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A Vision for New Jersey's Public Schools in 2020
What will New Jersey’s public schools look like in the year 2020?New Jersey’s Chief Education Officers have a vision that will keep its public schools on top and enable students to effectively compete on a global employment stage.The NJASA Vision 2020 plan is designed to create learning-enriched opportunities and the finest educational environments within the New Jersey public education system. It’s a working plan to be used by school leaders to steer their districts in the right direction.
Why do we need a Vision 2020 plan?Here’s why such a plan is needed. New Jersey consistently ranks as one of the best public education systems in the country. Even so, it’s rare that we find educators, politicians and parents in agreement on how to move forward. This lack of agreement can put our students at risk and jeopardize everything we’ve achieved.Children are our future.Here’s where we all agree: The children are our future and every child in the state deserves the best education, regardless of their geographic or socioeconomic status.What are the key challenges in fulfilling the Vision 2020 plan?But Chief Education Officers face key challenges: a lack of sufficient school funding, growing family income disparities that negatively impact learning opportunities, never-ending legislative mandates, inadequate support of the state legislated funding formula, political rhetoric and actions that detract from a collaborative effort of bipartisan support for public education, a negative portrayal of public education, and a shrinking pool of highly qualified and certified leaders positioned to effectively replace the diminishing ranks of current school leaders. These are substantial challenges that must be circumvented in order to reach Vision 2020.Key factors for success!Here are eight key factors to focus on for success:1. Recognition of many different paths to academic achievement
2. Predictable and sufficient funding
3. Continuous professional development for educators
4. Multiple learning opportunities for students with learning rates and styles
5. Investments in early childhood education
6. Appropriately designed and adequately maintained school facilities
7. Services to maximize the achievement of special needs youngsters, and
8. Governance policies and practices that enhance trust and foster collaboration, communication and coordination
Vision 2020 plan for creating a world-class educational experience -Schools of the future will look very different than our schools of today. Technologies will be seamlessly integrated to provide a broad range of tools that can be used for teaching and learning within the walls of school and beyond. Success will be realized through strong leadership and continued transformation in our classrooms, assessment standards, culture, and learning environment. Our 12-step plan for creating a world-class educational experience for every child in New Jersey includes:1. Safe and secure learning environment
2. Early childhood education, including universal Pre-K and full-day kindergarten
3. Year-round academic intervention services
4. Digital learning opportunities
5. On-going student progression evaluations
6. Design assessments that help teachers analyze student growth
7. Learner-centered instruction
8. Emphasis on life-long learning
9. Partnerships that connect learning and life
10. Recruiting highly qualified teachers
11. Professional development for all educators, and
12. Revised educator evaluation systems
Good public education systems begin with strong leadership and NJASA is committed to spearheading the development of Vision 2020, and to ensuring its success.
