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Great Oaks Legacy Charter School
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Due to the State of Emergency called by the Governor and the damage from last night’s storm,
Great Oaks Legacy Charter School will be closed on today, Thursday, September 2nd.
We would love to have you join our family for the ’21 – ’22 school year. We’ve been preparing students for college success since 2010 and would welcome the opportunity to help your student achieve that success.
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Dear GOLCS Community,
Due to the COVID-19 coronavirus situation in New Jersey, Great Oaks Legacy Charter School remote learning will continue for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year (until June 12).
Food distribution will continue to occur on Tuesdays and Fridays from 10:00am-12:00pm at our High School campus (17 Crawford St.) and Legacy campus (823 S. 16th St.). If your child needs a Chromebook to complete school assignments, please contact your campus main office to request one.
We will continue communicating with you through email and social media. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for up-to-date information and resources.
Please stay safe and healthy!
Top 10 Best Newark, NJ Public Charter Schools (2022-23)
For the 2022-23 school year, there are 17 public charter schools serving 20,095 students in Newark, NJ.
The top ranked public charter schools in Newark, NJ are The Gray Charter School, Robert Treat Academy Charter School and Maria Varisco Rogers Charter School. Overall testing rank is based on a school’s combined math and reading proficiency test score ranking.
Newark, NJ public charter schools have an average math proficiency score of 44% (versus the New Jersey public charter school average of 38%), and reading proficiency score of 57% (versus the 53% statewide average). Charter schools in Newark have an average ranking of 7/10, which is in the top 50% of New Jersey public charter schools.
Minority enrollment is 99% of the student body (majority Black), which is more than the New Jersey public charter school average of 93% (majority Black).
Best Newark, NJ Public Charter Schools (2022-23)
School (Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
The Gray Charter School
Charter School
Math: 75-79% | Reading: 85-89%
Rank:
Top 5%
Add to Compare
55 Liberty Street
Newark, NJ 07102
(973) 824-6661
Grades: K-8
| 364 students
Rank: #22.
Robert Treat Academy Charter School
Charter School
Math: 73% | Reading: 84%
Rank:
Top 10%
Add to Compare
443 Clifton Avenue
Newark, NJ 07104
(973) 482-8811
Grades: K-8
| 688 students
Rank: #33.
Maria Varisco Rogers Charter School
Charter School
Math: 55% | Reading: 87%
Rank:
Top 20%
Add to Compare
18 Heller Parkway, 243 Woodsid
Newark, NJ 07104
(973) 481-9001
Grades: K-8
| 574 students
Rank: #44.
North Star Academy Charter School
Charter School
Math: 65% | Reading: 75%
Rank:
Top 30%
Add to Compare
10 Washington Place
Newark, NJ 07102
(973) 642-0101
Grades: K-12
| 6,298 students
Rank: #55.
Discovery Charter School
Charter School
Math: 35-39% | Reading: 65-69%
Rank:
Top 50%
Add to Compare
240 Halsey St, 2nd Fl.
Newark, NJ 07102
(973) 623-0222
Grades: 4-8
| 106 students
Rank: #66.
Philip’s Academy Charter School
Charter School
Math: 42% | Reading: 53%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
342 Central Avenue
Newark, NJ 07103
(973) 624-0644
Grades: PK-8
| 540 students
Rank: #77.
Link Community Charter School
Charter School
Math: 30% | Reading: 62%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
23 Pennsyvania Ave
Newark, NJ 07114
(973) 642-0529
Grades: 5-8
| 254 students
Rank: #88.
Great Oaks Legacy Charter School
Charter School
Math: 37% | Reading: 48%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
909 Broad Street
Newark, NJ 07102
(862) 256-0909
Grades: PK-12
| 1,880 students
Rank: #99.
Team Academy Charter School
Charter School
Math: 35% | Reading: 50%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
60 Park Place, Suite 802
Newark, NJ 07102
(973) 622-0905
Grades: K-12
| 5,263 students
Rank: #1010.
Achieve Community Charter School
Charter School
Math: 35-39% | Reading: 40-44%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
534 Clinton Avenue
Newark, NJ 07108
(862) 240-4887
Grades: K-7
| 183 students
Rank: #1111.
Roseville Community Charter School
Charter School
Math: 30-34% | Reading: 35-39%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
540 Orange Street
Newark, NJ 07107
(973) 483-4400
Grades: K-4
| 277 students
Rank: #1212.
Newark Educators Community Charter School
Charter School
Math: 25-29% | Reading: 25-29%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
9-11 Hill St
Newark, NJ 07102
(973) 732-3848
Grades: PK-4
| 260 students
Rank: #13 – 1413. – 14.
Marion P. Thomas Charter School
Charter School
Math: 19% | Reading: 29%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
88-108 Shipman Street
Newark, NJ 07103
(973) 621-0060
Grades: PK-12
| 1,481 students
Rank: #13 – 1413.
– 14.
New Horizons Community Charter School
Charter School
Math: 19% | Reading: 29%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
45 59 Hayes Street
Newark, NJ 07103
(973) 848-0400
Grades: K-8
| 450 students
Rank: #1515.
University Heights Charter School
Charter School
Math: 16% | Reading: 23%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
74 Hartford Street
Newark, NJ 07103
(973) 623-1965
Grades: PK-8
| 858 students
Rank: #1616.
Lead Charter School
Charter School
Math: ≤10% | Reading: ≤20%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
201 Bergen Street
Newark, NJ 07107
(862) 772-1724
Grades: 9-12
| 216 students
Rank: #1717.
Peoples Preparatory Charter School
Charter School
Math: 6% | Reading: 10-14%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
321 Bergen Street, Room 211
Newark, NJ 07103
(973) 622-1790
Grades: 9-12
| 403 students
Newark, New Jersey Public Schools (Closed)
School
Location
Grades
Students
100 Legacy Academy Charter School (Closed 2014)
Charter School
75 Morton St
Newark, NJ 07103
(973) 317-8361
Grades: 6-8
| 255 students
Academy Of Vocational Careers (Closed 2011)
74 Montgomery St
Newark, NJ 07103
(973) 733-6911
Grades: 9-12
| n/a students
Adelaide L. Sanford Charter School (Closed 2014)
Charter School
15 James St
Newark, NJ 07102
(973) 297-1275
Grades: K-8
| 331 students
Alexander Street School (Closed 2015)
43 Alexander St
Newark, NJ 07106
(973) 374-2390
Grades: 1-8
| 385 students
Barringer Academy Of S.
t.e.a.m. (Closed 2021)
90 Parker Street
Newark, NJ 07104
(973) 268-5125
Grades: 9-12
| 1,263 students
Boylan Early Childhood Center (Closed 2015)
15 Boylan St
Newark, NJ 07106
(973) 374-2490
Grades: PK-K
| 57 students
Bragaw Avenue School (Closed 2015)
103 Bragaw Ave
Newark, NJ 07104
(973) 705-3970
Grades: K-8
| 250 students
Branch Brook School (Closed 2021)
228 Ridge St
Newark, NJ 07104
(973) 268-5220
Grades: PK-4
| n/a students
Broadway Elementary School (Closed 2012)
180 Oraton St
Newark, NJ 07104
(973) 268-5340
Grades: PK-4
| 290 students
Burnet Street Elementary School (Closed 2013)
28 Burnet St
Newark, NJ 07102
(973) 733-7138
Grades: PK-8
| 213 students
Camden Middle School (Closed 2012)
321 Bergen St
Newark, NJ 07103
(973) 733-3870
Grades: 5-8
| 287 students
Chancellor Avenue Annex Elementary School (Closed 2015)
255 Chancellor Ave
Newark, NJ 07112
(973) 705-3860
Grades: K-2
| 141 students
Clinton Ave Elementary School (Closed 2012)
534 Clinton Ave
Newark, NJ 07108
(973) 733-6970
Grades: PK
| 67 students
Early Childhood Academy – Maple (Closed 2016)
33 Maple Avenue
Newark, NJ 07112
(973) 733-6234
Grades: n/a
| n/a students
Eighteenth Ave Elementary School (Closed 2013)
229 18th Ave
Newark, NJ 07108
(973) 733-6824
Grades: PK-8
| 218 students
Fifteenth Ave Elementary School (Closed 2012)
557 Fifteenth Ave
Newark, NJ 07103
(973) 733-6924
Grades: PK-8
| 224 students
Girls Academy Of Newark (Closed 2021)
279 Chancellor Avenue
Newark, NJ 07112
(973) 508-4334
Grades: 6-12
| 116 students
Greater Newark Charter School (Closed 2015)
Charter School
72 Central Avenue
Newark, NJ 07102
(973) 242-3543
Grades: 5-8
| 212 students
Lady Liberty Academy Charter School (Closed 2021)
Charter School
746 Sanford Avenue
Newark, NJ 07106
(973) 623-9005
Grades: K-8
| 460 students
Luis Munoz Marin Middle School (Closed 2012)
663 Broadway
Newark, NJ 07104
(973) 268-5330
Grades: 5-8
| 552 students
M.
e.t.s. Charter School (Closed 2021)
Charter School
211 Sherman Ave
Newark, NJ 07102
(201) 526-8500
Grades: 6-12
| n/a students
Madison Avenue Elementary School (Closed 2015)
823 S 16th St
Newark, NJ 07108
(973) 374-2890
Grades: PK-5
| 405 students
Maple Avenue School’ Elementary School (Closed 2015)
33 Maple Ave
Newark, NJ 07112
(973) 705-3850
Grades: K-8
| 365 students
Martin Luther King Junior Elementary School (Closed 2013)
108 South 9th St
Newark, NJ 07107
(973) 733-7368
Grades: K-8
| 375 students
Merit Preparatory Charter School Of Newark (Closed 2018)
Charter School
909 Broad Street
Newark, NJ 07102
(973) 642-4400
Grades: 5-10
| 494 students
Miller Street School At Spencer (Closed 2018)
66 Muhammad Ali Avenue
Newark, NJ 07108
(973) 733-6815
Grades: PK-8
| 499 students
Morton Street Middle School (Closed 2008)
75 Morton St
Newark, NJ 07103
(973) 733-6938
Grades: 6-8
| 297 students
Newark Bridges High School: A Diploma Plus School (Closed 2015)
321 Bergen Street
Newark, NJ 07103
(973) 733-7343
Grades: 9-12
| 141 students
Newark Early College High School (Closed 2018)
403 South Orange Avenue
Newark, NJ 07103
(973) 733-8301
Grades: 7-12
| 419 students
Newark Hybrid High School (Closed 2013)
200 Washington St
Newark, NJ 07102
(917) 209-6815
Grades: 9-12
| 54 students
Newark Innovation Academy (Closed 2021)
Alternative School
190 Muhammad Ali Avenue
Newark, NJ 07108
(973) 733-8326
Grades: 9-12
| 23 students
Newark Leadership Academy (Closed 2021)
Alternative School
301 West Kinney Street
Newark, NJ 07103
(973) 297-0592
Grades: 9-12
| n/a students
Newark Legacy Charter School (Closed 2021)
Charter School
823 S.
16th Street
Newark, NJ 07108
(973) 374-7000
Grades: PK-6
| 642 students
Newark Prep Charter School (Closed 2018)
Charter School
570 Broad St.
Newark, NJ 07102
(862) 307-7010
Grades: 9-12
| 429 students
Newark Renaissance Elementary School (Closed 2014)
Alternative School
5056 Norfolk St
Newark, NJ 07103
(609) 943-4932
Grades: 9-11
| 6 students
Show 12 more closed public schools in Newark, NJ (out of 47 total schools)
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Select New Jersey announces smart students Select Scholars New Jersey
(Princeton, New Jersey) – Choose New Jersey, Inc. Along with renowned leaders in business, education, and the community, we are pleased to announce the first recipients of our Smart Students Choose New Jersey scholarships and internships. The program was created to encourage New Jersey’s most successful students to stay in New Jersey for higher education and professional careers.
Launched at Newark and Camden High Schools in 2016, this program identifies the highest academically ranked high school students from each participating high school that chooses to attend a New Jersey college or university.
27 smart students from Newark and 10 from Camden represent public, private and charter high schools in different cities. Each student received a one-time $2,000 unlimited scholarship and a paid summer internship for three consecutive years after first, second, and third years.
Smart students in Newark this year:
- Maimoona Amar Central High School/Rowan University
- Brianna Amos, Newark Preparatory Charter School / Rutgers State University of New Jersey, Newark
- Grace Appiah, Barringer Academy of STEAM/Rutgers State University of New Jersey, Newark
- Isaiah Arrington, Immaculate Conception High School / Union County College – Cranford
- Jasmine Barrow, Bloomfield Tech/Monmouth University
- Nana Bempa, Barringer Academy of Arts and Humanities/University of New Jersey City
- Grace Burga, Science Park/Rutgers High School, State University of New Jersey
- Samantha Cabrera, East Side High School/Seton Hall University
- Cecilia Chollett-Dixon, Collegiate High School/Rutgers State University of New Jersey
- Clervens Clerjust, Malcolm X Shabazz High School/Union County College – Cranford
- Eric Correa, High School of Art/Rutgers State University of New Jersey
- Britney Daniels, North 13th Street Technical High School / Seton Hall University
- Kelly Fields, Newark University Academy High School / Fairleigh Dickinson University
- Tiana Gatewood, Paulo Freire Charter School/William Paterson University
- Diana Gla, North Star Academy/Rutgers College Preparatory High School, State University of New Jersey
- Tyshawn Johnson, People’s Preparatory Charter School/University of New Jersey City
- Harshat Kaur High School of American History/University of New Jersey City
- Taariq Lumford, Weequahic/Rutgers High School, State University of New Jersey
- Abraham Marquez, Newark Preparatory Charter School/University of New Jersey City
- Briana Martinez, St.
Vincent Academy/Keene University - Ne’Shel McFadden, Newark Early College High School at West Side/Montclair State University
- Joshua Mpra, Fast Track Success Academy/Essex County College
- Michael Owusu-Baah, Bard Early College High School / Montclair State University
- Katherine Penafiel, High School of Technology/Kin University
- Gloria Rodriguez, West Caldwell Technical High School / Essex County College
- Dominique Silva, St. Benedict/Rutgers Preparatory School, State University of New Jersey –
- Newark
- Trashon White-Hines, Newark Professional CTE at West Side University/New Jersey City
Vincent Academy/Keene University This year smart students choose New Jersey scientists from Camden:
- Anisha Ames, Dr. Charles Brimm/Rutgers Graduate School of Medical Arts, State University
New Jersey - Maggie Battle, Camden High School/Rowan University
- Nia Clark, Camden Catholic High School/Montclair State University
- Josiah Covington, Creative Arts Morgan Village Academy/Bloomfield College
- Dominic Dazilm, Camden/Rutgers County Technical School, State University of New York
Jersey - Angel Espinal, Urban Promise Academy/Rowan University
- Ashley Estevez Perez, Camden Academy/Rutgers Charter High School, State University of New York
Jersey – Camden - Katherine Jaques, MetEast High School/U of New Jersey City
- Jean Carlos Pelegrin, Leap Academy/Rutgers University Charter School, NJ State University
– Camden - Gabriela Torres-Gonzalez, Woodrow Wilson/Rutgers High School, State University of New York
Jersey – Camden
“We applaud the academic achievements of this year’s Smart Students.
We look forward to
working with them as they enter college and start building successful careers in New Jersey with their
internship experience,” said Michelle Brown, President and CEO of Choose New Jersey, Inc. “We also thank
the leadership of the City of Newark, the City of Camden, and the sponsors and supporters who helped
launch this important initiative to keep our best and smartest abilities here in New Jersey.”
Smart students choose New Jersey moving forward in response to emigration statistics
New Jersey high school students to out-of-state colleges. According to a report published on
Chronicle of Higher Education, more than half of our alumni leave New Jersey to continue their education.
out-of-state college career.
“New Jersey invests heavily in the education of its students, which is reflected in its national education.
rankings and high school graduation rates. They are among the highest in the country,” Ralph said.
LaRossa, President and COO of PSE&G and Chairman of Choose New Jersey. “New
Jersey’s highly educated workforce is a key reason why companies choose to locate and expand in the
State. It is important that we work to ensure that our best and brightest people stay here in New Jersey so that they can
become leaders and innovators who contribute to the economic growth of the state.”
Newark’s lead sponsor is Audible, Inc. Smart students choose New Jersey also supported by
PSEG, Atlantic City Electric, PNC Bank, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Hackensack University Health Network,
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, International Union of Operating Engineers – Local 825,
Jersey Central Power & Light, International Workers Union of North America, NJ American
Water, NJM Insurance Group, New Jersey Resources, Novartis Pharmaceuticals , Prudential Financial Inc.,
South Jersey Gas, Suez in North America, Wakefern Food Corporation, Institute of New Jersey
Technology and Campbell Soup Company.
Choose New Jersey invites companies interested in providing an internship opportunity for one or more
Smart students in the summer of 2017 to contact Cathy Scangarella, Senior Vice President
Engineering at 609-297-2200 or email [email protected].
To meet this year’s smart students via video or learn more about smart students, select
New Jersey Scholarship and Internship Program, visit www.choosenj.com/smart.
###
Company Profile Select New Jersey, Inc.
Choose New Jersey, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) private corporation charged with encouraging and
promoting economic growth throughout New Jersey, with a focus on its urban centers. Through marketing,
business acquisition and lead generation activities, Select New Jersey promotes New Jersey as the premier
business location for both domestic and international companies. Select New Jersey is a member of the
Partnership for Action (PFA), which is led by Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno and also includes the state of New Jersey.
Business Action Center, New Jersey Economic Development Authority and Office of the Secretary of Higher Education
. For more information visit www.choosenj.com.
PreviousPreviousChoose New Jersey, NJ Business Action Center to Promote New Jersey in Washington DC at SelectUSA Summit
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Zuckerberg School – Education on vc.ru
In 2010, Mark Zuckerberg decided to donate money to improve education in his country. He analyzed the situation in US schools and he had an idea: to improve the educational system, transforming it in the image of Silicon Valley companies. After all, in his company, all employees work efficiently, strive to change the world, so why not instill such values in schools, Zuckerberg thought.
Washington Post correspondent Dale Russakoff followed the aftermath of Zuckerberg’s first charity project and described what happened in The Prize: Who’s in Charge of America’s Schools?.
Zuckerberg’s wife, Priscilla Chan, while studying at the university, took part in volunteer programs to help children from poor and disadvantaged families, helping them cope with difficulties at school and at home, which impressed him very much. Dissatisfaction with the education system and the example of a loved one inspired him to engage in charity work. Mark and Priscilla together began to look for ways to approach the solution of problems accumulated in public schools.
Early 90’s in the United States appeared charter schools. These schools exist outside the system of regular public schools, they are classified as alternative education, but they are partially funded by the state. Charter schools receive part of their budget from various charitable foundations and try to attract the best teachers. There are fewer children in such schools than in regular public schools, and the average performance in them is higher.
The reduced bureaucracy in charter schools means more money is spent on educating each child.
Regular schools often receive even more money, but because of the bureaucracy, much less money ends up reaching the children themselves.
President Obama was so pleasantly surprised by the performance of charter schools that he decided to constantly increase their number in cities where academic performance leaves much to be desired. Zuckerberg also saw that these schools, together with a market-based teacher assessment system, could be the future of secondary education.
According to Mark’s plan, charter schools were to be opened with his money, existing ones were to be reformed, and teachers should be judged solely by the performance of their students, and not by length of service and age.
Just at this time, in New Jersey’s largest city, Newark, Mayor Cory Booker was planning to make a difference in schools. He enlisted the support of the state governor Chris Christie, having received additional powers in the direction of education.
Corey Booker
Corey Booker was kind of the star of the city.
He became mayor of Newark in 2006 and has focused his efforts primarily on fighting crime. For several years, he really managed to reduce the number of crimes and, in general, improve the mood of the inhabitants of the city – they saw in him a person who could raise Newark from the “ruins”.
Booker and Christie knew that reforming school education in the city would require a lot of money and effort to defend their point of view in front of the teachers’ union, parents of students and other organizations related to education. Nevertheless, the mayor and governor decided to act. Booker proposed a plan in which reforms were to be carried out “from the top down” in order to avoid undue resistance.
Since the end of the 50s, black residents of the southern states began to massively move to Newark, which in turn led to the resettlement of “whites” to other cities and states. In the 60s, more than half of the city’s population were African Americans. From 19For 62 years to 2006, Newark mayors were imprisoned for abuse of power and theft.
The crime rate has risen sharply, gangs have been operating on the streets, a large number of drug dens have appeared.
Chris Christie
Schools in Newark gradually fell into disrepair, the money for their repair practically did not reach the recipients, but immediately fell into the pockets of officials. There were fewer and fewer textbooks – books wore out, and new ones were hard to get. Children began to drop out of school – about half of all schoolchildren did so. Many of them formed gangs that killed, among other things, their former classmates.
The social situation has seriously deteriorated, later the children of these criminals had to go to school, but the situation at home did not at all contribute to their academic performance and mood for a brighter future. The government of the country had to take control of Newark’s schools in order to keep them from complete collapse.
Booker met Zuckerberg at a media conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, in 2010 through his sister Sheryl Sandberg, the CEO of Facebook.
Mark told him about his plans to transform the country’s school system and that he was looking for the first city to launch the reforms. Booker to some extent played on Zuckerberg’s ambition, offering him Newark as a place for a revolutionary transformation that would affect the whole city.
Mark had no experience in charity work at that time. He knew what he wanted, but he had a very superficial idea of the process itself. Zuckerberg agreed to provide $100 million if Booker could raise the same amount from other sources.
At the suggestion of Booker, Zuckerberg publicly announced his intention to allocate money to help the Newark school system on the Oprah Winfrey show. It was supposed to help Booker’s career and at the same time present Mark Zuckerberg in a positive light, especially against the backdrop of the release of The Social Network.
Mark had to transfer $100 million over 5 years from his Startup:Education fund to the account of a specially created organization Foundation for Newark’s Future (F.
N.F.). To Zuckerberg’s money, Booker and Christie raised funds from several funds, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. And to the F.N.F. included only those who donated $10 million or more to the fund, which was a serious mistake, as experts later noted.
Once the budgetary issues were resolved, it was time for Newark’s schools to be transformed. To start F.N.F. hired Tusk Strategies, a strategic planning consultancy for politicians and organizations. Tusk Strategies has previously done consulting work for charter schools in New York. The main offer of the company was to hold meetings open to the residents of the city, where everyone could offer their ideas to improve the Newark school system.
In fact, these meetings did not have much influence on the reform plan, and the public advisory council was formed only in 2012, when most of the allocated funds had already been distributed according to decisions made within the F.N.F.
There were many people who wanted to help the reforms among the inhabitants of the city.
At the meetings held, teachers offered their advice, arguing that they are best acquainted with the problems of children and know what steps should be taken.
Christopher Cerf
Chris Christie, in late 2010, appointed Christopher Cerf, formerly New York’s Associate Superintendent of Schools, Commissioner of Education for New Jersey. Christopher Cerf has long been Corey Booker’s informal educational advisor. By 2010, Cerf organized a consulting firm, Global Education Advisers, which received $2.8 million from the foundation. In total, F.N.F. spent $20 million by 2015.
This company, under the leadership of Cerf, began to analyze the situation of various systems related to schooling in Newark. But after his appointment as head of the educational system of New Jersey, Chris Cerf left the company.
In 2011, after a protracted search, Chris Christie appointed Kami Anderson, Booker’s advisor and longtime friend, as head of the Newark school system.
Anderson, along with consultants and analysts, prepared a plan of action that eventually led to protests against the reform of Newark’s schools.
In keeping with Zuckerberg’s vision, Anderson set out to expand charter schools, renovate and transform regular public schools. Teachers’ salaries were proposed to be seriously increased depending on their effectiveness. So, for especially successful teachers, Zuckerberg proposed introducing bonuses of up to 50 percent of the monthly salary. Ineffective teachers, regardless of their length of service, he proposed to fire. In general, the mechanism was supposed to resemble the workflow of IT companies, familiar to the founder of Facebook.
Cami Anderson
What Mark didn’t know was that, according to New Jersey law, teachers couldn’t be fired so quickly, and their seniority must be taken into account when evaluating them. Chris Cerf was able to partially change the mechanism by negotiating with the teachers’ union for more performance monitoring, pay increases and bonuses, but the established prerequisite for seniority had to be maintained.
This has meant that young teachers who consistently perform well and dedicate extra hours to working with underperforming students will, in any case, have to go to tangible promotions and bonuses for many years anyway. Bad teachers are still not easy to fire, and even if they are fired from a regular school, they can come to work in a charter school.
More resentment arose when school workers learned that they were facing massive layoffs. Kami Anderson had to take this step in order to open new charter schools and maintain a sufficient level of quality of education. To contain the anger of the fired teachers, they even continued to be paid from the fund. While the teachers were trying to raise salaries, the consultants who made the plans received a thousand dollars a day. The city’s school budget had to be cut by $18 million.
Parents of students initially accepted the new schools and curriculum positively, noting that their children were being taught better. Overall, however, the level of education did not improve much, and only 2 percent of Newark school graduates were ready to continue their education in universities.
Anderson restrained Booker and Christie’s impulse to open as many charter schools as possible, explaining to them that in doing so they risked losing a large number of students who would not find a place in the new schools. Such schools cannot accept everyone at once and at the same time maintain a high level of quality of education. Instead, Anderson directed some of the funds to rebuild regular schools and help children in need.
Unusual for the residents of Newark was the new system of distribution of students to schools. Anderson called her plan “One Newark,” in which 55 regular schools and 16 charter schools agreed to take part. Parents could now choose which school in the city they wanted to send their children to, and then a computer system randomly chose where to allocate new students. According to the organizers of the reforms, this system gave everyone approximately equal conditions, and children from the poorest families could now get into good schools.
But at the same time, the system did not take into account that many families do not have their own transport to transport children from one end of the city to the other, and it was no longer possible to allocate school transport for everyone. Children often had to walk through dangerous areas with a very high crime rate.
Ras Baraka
The most notable opponent of the reforms was Ras Baraka, then headmaster of Central High School and a member of the Newark City Council. Baraka believed that the reforms would not have the desired effect because of their direction. He argued that in order to improve the situation, first of all, it is necessary to solve the problems of families and the poverty of the population.
Anderson began to have serious problems, more and more dissatisfied were called for containment and abolition of school reforms. She and her family received death threats. Inside the F.N.F. she also lost support due to her unwillingness to expand the charter school program.
At this time, Booker or Christie would have helped her, but they were both busy with their own affairs. Booker was chosen as the new senator from New Jersey, and in 2013 he left for Washington, and Christie began to prepare for the presidential race, gathering resources for his election campaign.
Ras Baraka called for the return of control of the city to its population. He gathered many of his supporters and ran for mayor of Newark, winning the 2014 election. Kami Anderson had to leave the city, fearing for the life of her family, and later she resigned her powers. She was replaced by Chris Cerf, who promised to return control of education to local governments.
There is still no absolutely accurate data confirming the serious advantage of the level of education in charter schools over regular ones. Most often, higher rates are observed in prosperous areas, where the quality of education is already above average.
Changes in education require time and attention.
