News

NPS District-Wide Mathematics Conference – June 16, 2017

NPS Math Conference Thank You 2017
On June 16, 2017, eight teacher-leaders developed and delivered Professional Development sessions on the district’s big investments at the NPS District-Wide High School Math Conference.

The sessions and session leaders:

“Habits of Discussion”

  • Andrew Paulsen – East Side High School
  • Honorae Hodgson – East Side High School

“Balanced Mathematics Instruction”

  • Maria Morales – East Side High School
  • Teresa Palasits – American History High School

“Active Monitoring”

  • Hoda Abdelwahab – Technology High School
  • Rita Della Valle – Technology High School

“Why Not? And My Favorite NO” – Responding to your Active Monitoring”

  • Priyank Bhatt – West Side High School
  • Jerome Hancock – West Side High School

Weequahic’s Marching Band Recognized at Board Meeting for Winning First Place at National Band Competition in Florida

Weequahic Marching Band 2017
[Newark, NJ – June 28, 2017] The Weequahic High School Marching Band was presented with the 1st Place High School Parade Band, Class A Award in Orlando, Florida in May. The award recognizes the best high school marching bands in the nation. The marching band has received national honors in the past, winning 1st, 2nd and 3rd place honors in the same national competition over the last several years. This year’s performance was at ORLANDOFEST, the annual national high school marching band competition.

Weequahic Marching Band Board Recognition 2017
Weequahic High School Marching Band

NPS Superintendent Christopher D. Cerf said, “The Weequahic High School Marching Band continues to represent their high school, Newark Public Schools and the city of Newark with distinction and honor, with their dedication to their craft and their high performance ability. They continue to carry the torch as one of the best marching bands in this nation. We are proud of their achievements.”

Board Chairman Marquis Aquil-Lewis said, “I am so proud of the student band members. They practice the Core Beliefs of the high school; namely, Every Student Can Achieve; Every Student Achieves when they develop self-esteem and self-advocacy skills; and Every Student Achieves in an environment that fosters high expectations.”

In addition to recognizing the band at the Board Meeting, board members also recognized the dedicated leadership of Band Director Michael Page, who this year is celebrating 20 years as Director; along with volunteer alumni Darryl Taylor, who has volunteered for 30 years, his son Maurice Taylor, who has volunteered for 10 years as drum line instructor and Jamal Littles, who has volunteered for 15 years as horn line instructor. Also recognized was Principal Lisa McDonald and the staff whose continuous support, guidance, mentorship and encouragement have allowed band members to achieve national recognition as one of the best bands in the nation.

5 Trends That Newark Leaders Say Show Schools Are Turning A Corner

By: Jessica Mazzola | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com | Email the author | Follow on Twitter

NEWARK – The nearly 2,000 Newark students who have graduated high school over the past few weeks, district leaders say, are a symbol. The long-struggling district — which is in the midst of transitioning out of a twenty-plus year period of state control — is finally seeing signs of progress across the board, Deputy Superintendent Robert Gregory said in a phone interview last week.

“We are definitely trending up, and at the same time, trying to transform, and create a college-going culture at each school,” Gregory said, noting that different high schools in the city have had different practices and strategies in place, leading to vastly different graduation rates and student performance.

“We are trying to create systemic solutions to systemic failures,” he said. “Past inequities have shaped current realities.”

Class of 2017

Newark’s 16 high schools graduated more than 1,900 students, which Superintendent Christopher Cerf called a “monumental milestone” for the kids.

Though district officials say statistics about the Class of 2017 will not be finalized until August graduates are counted, preliminary numbers show statistics are moving in a positive direction. Gregory said the trends are thanks to several key graduation and post-grad policies the district has implemented over the past few school years.

1. Graduation rate

The district has long struggled with its graduation rate. Even after a four-point bump to 73.5 percent last year, it still remained well below the statewide 90.1 percent graduation rate.

The numbers of students graduating also varied dramatically school to school within Newark Public Schools.

Though the numbers are not yet finalized for this year, “we definitely expect to see an increase in graduation rates based on the data we’re seeing right now,” Gregory said. The immediate goal, he said, is to raise the district-wide graduation rate to 80 percent, which officials project should be attainable within the next several years.

The anticipated increase, Gregory said, can be traced to several new practices, including allowing students to make up failed classes online, and at night school. The district has also mandated every school implement graduation trackers, which chart the progress of every senior in every school, and require school leaders to intervene if students fall behind on graduation requirements. The district’s new credit accumulation trackers chart the credits earned each quarter by every student in every high school, starting freshman year.

2. College culture

About 75 percent of students who graduated this year are expected to attend two- or four-year schools, officials said. The Class of 2017 members have been accepted to 135 technical, community, and four-year colleges across the country.

Seven students will be attending Ivy League universities (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and the University of Pennsylvania) on full scholarships.

Before this year, Gregory said schools were not required to track students’ post-graduation plans, so only about six of the district’s high schools did. Now that it is centrally required, he said, this year’s graduating class can “act as a baseline” to which future classes will be compared.

3. Acceptances

School officials said about 14 percent of this year’s graduating seniors were accepted to five or more colleges. The move to focus on college while kids are still in high school can also be seen, officials said, in several programs that this year saw 71 students graduate high school with Associate’s Degrees from Essex County College and Bard College.

Another 52 students, officials said, plan to join the armed forces.

4. Scholarships

Newark seniors have received more than $15.7 million in scholarships, school officials said.

Several students who plan on going to school this fall on full scholarships articulated an attitude Gregory said the district is working to spread to the whole student body in every high school.

Michael Lawrence, a West Side High graduate going to NJIT, said his family members, friends, and teachers “pushed me to be someone who is passionate for success.” Lucia Couto, Arts High School’s valedictorian, who will be attending Harvard, said she was thankful to take advantage of opportunities in the city.

“Don’t let people’s opinions about where you come from make you think in a certain way,” she said. “I love Newark and I’m proud to say I live here. A lot of good things and people come from Newark.”

5. Keeping track

Many of the district’s new strategies, Gregory said, focus on keeping centralized tabs on students’ progress through high school, and on generating excitement about college and post-graduation plans among students and their families.

To those ends, he said, the Newark City Learning Collaborative — an organization supporting post-secondary education for city residents — has hired a College and Career Readiness specialist and a College Coordinator, who will work with Newark seniors.

NPS has also purchased software that Gregory said will allow it to more easily track student progress, and work with individual students to set post-graduation plans. Better data management in central administration will allow for more pointed intervention and student progress management, he said.

“We want every student to be accounted for,” he said.

View the story on nj.com.

Nearly 2,000 NPS 3rd & 4th Grade Students Perform At NJPAC

Recorder Arts Program Highlights Newark Students and A Commitment to the Arts


[NEWARK, NJ – June 27, 2017] Nearly 2,000 Newark Public Schools (NPS) 4th and 5th grade students recently performed at NJPAC as part of the Recorder Arts for Musical Pathways Program; a partnership between NPS and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. This participation more than doubled the 739 students who participated last year.

“Thank you to NJPAC and Margaret El for their dedication to this important program that brings the arts to our students and allows them to play in the best concert hall in this country,” noted Superintendent of Newark Public Schools Christopher D. Cerf. “We must continue to grow programs like this because the arts are a vital part of our students’ education.”

The partnership includes 20 schools and teachers, who participated in a two day professional development program. As part of the program, NJPAC’s Recorder Arts master teacher conducted two site visits at each school during the first and second semester of the school year for in class support. In addition, NPS teachers from each of the 20 schools made nominations for the All-Star Recorder Choir, who performed on stage during the concert. The concert was held on June 15 at NJPAC’s Prudential Hall.

“I absolutely got chills looking out over the orchestra and all the way up to the third tier in Prudential Theater, seeing and hearing over 1900 third and fourth graders from Newark Public Schools performing in unison,” Added Margaret El, Director of Arts Education at NPS. “We are so excited about the work NPS music students and teachers have accomplished, and look forward to many students pursuing an instrument of choice in the future.”

Click here to listen to the concert.

Participating schools included:

  1. 14th Avenue School
  2. B.R.I.C.K. Avon Academy
  3. Camden Street School
  4. Elliott Street School
  5. First Avenue School
  6. Harriet Tubman School
  7. Ivy Hill School
  8. Lafayette Street School
  9. Lincoln School
  10. Louise A Spencer School
  11. McKinley School
  12. Mt. Vernon School
  13. Oliver Street School
  14. Park Elementary School
  15. Quitman Street Community School
  16. Rafael Hernandez School
  17. Ridge Street School
  18. Roberto Clemente School
  19. South Street School
  20. Wilson Avenue School

Newark Public Schools Teams Up with United Way of Essex & West Hudson, and Scholastic to Bring Author & Educator Sharon Robinson to Schools To Promote My Very Own Library Program

Daughter of the late Jackie Robinson visits three schools as part of national initiative

[Newark, NJ – June 20, 2017] Three Newark Public Schools hosted the United Way of Essex and West Hudson’s (UWEWH) My Very Own Library (MVOL) program, and author and educator, Sharon Robinson, daughter of the late, great Jackie Robinson on Friday, June 16.

Students at Hawkins Street School, Quitman Street School and Cleveland Elementary School were treated to day of reading as part of this national program, conducted in conjunction with Scholastic Book Fairs, a division of Scholastic, the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books. In talking with the students, Ms. Robinson shared her journey as an author, educator and daughter to one of the greatest American hero’s, Jackie Robinson.

Roger León, Assistant Superintendent of NPS said, “Thank you to the United Way, Scholastic, My Very Own Library and Ms. Robinson for bringing this special reading program to Newark Public Schools. My Very Own Library helps to further our mission of encouraging students to read.” Joining Assistant Superintendent Leon was Assistant Superintendent Erskine Glover, who added, “Having Ms. Robinson in the District and participating in My Very Own Library Program, provides a unique opportunity for our students to experience the joy of reading. This program launches summer reading in a way students will remember and appreciate.”

Sharon Robinson, daughter of baseball great and civil rights icon Jackie Robinson, is an acclaimed author of works of fiction and nonfiction as well as an educational consultant for Major League Baseball. She is the founder of Breaking Barriers: In Sports, In Life a baseball-themed national character education curriculum that helps empower students overcome obstacles in their lives. Robinson’s widely praised nonfiction books about her father, baseball legend Jackie Robinson, include Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson and Promises to Keep: How Jackie Robinson Changed America. Her other books include novels: The Hero Two Doors Down, Safe at Home, and Slam Dunk. Prior to joining Major League Baseball, Ms. Robinson was an educator and taught at Yale, Columbia, Howard, and Georgetown University. She currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Jackie Robinson Foundation.

The partnership between NPS, UWEWH and MVOL allows students the opportunity to select three new children’s books at three special Scholastic book fairs, three times a school year.

“We are thrilled that Sharon Robinson is visiting students in Newark,” said Catherine Wilson, President and CEO. “This gives students an opportunity to not only connect with an author, but a woman whose family has made an indelible mark on African-American History. Our students are incredibly lucky to be able to learn from Ms. Robinson and connect her to their reading experiences.”

Lucia Couto Receives Full Scholarship to Harvard University

Lucia Couto says academic excellence was stressed every day in her home growing up in Newark and attending First Avenue School. Lucia is the Valedictorian of her at Arts High School and will attend Harvard University in the fall on a full scholarship where she will study Medical Physics.

Lucia Couto says academic excellence was stressed every day in her home growing up in Newark and attending First Avenue School. Neither Lucia’s mother nor father had an opportunity to attend college and wanted to make sure their children attended college, and had an opportunity to excel, in a way that escaped them. Lucia’s sisters, a teacher at Hawkins Street School and a registered nurse, are putting their support behind her as she begins to plan for her college years at Harvard University, where she has received a full scholarship. Lucia is the Valedictorian of her class at Arts High School. She is a leader and a standout in her focus area of dance. In addition, she is an athlete, a peer leader, and a member of the National Honor Society and Pathways to College. According to her principal, Mr. Pedro, you will find Lucia at the head of almost any activity or organization.

Lucia’s focus at Arts High School is dance. She loves singing and dancing; primarily Modern, West African, Afro Cuban, Ballroom and some Ballet. She said attending Arts has provided an extraordinary opportunity for access to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, which she loves!

Lucia said, “I don’t believe in excuses, which is why I take advantage of opportunities afforded to me.” She continued “one of my greatest passions is to reach back and not be afraid to dream and to follow my dreams, regardless of where they come from. Don’t let what people’s opinions about where you come from make you think in a certain way. I love Newark and I am proud to say I live here. I will prove to anyone that I deserve to be at Harvard as much as anyone else. A lot of good things and people come from Newark,” Lucia added.

Lucia has always been fascinated by Albert Einstein and will major in Medical Physics at Harvard.