Author Topic: Education/Charter Schools/Testing  (Read 147081 times)

Offline Editor

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Re: Education/Charter Schools/Testing
« Reply #15 on: December 06, 2006, 10:02:05 AM »
Latest story:  Separate and unequal

There are also 36 districts across New Jersey that for years have been under state oversight because of past racial segregation. These districts, including Hackensack and North Bergen, periodically have to report to the state on how they are maintaining racial balance. That program, too, could be in jeopardy.

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Re: Education/Charter Schools/Testing
« Reply #16 on: December 15, 2006, 09:51:36 AM »

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Re: Education/Charter Schools/Testing
« Reply #17 on: January 26, 2007, 10:15:46 AM »
Should kids skip classes for vacations?

Jesus Galvis [former Hackensack Councilman] has seen it all too often – stressed parents walk into his travel agency on Main Street in Hackensack, and plead with him to run interference with school officials who refuse to grant their children permission to miss classes for an extended visit back to the family's homeland.

"If it's not a death in the family or another major crisis, or a medical appointment, kids should never ever ever have their studies interrupted," Galvis said.

"When kids miss class, they miss a lot even if they try to do some of the work on a plane or train somewhere," Galvis said.

"It's just not the same to try to cover the same ground in a hotel room as getting the lesson in real time, in the classroom, from the teacher, with all your classmates."

Galvis, who has held various political posts in Bergen County and has been a guiding light for many Latino immigrants over the decades, describes the issue as a particularly worrisome one in the Hispanic community.

"It's not uncommon for parents who plan to travel to their native countries for the holidays to take their children out of school one whole week before Christmas break begins, and to return a whole week – even two weeks – after classes resume in January," Galvis said.

"This jeopardizes so much for so many people involved in a kid's education," he said.

"It sends a wrong message to the child, that education can be put on the back burner for fun, social reasons.

"It makes a teacher's job more difficult, especially in a school where there are many immigrants and it's not just one or two or three kids missing class for a long stretch of time."

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Education/Charter Schools/Testing
« Reply #18 on: February 21, 2007, 08:59:32 AM »

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Education/Charter Schools/Testing
« Reply #19 on: February 27, 2007, 08:32:18 AM »
Latest story:  Some Bergen districts set for double-digit hikes

Hackensack will receive an additional $1.2 million next year, a 12 percent increase that will "undoubtedly" help with tax relief, said Francis Seery, business administrator.

"A 12 percent increase is going to be very, very helpful," he said. "But on the other side, for the past seven years, our budget and the appropriations that drive the budget have gone up, because of the increase in benefits, special-education tuition and normal contractual arrangements, heating, and electrical bills."
« Last Edit: February 27, 2007, 08:48:21 AM by Editor »

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Education/Charter Schools/Testing
« Reply #20 on: March 14, 2007, 09:00:08 AM »

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Funding Education
« Reply #21 on: March 15, 2007, 09:03:51 AM »
From Today's Record:

Outside aid down, local taxes up

Local taxpayers in roughly two-thirds of North Jersey communities saw their share of funding local school systems rise in the 2005-06 school year because state, federal and other funding sources did not keep up with school budget increases. Here’s the breakdown of how educational costs in districts across North Jersey were funded from 2003-04 to 2005-06, the latest year data is available.

Click here for chart

Source: New Jersey Education Department/Staff analysis by Dave Sheingold

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Minority dropout problem explored
« Reply #22 on: March 16, 2007, 08:59:23 AM »
« Last Edit: March 16, 2007, 09:05:16 AM by Editor »

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Education/Charter Schools/Testing
« Reply #23 on: March 28, 2007, 09:04:34 AM »

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Education/Charter Schools/Testing
« Reply #24 on: April 05, 2007, 08:55:31 AM »

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Education/Charter Schools/Testing
« Reply #25 on: April 06, 2007, 09:22:15 AM »

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Bergen Academies
« Reply #26 on: April 26, 2007, 09:11:38 AM »
From today's Record (School Briefs):

HACKENSACK -- Bergen County Academies has been named a finalist in a national competition that could make the school eligible to receive $170,000 in grants and curriculum materials.

The school is one of 18 nationwide named a finalist for the Intel Schools of Distinction Awards. The annual program honors schools for implementing innovative math and science programs. Winners will be announced May 23.

The school was one of four high schools chosen for its "mathematics excellence." Bergen County Academies will also send a student to the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair in Albuquerque, N.M., next month.

Three winners, one elementary, one middle and one high school, will be selected in each of the two categories of science and math. Winning schools receive a $10,000 cash grant, and an award package that will include class materials, professional development sources, hardware and software valued at $160,000.

-- Monsy Alvarado

Offline ericmartindale

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Re: Education/Charter Schools/Testing
« Reply #27 on: May 22, 2007, 08:41:31 AM »
I found something online that I thought people would find this interesting. 

There's a Charter School in Newark called the Robert Treat Academy that is the 4th highest rated school in the State of New Jersey. That's according to www.schooldigger.com. That's not comparing all Charter Schools. That's comparing all public, private, and charter schools.   And the enrollment at the Robert Treat Academy is 77% Latino and 19% African-American.  Language barriers appear to be of little obstacle to high test scores.

You heard me correct.  There is a school in Newark with 96% minority enrollment that is outperforming virtually every public school in northern Bergen County.

To some extent, this particular school must be attracting the best and brightest from all of Newark.  And it's located in the Forest Hill District, which is a very good neighborhood.  Nevertheless, they must be doing something right to have these kinds of scores within the city limits of Newark.

Here's the link, I hope it'll appear "live".

http://www.schooldigger.com/go/NJ/schools/0002500291/school.aspx

I also reviewed their scores on www.greatschools.net, and found that most grades at the Robert Treat Academy have 100% of all students passing the state standardized tests.

Maybe the school administration there should take what they do, bottle it, and sell it throughout New Jersey.

This has me wondering if it might be better for ENTIRE CITIES to turn over their entire school systems to the Charter System.  This alleviates the problem of the Charter Schools draining the Elementary Schools of the families most concerned about quality education, and leaving the Elementary Schools with worse-performing students.  I think this would be good public policy for New Jersey's cities. Our illustrious Governor should start with one entire Abbott District, convert it 100% to the Charter System, and see what happens.  We already know that state takeover of Abbott Districts has achieved little or nothing, so what about Charter Takeover ????




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Education/Charter Schools/Testing
« Reply #28 on: June 15, 2007, 08:23:20 AM »

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