Press Releases

Two NPS Administrators Selected as Finalists for Prudential’s “Newark’s Cornerstones” Competition

Akbar Cook, of West Side High School, and Charity Haygood, of B.R.I.C.K. Avon Academy, were selected for their positive impact on Newark’s future; Voting closes on Friday March 31

Newark's Cornerstones
Akbar Cook (left) and Charity Haygood (right) have been transformational in their daily work serving Newark children, families, and communities

[Newark, NJ – March 30, 2017] As Newark celebrates its 350th anniversary, two Newark Public Schools (NPS) administrators have been selected as finalists for Prudential’s “Newark’s Cornerstones” competition, a contest which showcases leaders across Newark for their dedication in making a positive impact on Newark’s future. Akbar Cook, Vice Principal of West Side High School (WSHS), and Charity Haygood, Principal of BRICK Avon Academy, are two out of eight finalists who were chosen over the course of the last eight months by Prudential, Prudential Center and Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka’s office. Finalists were selected based on the degree to which they represent at least one of “Newark’s Cornerstones” pillars, which include innovation, commitment, and positive influence.

“Congratulations to Ms. Haygood and Mr. Cook, two transformational NPS school leaders who were selected as finalists in Prudential’s “Newark’s Cornerstones” competition for the positive impact they have made on Newark students, families, and communities,” said Christopher D. Cerf, Superintendent of Newark Public Schools. “It’s exciting to witness two devoted educational leaders being recognized for their daily work to build a stronger future for Newark by serving the needs of all students and families and ensuring all children have access to excellent educational opportunities.”

Akbar Cook is the vice principal at WSHS, where he manages school operations related to disciplinary procedures, school climate and culture, and security. Mr. Cook is also the head coach of the WSHS varsity boys’ basketball team, the 2017 Group 2 NJSIAA champions. In addition to his daily work as vice principal and head coach, Mr. Cook has led a variety of transformative initiatives at WSHS. Last summer, Mr. Cook, with the support of the West Side Alumni Group and the MCJ Amelior Foundation, started the Lights On Program, a nighttime recreation program for kids and young adults. Mr. Cook’s program served approximately 80 students per night throughout the summer. Mr. Cook has also partnered with the Community Food Bank of NJ to provide food packs each Friday night to any students and families in need of food on weekends. Recognizing that many kids are not attending school regularly because they do not have clean clothes, Mr. Cook is also working to build a laundromat and study hall at WSHS to increase student attendance and support student achievement.

Principal Charity Haygood has been an educator for over two decades, serving thousands of students and families throughout Newark’s South Ward. Early on, she taught literacy, social studies and science to sixth, seventh and eighth graders at Bragaw Avenue School for nine years. In 2004 and 2005, during her last two years in the classroom, Ms. Haygood received the the Governor’s Teacher Recognition Program Award for her educational contributions. After leaving the classroom, Ms. Haygood transitioned into an NPS administrator role, serving as vice principal at Chancellor Avenue School for five years. In 2010, Ms. Haygood began serving as the principal of BRICK Avon Academy. As one of BRICK Avon Academy’s founding board members, Ms. Haygood, along with five other Newark educators, worked 18 months to develop the blueprint for BRICK (Building Responsible Intelligent Creative Kids). BRICK Avon Academy is one of five NPS schools that is a part of the South Ward Community Schools Initiative.

Out of the eight finalists who have been chosen, the grand prize winner will be selected by the general public through public online voting at www.prucenter.com/newarkscornerstones. Online voting, which has been open to the public since the beginning of March, will close on March 31. The grand prize recipient will be announced on Saturday, April 8, at the Prudential Center on ‘Fan Appreciation Night’ for the New Jersey Devils’ final home game of the 2016-2017 NHL season. In addition to being recognized for their dedication and impact, the grand prize winner will receive two tickets to Prudential Center events, including Devils games, for one year.

West Side High School Boys’ Basketball Team Wins Group 2 NJSIAA Championship; Set to Represent Newark in Tournament of Champions

West Side guard Quayon Williams-King (2) celebrates a win over Camden in the NJSIAA Group 2 final on March 12, 2017, at Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway, New Jersey. Picture Courtesy of NJ.com: (Matt Smith | For NJ Advance Media)

The West Side High School boys’ basketball team won the Group 2 NJSIAA championships. On March 12th, the Rough Riders defeated Camden High School 51-49 to win the Group 2 NJSIAA championship. They are now set to tip off at 7:30pm on Friday, March 17th at Pine Belt Arena in Tom’s River at the NJ Tournament of Champions in a first round matchup with Teaneck.See below for a round-up of local coverage:

Boys Basketball: T of C Rd. 1 preview – No. 16 Teaneck vs. No. 14 West Side
“Fifth-seeded West Side took out Parsippany, 73-20, in the first round of the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2 tournament, with Quaion Taylor going for 17 points and 10 rebounds. They were dominant against Fort Lee in the next round with a 71-43 triumph, then beat Hackettstown, 35-23 in the semifinals… then they romped against Hanover Park for a 63-37 victory in the final. Quayon Williams-King paced West Side with 20 points in a 58-35 victory over Newton in the Group 2 semifinals. Yasim Hooker had 13 points and nine rebounds while Quayon Williams-King had 13 points, four rebounds and eight assists in a 51-49 victory over Camden in the Group 2 final. WEST SIDE WINS IF: Quaion Taylor owns the paint, Quayon Williams-King plays within himself and the offense doesn’t go cold while the defense gives Teaneck’s guards fits.” (NJ.com, 03/14/17)

No. 14 West Side repeats as Group 2 champion versus Camden
“West Side coach Akbar Cook said in the lead-up to Sunday’s Group 2 final that Camden is tough, but Newark is tougher.  And when the two teams took the court in a rematch of last year’s title game, his statement proved true: Camden was tough, but West Side was tougher. The Rough Riders, No. 14 in the NJ.com Top 20, won their second straight title with a physical, bruising and sometimes sloppy 51-49 victory over Camden in the NJSIAA Group 2 championship game at the Louis Brown Athletic Center.” (NJ.com, 03/12/17)

Newark’s West Side HS is a special champ to Morristown-Beard coach who is fighting cancer
“The Newark basketball team wearing pink socks, sneakers and T-shirts had Coach Eddie Franz on edge, as he nervously watched to see if they could close out the championship game on Sunday… The team was wearing its pink ensemble in his honor.  Franz, 60, has lung cancer. He appeared to be calm as the Rough Riders were clinging to a two point lead with 1:13 remaining in the Group 2 NJSIAA final against Camden High School.  Internally, though, he was rooting hard because the team has been helping him through a tough period in his life.  Although pink is the color usually used to denote breast cancer, kids don’t make a color distinction, they just see cancer and they wanted to do something for Franz, who has been a part of Newark basketball for 13 years…The socks and sneakers are plain as day, but the T-shirts they wore on the layup line and on the bench crystalized their thoughts. ‘Pray for Franz’ was written on the back. ‘Another Day. Another Chance’ was on the front. The logo belongs to Fam Eternal, a Newark apparel company that made the shirts and whose co-owner knows Franz, too. Since the coach’s diagnosis in January, pink has become the teams lucky color for an unlucky disease. West Side has gone 9-0, but it needed one more victory to claim its second consecutive Group 2 title and to win for Franz… They defeated Camden 51-49, and did their small part in helping a man who means so much to them cope with cancer.” (NJ.com, 03/12/17)

Newark Public Schools Announces Partnership with i2 Learning to Offer Newark STEM Week

Newark teachers receive professional development this month in preparation for delivery of STEM curriculum developed by MIT and other leading STEM organizations in June

[Newark, NJ – March 15, 2017] Newark Public Schools (NPS) announced that the district will be partnering with i2 Learning to offer a unique, hands-on learning experience for middle school students called Newark STEM Week from June 12 – 16. In preparation for Newark STEM Week, 80 teachers across 25 participating schools are attending a professional development program on March 15th and 16th this week that covers STEM course curriculum and hands-on learning.

“Newark Public Schools is excited to announce this partnership with i2 Learning that will bring STEM Week to Newark’s students later this year,” said Christopher D. Cerf, Superintendent for Newark Public Schools. “We are making major investments in STEM education because we believe it is more important than ever. We look forward to working with i2 Learning in the coming weeks and months to ensure our teachers are prepared to provide students with high quality learning experiences that expose them to exciting new opportunities in STEM.”

During Newark STEM Week, classes will be replaced by a STEM curriculum developed by MIT, i2 Learning and other leading STEM organizations. This month, NPS and i2 Learning will provide a two-day training workshop about three project-based STEM courses, Kinetic Sculpture, Building a Lunar Colony and Digital Game Design. Each professional development course covers material not typically seen in middle school classrooms and is designed to get teachers and students working together to solve real-world problems through hands-on experimentation, critical thinking and engineering design.

Training teachers in hands-on, inquiry-based STEM learning is essential in helping children develop critical 21st century skills such as collaboration, communication, and critical and creative thinking. The i2 Learning professional development workshops challenge the traditional middle school mindset and encourage educators to get students to make connections and succeed in an environment similar to that of college or the workforce. This carefully crafted professional development experience followed by the application of this learning in class with students aims to cultivate a significant learning opportunity for teachers with long-term effects on their teaching strategies.

“We are very grateful for the opportunity to partner with i2 Learning to bring this high quality professional development to our science educators,” said Ivory Williams, Director of Science Education at Newark Public Schools. “This partnership and training is an integral part of our larger strategy to bring more opportunities for hands on STEM education to Newark students. We hope that Newark STEM week in June will help further jump start these efforts by showing more of our students how engaging STEM education can be and by building more of our teachers’ capacity to provide students with rich, relevant, and rigorous three-dimensional learning experiences, creating added momentum around science heading into the new school year.”

Upon completing the two-day training, teachers will share their new STEM learning strategies with their students and convert their classrooms into STEM learning labs later this year during Newark STEM Week.

“We are excited to be working with teachers from 25 different Newark schools to bring our program to over 2000 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students this school year.” said Ethan Berman, founder of i2 Learning. “We applaud the forward thinking of the Superintendent’s office to provide this innovative learning to the district.”

The i2 Learning professional development workshops are being funded through the generous support of the Victoria Foundation, as well as other local foundations and corporations. To learn more about the program and see a full list of participating schools, courses and more, please visit http://i2learning.org/newark/ and follow along on Facebook and Twitter.

This initiative is one of a host of new partnerships Newark Public Schools is announcing this spring in the area of STEM education. To learn more about the recently announced Student2Science partnership, see here.

ABOUT i2 LEARNING
i2 Learning partners with schools and school districts to bring immersive, hands-on STEM learning to middle school students. Working with school leaders, STEM corporations and philanthropic foundations, i2 Learning provides curriculum, teacher professional development and all materials and supplies for schools to run STEM weeks in over 30 cities across the United States and throughout the world. For more information, please visit http://i2learning.org.

Newark Public Schools Recognized by National Council on Teacher Quality

NPS one of Four honorable mentions nationwide chosen for policies and practices that support and encourage great teachers

[Newark, NJ – March 9, 2017] Newark Public Schools (NPS) announced today that NPS was named as one of four honorable mention districts nationwide in the National Council on Teacher Quality’s (NCTQ) first-ever Great Districts for Great Teachers initiative. NCTQ selected NPS after a rigorous, 18 month evaluation that showed that NPS is a national leader in developing and caring for great teachers that provide high-quality instruction to students.

“Great Districts for Great Teachers is a celebration of great teaching,” said Kate Walsh, President of NCTQ, a national leader on teacher issues. “We celebrate the hard, often politically challenging efforts by a special group of school districts who have managed to put together policies and practices that make them great places for great teachers to work.”

“We are honored that the NCTQ recognized Newark Public Schools as a national leader in supporting great teachers who provide a high-quality education for our young people,” said Superintendent Christopher D. Cerf of NPS. “We are so grateful to our tremendous school administrators and teachers who are working each and every day to provide excellent instruction.”

NCTQ developed the criteria based on over 10 years of experience analyzing district human capital policies and practices, as well as input from teachers and other education leaders. The nonprofit organization selected eight winners and four honorable mentions who excelled in five criteria areas that research suggests connect to effective teaching: compensation, professional support, effective management and operations, career and leadership opportunities, and support services for students.

Criteria included:

  • Salaries provide a good standard of living and the district finds ways to reward excellence.
  • Professional development and coaching are tailored to teachers’ needs and include plenty of collaborative planning time.
  • Schools are run efficiently, with evidence that the district allows its schools to make the decisions that are in their best interest.
  • There are plenty of opportunities for teachers to take on leadership roles.
  • Teachers receive strong support from the district when meeting the needs of students.

The winners include: Boston Public Schools, Broward County School District (Florida), Denver Public Schools, District of Columbia Public Schools, Gwinnett County Public Schools (Georgia), New York City Public Schools, Pinellas County School District (Florida) and Pittsburgh Public Schools.

Honorable mention districts in addition to NPS include: Duval County Public Schools (FL), Indianapolis Public Schools, and Osceola School District (FL).

“Great teachers transform the lives of their students,” said Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education 2009-2016. “Great districts understand their most important job is to get great teachers into every single one of their classrooms, and support them in the complex, critically important work they do every day.”

In choosing the winners and honorable mentions, NCTQ researchers carefully evaluated data from teacher contracts, examined documents and data submitted by the district, as well as surveyed and interviewed teachers. NCTQ staff verified the selected finalists through focus groups with teachers and interviews with district leaders in each district.

NCTQ organized the Great Districts for Great Teachers initiative because it believes that supporting and aiding great teachers is the best way to shape a better future for all students. Great teachers not only provide an excellent education for their own students, but they also become inspiring role models and leaders for the entire teaching profession.

Sponsors of this initiative include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, The Heinz Endowments, and the Walton Family Foundation.

This is the first year the National Council on Teacher Quality has named Great Districts for Great Teachers. More details about the program can be found at www.greatdistricts.org.

Newark Students Participate in “Bridging the Education to Employment Gap” Interview & Networking Night

Event is part of Schools That Can Newark’s three-month career readiness and externship program, which connects 40 Newark high school students with area employers

[Newark, NJ – March 8, 2017] Juniors and seniors from six Newark Public Schools (NPS) high schools and 4 public charter schools came together to participate in Schools That Can (STC) Newark’s “Interview and Networking Night” on Wednesday, March 1. The event, which took place at Bard High School Early College in Newark, New Jersey, is part of STC Newark’s “Bridging the Education to Employment (e2e) Gap” program, a three-month career readiness and externship program for 40 select juniors and seniors from 10 high schools across Newark.

Newark students participated in an Interview and Business Etiquette Workshop, led by volunteers from Prudential Financial, at STC Newark’s Interview and Networking Night.

“Newark Public Schools is dedicated to ensuring that all of our students are prepared for college, career and lifelong success,” said Christopher D. Cerf, Superintendent of Newark Public Schools. “The district is proud to continue our partnership with Schools That Can Newark, a program that exposes our students to real-life experiences outside of the classroom and allows them to explore a variety of career opportunities. Our students are the leaders of tomorrow, and by investing in career readiness programs today, we are creating a bright future for our students and community.”

Throughout the evening, students were interviewed by a wide-range of local employers participating in STC Newark’s externship program. Students also participated in workshops led by volunteers from Prudential Financial about interview preparation, actuarial science and marketing.

“So many of my former students and mentees who are in now college are struggling through the process of applying to and interviewing for internships. They make minor mistakes, miss deadlines or aren’t sure how to present themselves. Our Bridging the e2e Gap program allows students while still in high school to learn from and take ownership over the entire job application process while feeling safe to make mistakes along the way,” said Erin Sweeney, Executive Director of STC Newark. “STC Newark’s Bridging the e2e Gap is a great example of the work we do nationally as it is built completely on the power of collaboration between district, charter, and private high schools and numerous industry sectors.”

Following Wednesday’s “Interview and Networking Night”, students will be matched with one of the three employers they interviewed with and will participate in a one-day externship throughout March and April. The program will culminate with an end-of-the-year reflection and celebratory breakfast on June 1 at Express Newark.

This is the first year that the externship program has been a part of STC Newark’s “Bridging the e2e Gap” program. Since October 2016, the program’s Planning Committee, consisting of faculty from Bard High School Early College, Newark Collegiate Academy, Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School, and Great Oaks Legacy Charter High School, has worked diligently to secure externships with 14 local employers, representing a range of career paths, from finance and law to urban planning and nonprofits.  Local employers participating in this year’s externship program include: Eleven80, FCB, Hollister Construction Services, McCarter & English, Newark Arts Council, Newark City Hall, NJ Devils/Prudential Center, NJPAC, NJ SEEDS, RBH Group, Schools That Can, Teach for America, University Hospital and Wells Fargo.

This is the second consecutive year that Newark Public Schools (NPS) students are participating in STC Newark’s “Bridging the e2e Gap” program, which runs from January to May. This year, 24 students from American History High School, Bard High School Early College, Fast Track Academy – UPLIFT, Technology High School, University High School and Weequahic High School were selected to participate in STC Newark’s program.  Additionally, 16 students from Great Oaks Legacy Charter High School, KIPP Newark Collegiate Academy, People’s Prep Charter School and The Paulo Freire Charter School are participating in STC Newark’s program.

“As our students consider their college and career options, it is our responsibility as teachers and mentors to provide them with the opportunities and resources they need to make the most informed decisions they can about their future,” said Dr. John B. Weinstein, Principal of Bard High School Early College. “STC Newark’s ‘Bridging the e2e Gap’ program offers our students an invaluable opportunity to translate the skills they have gained throughout their educational journey into important work experience.”
In 2016, STC Newark’s inaugural “Bridging the e2e Gap” program connected 10 Newark high schools with a dozen area employers, resulting in nearly 60 new partnership opportunities impacting hundreds of students, including: job shadowing at Microsoft, a “Law Career Day” at McCarter & English, financial literacy workshops with Wells Fargo and site visits with Panasonic.

About Schools That Can
Schools That Can (STC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that unites educators and leaders within its cross-sector network of urban schools to share innovative and effective practices.  The network includes more than 170 district, charter, independent and faith-based schools in 15 cities—all of which serve predominantly low-income students and students of color. Since 2005, STC Newark has worked with over 40 schools throughout the city, facilitating programming and partnerships to help our community close the opportunity and skills gap for our students. For more information, contact esweeney@nullschoolsthatcan.org or go to www.schoolsthatcan.org, follow @SchoolsThatCan on Twitter, and like STC Newark’s page at www.facebook.com/schoolsthatcannewark.

NPS Celebrates Opening of New Playground at Early Childhood School South

Students, faculty, and staff from Early Childhood School-South celebrated the opening of the school’s new playground with a ribbon cutting ceremony

[Newark, NJ – March 7, 2017] Newark Public School (NPS) celebrated the opening of a new playground at Early Childhood School-South last week.  Superintendent Cerf, center directors, local elected officials and students participated in Tuesday’s ribbon cutting ceremony.

“It was great to see how excited the children of Early Childhood School-South are about their brand new playground,” said Christopher D. Cerf, Superintendent of Newark Public Schools, who attended the ribbon cutting ceremony. “Outdoor play is an important part of the school day, especially for pre-Kindergarteners who are getting ready to start school.  This new playground will strengthen the learning environment for Early Childhood School-South students and get them excited about their overall educational experience.”

In 2014, NPS received an initial Head Start grant allocating 1,000 Pre-Kindergarten seats across nine schools. Since then, four additional schools have been designated as Head Start schools. The Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 calls for programs to prioritize preparing all children for school.