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Newark Board of Education is a comprehensive community
public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...
school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, whi ...
that serves students in pre-kindergarten through
twelfth grade Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year Thirteen, Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between ...
in the city of Newark in Essex County,
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...
, United States. The state took over the district in 1995 -- the third takeover statewide -- and returned control in 2018, after 22 years. The district is one of 31 former Abbott districts statewide that were established pursuant to the decision by the
New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases challenging t ...
in ''Abbott v. Burke'' which are now referred to as "SDA Districts" based on the requirement for the state to cover all costs for school building and renovation projects in these districts under the supervision of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of 63 schools, had an enrollment of 40,423 students and 2,886.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a
student–teacher ratio Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students ...
of 14.0:1.District information for Newark Public School District
National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May ...
. Accessed February 15, 2022.
The total school enrollment in Newark city was 75,000 in 2003. Pre-primary school enrollment was 12,000 and elementary or high school enrollment was 46,000 children. College enrollment was 16,000. As of 2003, 64% of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 11% had a bachelor's degree or higher. Among people 16 to 19 years old, 10 percent were dropouts; they were not enrolled in school and had not graduated from high school. The district is classified by the
New Jersey Department of Education The New Jersey Department of Education (NJ DOE) administers state and federal aid programs affecting more than 1.4 million public and non-public elementary and secondary school children in the state of New Jersey. The department is headquartered ...
as being in
District Factor Group {{refimprove, date=February 2013 Membership in a District Factor Group (DFG) is an indicator of the socioeconomic status of citizens in school districts of New Jersey. DFGs were first developed by the New Jersey Department of Education in 1975 for ...
"A", the lowest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common
socioeconomic Socioeconomics (also known as social economics) is the social science that studies how economic activity affects and is shaped by social processes. In general it analyzes how modern societies progress, stagnate, or regress because of their l ...
characteristics of the local districts. From lowest
socioeconomic status Socioeconomic status (SES) is an economic and sociological combined total measure of a person's work experience and of an individual's or family's economic access to resources and social position in relation to others. When analyzing a family's ...
to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.


History

In 1948 schools were racially integrated. There were black teachers, all of whom classified by the district as "permanent substitutes", teaching all grade levels. - CITED: p. 86. The district is one of three districts in New Jersey (along with Jersey City Public Schools and Paterson Public Schools) that has historically been under "state intervention", which authorizes the state Commissioner of Education to intervene in governance of a local public school district (and to intervene in the areas of instruction and program, operations, personnel, and fiscal management). Chris Cerf was the state appointed superintendent of Newark. Cerf said he would resign on February 1, 2018, the day local control was be returned to the district. Roger Leon, a life long Newark resident and educator was elected by the local school board to replace Cerf by a unanimous 9-0 vote and took office July 1, 2018. In a referendum held as part of the November 2018 general election, voters chose by a 3-1 margin to have the district function as Type II district, in which the board of education is elected by the residents of the city.


Administration

Core members of the district's administration are: * Roger Leon, District Superintendent of Schools * Valerie Wilson, School Business Administrator


Board of Education

The district's board of education, comprised of nine members, sets policy and oversees the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its administration. As a Type II school district, the board's trustees are elected directly by voters to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with three seats up for election each year held as part of the April school election. The board appoints a superintendent to oversee the district's day-to-day operations and a business administrator to supervise the business functions of the district. As one of the 13 districts statewide with school elections in April, voters also decide on passage of the annual school budget. Members of the board of education are: * Dawn Hayes (2018-2024) President * Asia J. Norton (2018-2024) Co-Vice President *Vereliz Santana (2021-2024) Co-Vice President *Hasani K. Council (2020-2023) Board Member * Josephine C. Garcia (2017-2023) Board Member * Daniel Gonzalez (2021-2025) Board Member *Flohisha Johnson (2017-2023) Board Member * A'Dorian Murray-Thomas (2019-2025) Board Member *Crystal Williams (2022 -2025) Board Member


State intervention

The district was one of three districts in New Jersey historically under "state intervention", which authorizes the Commissioner of Education to intervene in governance of a local public school district (and to intervene in the areas of instruction and program, operations, personnel, and fiscal management) if the Commissioner has determined that a school district failed or was unable to take corrective actions necessary to establish a thorough and efficient system of education. State intervention has been criticized as undemocratic and racist. Some also have suggested that children were significantly harmed during state control. State intervention in Newark has not produced significant gains after more than two decades of state control. When viewed through the lens of student growth percentiles, which is a contested measure of growth, NPS may be higher. However, NPS may have had equally high growth before state intervention, so no comparisons are possible. Chris Cerf and others paid by the state of New Jersey have suggested state control has been good for Newark. However, no measures of the quality of NPS's broad offerings before, during, or after state intervention have been identified. No measures of progress are available for earth science, physics, biology, chemistry, health, citizenship, world history, US history, literature, sociology, anthropology, ethnic studies, New Jersey history, gender studies, media studies, Africana studies, economics, politics, astronomy, geology, philosophy, archaeology, or performing arts. No measures of students' physical wellbeing, social wellbeing, or emotional wellbeing are available before, during, or after state control. No measures of parental wellbeing have been identified. Local control was returned as of February 1, 2018.


Performance

The Newark Public Schools is the largest school system in New Jersey. The city's public schools had been among the lowest-performing in the state, even after the state government took over management of the city's schools from 1995-2018, which was done under the presumption that improvement would follow. Although the school district continues to struggle with low high school graduation rates and low standardized test scores, the former mayor of Newark,
Cory Booker Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the junior United States senator from New Jersey since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Booker is the first African-American U.S. sen ...
, insisted in 2010, "Newark, New Jersey can become one of the first American cities to solve the crisis in public education." This vision for better school district is also shared by Facebook founder
Mark Zuckerberg Mark Elliot Zuckerberg (; born ) is an American business magnate, internet entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He is known for co-founding the social media website Facebook and its parent company Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook, Inc.), of ...
, who made a $100 million donation to Newark Public Schools in 2010. "Every child deserves a good education. Right now that's not happening," he said. The management has been criticized: while interviews with administration regarding Newark's schools were always positive, highlighting only the good aspects of the huge monetary donation, new contracts were being created, money was being hemorrhaged, and the district was going broke. According to ''The New Yorker'', Anderson, Booker, Zuckerberg, and Christie, "despite millions of dollars spent on community engagement—have yet to hold tough, open conversations with the people of Newark about exactly how much money the district has, where it is going, and what students aren't getting as a result."


Awards, recognition and rankings

Ann Street School of Mathematics and Science was awarded the
Blue Ribbon School The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...
Award of Excellence by the
United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Departme ...
, the highest award an American school can receive, during the 1998-99 school year. Branch Brook Elementary School, a Pre-Kindergarten through 4th grade school, was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence, during the 2004-05 school year. During the 2007–08 school year, Harriet Tubman School was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the
United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Departme ...
. During the 2009-10 school year, Science Park High School was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence. For the 2005-06 school year, the district was recognized with the "Best Practices Award" by the
New Jersey Department of Education The New Jersey Department of Education (NJ DOE) administers state and federal aid programs affecting more than 1.4 million public and non-public elementary and secondary school children in the state of New Jersey. The department is headquartered ...
for its "A Park Study: Learning About the World Around Us" Science program at Abington Avenue School. The curriculum was written, implemented, and submitted to the State of New Jersey by Abington Avenue School kindergarten teacher, Lenore Furman. After efforts at his dismissal as New Jersey's poet laureate, Amiri Baraka was named the school district's poet laureate in December 2002.


Schools

Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the
National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May ...
) are:


Preschools

* Early Childhood Center - Central (154; PreK) **Jeanne Ramirez, Principal * Early Childhood Center - North (128; PreK) **Jeanne Ramirez, Principal * Early Childhood Center - South (180; PreK) **Jeanne Ramirez, Principal


Elementary schools

* Abington Avenue School (879; PreK-8) **Nelson Ruiz, Principal * Ann Street School (1,243; KG-8) **Linda J. Richardson, Principal * Avon Avenue Elementary School (551; K-8) **Charity Haygood, Principal * Belmont Runyon Elementary School (451; PK-8) **Dr. Shakirah Harrington, Principal * Benjamin Franklin Elementary School (616; PK-7) * Bruce Street School for the Deaf (58; PreK-8) **Kyle Thomas, Principal * Camden Street Elementary School (596; PreK-8) **Samuel Garrison, Principal * Roberto Clemente School (678; PreK-7) **Dr. Claudio Barbaran, Principal * George Washington Carver School (508; PK-8) **Kyle Thomas, Principal * Chancellor Avenue School (500; KG-8) **Sakina Pitts, Principal * Cleveland Elementary School (418; PK-8) **Claire Emmanuel, Acting Principal * East Ward Elementary School (383; PK-8) **Rosa Monteiro-Inacio, Principal * Elliott Street Elementary School (954; PK-8) **Karisa DeSantis, Principal * First Avenue School (1,139; PK-8) **Rosa Branco, Principal * Fourteenth Avenue School (112; PK-8) **Armando Cepero, Principal * Dr. E. Alma Flagg School (433; KG-8) **Ganiat Rufai, Principal * Hawkins Street School (675; KG-8) **Alejandro Lopez, Principal * Hawthorne Avenue School (466; PK-8) **H. Grady James IV, Principal * Rafael Hernandez School (704; PreK-8) **Natasha Pared, Principal * Dr. William H. Horton School (742; K-8) **Hamlet Marte, Principal * Ivy Hill School (517; PK-8) **Dorrice Rayam-Johnson, Principal * Lafayette Street School (1,202; PK-8) **Maria Merlo, Principal * Lincoln Elementary School (394; PK-8) **Hillary Dow, Principal * Michelle Obama Elementary School (PK-2) **LaShanda Gilliam, Principal * Luis Muñoz Marín School (802; PK-8) **Kenneth Montalbano, Principal * McKinley Elementary School (785; PK-8) **Carlos Reyes, Principal * Mount Vernon Place School (816; PK-8) **Camille Findley-Browne, Principal * Oliver Street School (1080; PreK-8) **Luis Henriques, Principal * Park Elementary School (848; PreK-8) **Sylvia Esteves, Principal * Peshine Academy (642; PreK-8) **Malcolm X Outlaw, Principal * Quitman Street School (546; PreK-8) * Ridge Street School (637; K-8) **David DeOliveira, Principal * Sir Isaac Newton Elementary School (57; PK-2) * South Seventeenth Street School (354; K-8) **Clarence Allen, Principal * South Street School (798; PK-5) **Sandra Cruz, Principal * Speedway Avenue School (579; K-8) **Atiba Buckman, Principal * Louise A. Spencer School (738; PK-8) **Karla Venezia, Principal * Sussex Avenue School (426; PK-8) **Darleen Gearhart, Principal * Thirteenth Avenue School / Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School (619; PreK-8) **Simone Rose, Principal * Harriet Tubman School (373; PK-8) **Angela Davis, Principal * Salomé Ureña Elementary School (368; PreK-7) **Sandra Marques, Principal * Wilson Avenue School (1,135; K-8) **Margarita Hernandez, Principal


High schools

High schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the
National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May ...
) are: * Newark Arts High School (614; 9-12) **Ricardo Pedro, Principal *
American History High School American History High School is a magnet public high school in the University Heights neighborhood of Newark, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, operating since its establishment in 2006 as part of the Newark Public Schools. Operatin ...
(445; 9-12) **Allison R. DeVaughn, Principal *
Barringer High School Barringer Academy of the Arts & Humanities (formerly Barringer High School and Newark High School), is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades in Newark, in Essex County, New Jersey, Unite ...
(1,600; 9-12) **Dr. Jose Aviles, Principal * Bard High School Early College Newark (406; 9-12) **Dr. Carla Stephens, Principal * Central High School (729; 9-12) **Dr. Sharnee Brown, Principal * Eagle Academy for Young Men (197; 6-12) **Semone Morant, Principal * East Side High School (2,024; 9-12) **Dr. Michael West, Principal * Malcolm X Shabazz High School (360; 9-12) **Naseed Gifted, Principal * Newark Evening High School (; 9-12) **Dr. Dorothy Handfield, Principal * Newark School of Data Science and Information Technology (9) **Dr. Liana Summey, Principal * Newark School of Global Studies (9) **Nelson Ruiz, Principal *Newark School of Fashion Design (9) **Sakina Pitts, Principal * Newark Vocational High School (388; 9-11) **Lucinda Eason, Principal *
Science Park High School Science Park High School, formerly known as Science High School, is a magnet school, magnet state school, public Secondary education in the United States, high school located in the University Heights, Newark, New Jersey, University Heights sect ...
(868; 7-12) **Angela Mincy, Principal * Technology High School (685; 9-12) **Edwin Reyes, Principal *
University High School University High School may refer to: Australia * University High School, Melbourne, Victoria Canada * University Hill Secondary School, Vancouver, British Columbia United States Arizona * University High School (Tolleson) * University High S ...
(486; 7-12) **Genique Flournoy-Hamilton, Principal * Weequahic High School (385; 9-12) **Andre Hollis, Principal * West Side High School (620; 9-12) **Akbar Cook, Principal


Ungraded

* John F. Kennedy School (143; PK-12) **Jill Summers-Phillips, Principal * New Jersey Regional Day School - Newark (122; KG-12) **Jennifer Mitchell, Principal


School uniforms

Beginning in the 2008-2009 school year, students in elementary and middle school were required to wear
school uniform A school uniform is a uniform worn by students primarily for a school or otherwise an educational institution.They are common in primary and secondary schools in various countries. An example of a uniform would be requiring button-down shi ...
s. Beginning in September 2010 high school students were required to wear uniforms.Dear Parents of High School Students:
Newark Public Schools. June 22, 2009. Accessed March 2, 2010.


References


External links


Newark Public Schools
*
School Data for the Newark Public Schools
National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May ...

Chalkbeat Newark
- Education News in Newark {{Authority control New Jersey Abbott Districts New Jersey District Factor Group A School districts in Essex County, New Jersey Education in Newark, New Jersey