No Matter What Anyone Says, the Money Ought to Follow the Kid Regardless of What Kind of Public School They Choose

One Comment

This is a post by my friend and colleague Zachary Wright, a national finalist for the United States Department of Education’s School Ambassador Fellowship. Zach is an assistant professor of practice at Relay Graduate School of Education serving Philadelphia and Camden. Prior to that, he was the 12th-grade world literature and AP literature teacher at Mastery Charter School Shoemaker Campus, teaching the school’s first eight graduating classes. I am punching above my weight. I am no …

Improving Special Education is a Priority for Newark Charters

Leave a comment

Mark Rynone is Executive Director of the NJ Special Education Collaborative. Since its inception in 2013, the National Center for Special Education in Charter Schools has provided support to charter schools in Newark. The focus of our work has been to improve the capacity of charter schools across the city to ensure that they are equipped to provide high quality supports and services to students with a wide range of learning differences. In 2016, we …

Newark Charters Make Great Progress and Eliminate the Achievement Gap!

Leave a comment

Donna Siminski is Director of Policy and Advocacy for the New Jersey Charter School Association with a focus on the policy issues impacting the the state’s charter schools. Donna works with members, charter families, and charter school professionals to advocate for high-quality charter schools and the children they serve. On Friday, the New Jersey Department of Education released PARCC results for the 2017-18 school year. For the first time, Newark charter students in grades 3-8 …

NEW JERSEY TEACHERS HAVE ASKED – WHERE DO MY UNION DUES GO? WE FOUND THE FACTS…. AND IT SURE LOOKS UGLY.

Leave a comment

This is a guest post from New Jersey Education Watch. Since New Jersey Education Watch’s recent launch, we have been inundated with stories, questions, and concerns from New Jersey teachers regarding the statewide leadership of the NJEA. One demand has clearly come through —teachers throughout New Jersey want a better understanding of how they benefit from their dues – is the money being well spent. So, let’s get to the facts… By law, the NJEA …

A Letter from Charter School Parents to NJ Education Commissioner Repollet: #ILoveMyCharter

Leave a comment

NJ Parents to Commissioner Repollet: We Love Our Public Charter Schools, Please Fund Them Fairly As State Ed. Commissioner Begins Review of Charter School Laws, Parents, Educators and Public Charter School Supporters Demand Equity and Fairness for Charter Students Campaign Will Focus on Sharing the Stories of Families, the Facts About Public Charter Schools and Fixing Unfair Laws and Unequal Funding Today, a coalition of parents, students, educators, community leaders, and public charter school supporters …

As A White, Privileged, Mom of a Child with Disabilities, I Want To Scream and Cry and Throw Things.

Leave a comment

This post is by Liz Winslow, a school choice warrior and mom of three children, two of whom have special needs. Her work has previously appeared on NJLB here,  here. and here. Her post that describes Aaron’s issues is here. I want to share a few thoughts on this New Yorker piece on Georgia’s “separate and unequal special education system,” beyond the fact that I wanted to scream and cry and throw things when I read it. First, this quote …

NJ Teacher: NJEA’s State Leadership Makes Me Feel Disrespected and Ignored so I’m Opting Out.

Leave a comment

This is a guest post by Susan Fischer. Ms. Fischer has been a public school teacher in New Jersey for over 30 years. Up until last month, she was a member of the NJEA. The letter was released yesterday by New Jersey Education Watch. Last month I decided to opt out of the NJEA. I did so because I felt it was the only way my voice could be heard. I am a good teacher …

When School Supply Lists Give Rise to Bullying (and Worse). Here’s What’s Missing from those “Back to School” Stories.

Leave a comment

Kei-Sygh Thomas is a freelance writer and a former editorial fellow at The 74, as well as a KIPPNJ alumna. Find her on Twitter: @KeiSyghThomas. This post was originally published at The Grade. The return to school filled my household with anxiety – not because of nervousness about the new teacher or new kids, but because we couldn’t afford the expense. A free and public education isn’t free when there are backpacks to be filled with …

Confessions of a Jersey-Born White Teacher in an Urban School

Leave a comment

(This is a guest post by Jennifer Rich, an assistant professor in the College of Education at Rowan University, and the director of research and education for the Rowan Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. It first appeared in the Hechinger Report.) My first year of teaching, I did almost everything wrong. They tell you to be yourself. Here was my first mistake: I didn’t want to be myself. I wanted to be Michelle Pfeiffer. …

This School Year Let’s Treat Our Teachers Like Celebrities.

Leave a comment

This is a guest post by Ryan Hill, the founder and chief executive officer of KIPP New Jersey (formerly TEAM Schools), a network of public charter schools in Newark and Camden, New Jersey. KIPP New Jersey is part of the nationally recognized “Knowledge Is Power Program” network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools dedicated to preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and in life. This first ran at Education Post. My father was …