- NJASA
- 2012
State’s Expanded Role in At-Risk Schools Will Benefit Students
Posted by Dr. Rich Bozza on 5/9/2012
New Jersey’s most troubled schools will be getting more ‘hands on’ help from the state to turn around persistent academic failure and close achievement gaps, a move that NJASA applauds as an effective alternative to the federal program, No Child Left Behind.
No Child Left Behind mandates blanket changes across the board while the new accountability program allows the state to target schools rather than school districts. This change will start to address the specific barriers to learning that are present in schools in underserved areas.
In February, New Jersey received a waiver from certain provisions of No Child Left Behind, a one-size-fits-all federal program. The state then developed its own accountability system of Priority, Focus and Reward schools. Of the 2,500 schools in New Jersey, the state identified 258 at-risk schools and 112 high-achieving schools for the program.
- 75 priority schools include the lowest performing five percent of Title 1 schools in the state over the past three years.
- 183 focus schools have room for improvement in specific areas, such as graduation rates or student achievement gaps.
- 112 reward schools show outstanding student achievement or growth over the past three years. Reward schools will have the opportunity to share successful practices with educators across the state.
It’s anticipated that the state will manage this program via satellite bureaus known as Regional Achievement Centers.
Chief Education Officers will be working closely with the state to remove barriers to learning in these schools. But that’s not the greatest challenge that we face. It’s minimizing the effects of circumstances outside of school – from poverty to gang violence – that can hinder educational progress. There is a lot that can be done to ‘clean up’ these areas and minimize these negative effects. We’re calling on the communities to step up to the plate and make this program a home run.
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