laura Waters October 21, 2010

The Star-Ledger Editorial Board worries today that the recent surge in applications for new charter schools – a record 51 at last count — will