Mark Weber Says New Jersey Teachers Suffer From a “Wage Gap.” Mike Lilley Says Weber’s Analysis is “Deeply Flawed.”

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This is a guest post by Michael Lilley, Founder and President of the Sunlight Policy Center of New Jersey, which seeks to educate residents on the way NJEA “uses their tax dollars against their own interests, secures benefits for the few over the many, and blocks needed reforms.” This was originally published on SPCNJ’s website. New Jersey public schools are among the best in the nation and our teachers are the primary reason for that.  …

“Dear Mark”: A Veteran Teacher Gives Himself Ten Pieces of Advice As Another School Year Begins.

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This is a guest post by Mark Joseph, a sixth-grade math teacher at KIPP Rise Academy in Newark, where he has taught for ten years. For Mark’s other posts, see here, here, and here. Dear Mark, You called out sick today (Thursday, September 6, 2007). Only your third day of school — ever! — and you lied about having a family emergency in Rhode Island. I know, you’re scared; not of the kids but of the …

Charter Schools Must Be Part of the Solution for Desegregation.

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This is a guest post by Sonia Park, Executive Director of Diverse Charter Schools Coalition. She has has over 18 years of experience in school start-up, support, accountability, and development. This essay, which first appeared at Education Post, is particularly relevant to New Jersey given a current lawsuit that claims, all evidence to the contrary, that NJ’s charter sector increases school segregation. For my take on the lawsuit, see here and here. America is more …

A Pro’s Advice to New Teachers: When You’re Honest About Yourself, You Give Students Permission to Be Honest Too.

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This is a guest post by Mark Joseph, a sixth-grade math teacher at KIPP Rise Academy in Newark, where he has taught for ten years.  I like to say that kids have the best bullshit detectors in the world. They can tell when you’re faking and they can tell when it’s real. My usual prescription to teachers against the inevitable bullshit is — be authentic, be you. However, I think that the word authentic has …

Newark Students Deserve Education Champions Who Keep Their Promises

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This is a guest post by Tommy Luna who is currently entering his 10th year as an eighth grade math teacher at Newark’s Rise Academy. He is also co-chair for the grass-roots group Newark for Educational Equity and Diversity (NEED). This first appeared at Education Post. It’s no secret that education in the city of Newark has had a tumultuous history. It’s a history with a complex narrative—going from a distinguished district to a state …

Andrew Martin Corrects a Warped Narrative of Newark Public Schools That is “Long on Political Intrigue But Short on Data.”

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This is a guest post by Andrew Martin, who served as the Chief Data Officer for the Newark Public Schools from 2017-18.  Prior to working for NPS he was the Director of Special Projects for KIPP New Jersey, leading research, evaluation, and assessment efforts.  He is a graduate of the University of Chicago and a former classroom teacher for KIPP NJ and the New York City Department of Education.   Last year, test scores for Newark …

What Happens When Traditional Schools and Charter Schools Are Located in the Same Building? Answers from a Newark Mom.

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April Peele is a Newark mother of a daughter who attends KIPP Seek Academy. I want to be completely honest with you: I don’t understand parents who say they don’t care what school their child goes to or what type of experience they have while they’re there. What parent in their right mind would say that? Certainly not me! When choosing a school for my daughter, I did my research. When I found KIPP I …

What I’ve Learned in 10 Years of Teaching at Newark’s KIPP Rise Academy

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This is a guest post by Mark Joseph, a sixth-grade math teacher at KIPP Rise Academy in Newark, where he has taught for ten years. It was first published at Education Post. I am currently in my 12th year of teaching. I spent my first two years in The Bronx at P.S. 211 and have spent these past 10 years in Newark at Rise Academy. What follows is a series of recommendations to myself—the first, what …

As Newark Changes, We Can’t Leave Our Children Behind

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This is a guest post by A. Robert Gregory, Superintendent/CEO of the Marion P. Thomas Charter School network and fromer Interim Superintendent of Newark Public Schools. He’s part of the annual Future Chiefs leadership program by Chiefs for Change, a national nonprofit organization.  I remember it like yesterday, driving up Springfield Avenue from Metropolitan Baptist Church in Newark with my grandmother, Juanita Gregory, more than 30 years ago. She was a first-generation Newarker who loved and …

I Want To Raise My Children In A World Where People of Color Are Empowered To Vote: Here’s How We Get It Done!

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Shennell McCloud is the Executive Director of Project Ready, an organization which seeks to engage more Newark, NJ families in decision-making. She is the mother of a two-year-old and one-year-old and lives with her husband in Newark. While watching Stacey Abrams deliver a passionate, articulate, and fiery response to the State of the Union, all I could think was “how could this woman possibly lose the election for governor of her state?” The real reason …