Research Week honored the impressive research being conducted at Rutgers Graduate School and exposed Newark students to STEM career opportunities

[Newark, NJ – April 15, 2016] – Newark Public Schools (NPS) sent 50 ninth grade students from Barringer S.T.E.A.M. Academy to the Paul Robeson Campus Center for the Rutgers University Research Week to learn more about careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Research Week commemorates the outstanding research being conducted at Rutgers University-Newark and celebrates diversity in the STEM fields.

“In this increasingly global economy, it is so important that we provide a quality education for our young people and encourage them to pursue competitive academic and professional careers in fields like science, technology, engineering and math,” said Superintendent Christopher D. Cerf of NPS. “Programs like Research Week help spark interest in our students and inspires them to set goals and work hard in order to achieve academic success.”

During their visit, Barringer S.T.E.A.M. students were welcomed by Dean Kyle Farmbry and Associate Dean Kinna Perry of the Rutgers University-Newark Graduate School. Students also sat in on a lecture, conducted some investigations and heard presentations on Rutgers’ summer and school-year program offerings for high school students.

“Our goal is to make sure our students are college and career ready when they leave high school. At Barringer S.T.E.A.M., there is a particular focus on directing more students toward science, technology, engineering and math fields which have historically been a difficult fields to break into for minorities,” said Ivory Williams, science instructional specialist at NPS. “Research Week is one way we have tried to expose our students to these opportunities and push them to exploring different career paths.”

For more information on Rutgers Research week visit: http://www.newark.rutgers.edu/events/research-week-2016.

Newark Public Schools partners with Disability Allies, NJIT to match high school students with college mentors

[Newark, NJ – April 11, 2016] – Newark Public Schools (NPS) is partnering with Disability Allies and the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) to create a mentorship program between high school and college students to help young people prepare for college and a 21st century career. Students and mentors were paired together on Friday, April 8 at the first-ever “Transition to College Day” at NJIT, in which Newark high school students were matched with their NJIT student-mentors based upon shared interests and career aspirations.

“Newark Public Schools is excited about our partnership with Disability Allies and NJIT that will help our young people realize their college and career goals earlier in life,” said Christopher Cerf, Superintendent of NPS. “It is important for our students to understand the impact a college education can have on their futures, and being mentored by current NJIT students will help more of our young people continue their education and consider pursuing a career in science, technology, engineering and math.”

Special Education juniors and seniors from University High School and Science Park High School attended “Transition to College Day” and participated in a variety of team building activities with current NJIT students that focused on promoting teamwork and social skills, individual growth and understanding disabilities. Special education students from Elizabeth, West Orange and Millburn also participated.

The NJIT students participating in the mentor program currently major in a wide variety subjects, including forensic science, architecture, accounting, engineering, computer programming, pre-law, law enforcement, performing arts and business. Friday’s event focused on helping Newark high school students understand the kind of work that is involved in the major they are considering studying. Students also had an opportunity to speak with an NJIT admissions counselor to learn more about the application process.

“This mentorship program will allow young adults, both with and without disabilities, to learn from each other by coming together to discuss the unique experiences and challenges that college will offer them,” said Ross Yellin, the Founder and President of Disability Allies, one of the event organizers. “Friday’s event helped students understand what to expect when entering college, become more confident about their abilities to succeed in college, and inspire them to see college as a viable option after high school graduation.”

Disability Allies also hosted an interactive workshop that focused on providing students with the following information:

• Transitioning to college
• Developing different learning strategies
• Receiving accommodations
• Student involvement in different campus activities
• Building positive relationships with roommates and peers
• Career advice

Throughout the workshop, mentors provided guidance and feedback to each high school student to ensure that they develop a strong idea of what to expect while enrolled in college and understand the diverse experiences that college will offer them.

Approximately 50 community members attended the meetings with Superintendent Cerf

[Newark NJ – April 11, 2016] – Two Newark Schools hosted “Conversations with Chris” community meetings this week with their Latino and Portuguese parents. The Superintendent spoke with parents in their native languages through interpreters and talked about how to best engage and support the Latino and Portuguese communities, especially as it relates to educating children.

Topics that were discussed ranged from bilingual education to the need for highly qualified teachers, as well as concerns about overcrowding and water quality. Portuguese parents from Ann Street, Lafayette and Wilson Elementary schools in the East Ward participated in the discussion with Superintendent on, Tuesday, April 5, while Latino parents from First Avenue, Abington, Luis Munoz Marin and Elliot Street Elementary schools in the North Ward attended the discussion with Superintendent Cerf on Wednesday, April 6.

Since joining the district in July 2015, Superintendent Cerf has held a series of targeted meetings with families, students, educators and community members to better understand the district’s challenges and successes, as well as how the district can best identify and work towards key priorities and actions as local and state leaders take steps towards regaining local control.

The report summarizes what the district heard in community meetings, and lays out a framework that will guide the development of a full strategic plan later this year.

[Newark NJ — April 06, 2016] – The Newark Public Schools (NPS) announced today that it has released a goals and priorities document that lays out the framework the district will use to create a more comprehensive and detailed strategic planning document later this year.

The document — which summarizes what the district heard over several months of public engagement in community meetings, focus groups, one-on-one interviews, and survey collection — shares out what was heard in those sessions, and uses that feedback to form four key priority areas that will guide the district’s work over the next three years. Each priority area comes with a subset of high-level goals as well.

“We are excited to share this goals and priorities document, a result of many months of hard-work and collaboration with families, staff and community members,” said NPS Superintendent Christopher Cerf. “Establishing priorities is essential for our success. They help ensure that everyone, inside and outside the school system, is on the same page about what matters most: that all Newark children have the opportunity to get a free, high-quality public education. These priorities will guide us in making difficult budget decisions so that the most resources get into schools. And they will help us meet the state’s QSAC requirements, which pave the way for the return of local control.”

An outline of the identified goals and priorities are as follows (also captured in the executive summary):

1. Strengthen academics and student supports
   • Offer more consistent instruction that is based on the new, more challenging Common Core State Standards.
   • Provide more intensive help for struggling students in reading and math.
   • Make instruction more personalized and relevant.
   • Create safer, more welcoming school cultures to support social and emotional learning.
   • Expand special education support in neighborhood schools.
   • Strengthen and expand Pre-K programs.
2. Great leaders and educators in every school and classroom
   • Retain more of our most effective teachers and principals.
   • Build on the foundation of effective evaluations to provide even better feedback and coaching.
   • Recruit more great educators to Newark Public Schools with “grow our own” efforts.
   • Empower teacher leaders to help mentor their colleagues through our Leadership Institute for Teacher Teams (LIFTT).
3. Community-centered decisions: parent choice and parent voice in schools
   • Improve how we engage families — focusing on the “3 Is” of better information and more opportunities to provide input and get involved in work groups on issues such as attendance and transparency.
   • We are exploring partnerships with local organizations in areas such as research, communications, and advocacy training for our parents.
   • Improve transparency and accountability to provide educators, families, and the community with more timely, useful information in multiple languages.
   • Plan with the community to ensure the success of current projects (such as the new Community Schools initiative) and work together to identify priority needs going forward.
4. Efficient operations, sustainable budgets and skilled governance in the district
   • Find operational efficiencies that cut costs with as little impact as possible on schools and classrooms.
   • Improve services and school buildings, including more targeted and thorough procedures to ensure every single water fountain in the district has clean and healthy water.
   • Provide fairer student funding that gives more support to students who need the most assistance, such as those who require self-contained special education programs.
   • Support the School Board through a series of extensive board trainings.

“We are very grateful to our families, staff and community members who engaged in this process so willingly,” said Roger León, Assistant Superintendent of NPS. “Those who provided us with feedback showed a commitment to district improvement across these areas, with a focus on curriculum and academics; and making sure that we have the structures in place to support our students who need it most. We look forward to continuing this conversation with our community members in the coming months, to move from this big framework of ideas to the identification of specific strategies we can use to meet our goals.”

Throughout this process, the district placed an emphasis on community feedback by leveraging community-based organizations, stakeholders, teachers, students, parents and community members through a series of five strategic planning meetings in each ward. Over 500 community members attended the planning meetings, and each ward meeting was hosted by a community-based organization and the local ward council member who helped facilitate several small-group discussions. Parents, educators and community leaders were encouraged to share their feedback and insight on the following subjects: curriculum and academics; student supports; great educators; community engagement; school planning and choice; accountability for progress; and operations, budgets and governance.

In preparing this document, the district presented preliminary findings that incorporated feedback collected across those seven areas, and narrowed goals and priorities to align with what was heard in the first set of meetings.

“It has been a pleasure to be a part of this process thus far,” noted Tia Collier, ‎Project Director at Newark Fairmount Promise Neighborhood. “We are very glad the district has made such a concerted effort to not only reach out to parents and families, but to include organizations like ours as partners in this process. We look forward to continuing to work with them to build on this document to create a strategic plan that creates lasting improvements for the district and our community.”

The district will be sharing more specific information about how community members, families and staff will be engaged and can give feedback on the details of this plan in the coming weeks. An executive summary of the findings and the full document are available here.

Summer Plus ensures students will not lose valuable learning time during summer months; families have until May 1st to submit application

[Newark, NJ – April 6, 2016] – Families interested in having their child participate in Newark Public Schools’ (NPS) Summer Plus program must complete an application by Sunday, May 1st. Summer Plus is a free district-wide initiative to curb summer learning loss and provide enrichment experiences for students that will help advance their academics.

“We believe it is vital for students to be adequately prepared when they begin the school year in September,” said Superintendent Christopher Cerf. “Summer Plus ensures that students will not lose valuable learning time during the summer and will confidently walk into their classroom next year with the necessary tools for success.”

Summer Plus was developed by NPS’ curriculum experts to improve critical math and literacy skills and ensure that participants are prepared for the upcoming school year. It also includes enrichment experiences in arts, STEM, and health and fitness aligned to academics, so that summer learning is a fun and rich experience. Parents should be advised that space is limited and not all students may be accepted; accepted students will receive a confirmation letter in mid-May.

“We are proud to be able to offer additional opportunities for our students to continue their education outside of the regular school year,” said Sarah Cruz, Special Assistant of Extended Learning Time. “Students who participate in the Summer Plus program are better prepared for the next step in their education and feel more confident taking on new challenges in the classroom.”

In addition to Summer Plus, families have the opportunity to enroll their children in a number of programs offered by community organizations in Newark and greater New Jersey. In partnership with Newark Thrives! — a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve access to high-quality, out-of-school time opportunities for Newark youth — NPS is proud to announce the availability of an online catalogue of summer opportunities for students in grades PreK – 12. To learn more about this summer catalogue, please visit: https://newark.apppresser.com/summerprograms/program.

Below are important facts about Summer Plus for parents who are interested in enrolling their children in the program:

WHAT
Summer Plus Program

WHO
Summer Plus is available to current Kindergarten – 7th grade students. All students MUST be Newark residents.

WHEN
Summer Plus runs from July 11th – August 5th from 8:30am – 3:00pm, Mondays through Friday.
The Extended Day Option runs from 3:00pm – 6:00pm (limited space, transportation is not provided)

WHERE
Students will be assigned to summer sites based on their current school. Transportation will be provided between some feeder sites and summer school sites, based on distance.

• More information about transportation is available on the website provided below

OTHER IMPORTANT FACTS

• Summer Plus is completely free
• Limited space available
• Breakfast and lunch are provided
• English Plus is a program within Summer Plus for English Language Learners
  • English Plus students participate in bilingual or ESL academic programs in the morning and join Summer Plus activities in the afternoon
  • This program also runs from July 11th – August 5th

For complete details about NPS summer programs, please visit: https://newark.apppresser.com/summerprograms.

To apply for Summer Plus, please visit: newark.apppresser.com/summerprograms/studentapp.

Louise A. Spencer Elementary School Places First in New Jersey, Top 10 Percent Nationwide in Learning Ally Great Reading Games

[Newark, New Jersey] – Newark Public Schools (NPS) and Learning Ally, a national nonprofit organization serving individuals with learning and visual disabilities, honored students at Louise A. Spencer Elementary School in Newark for their outstanding achievement in the 2nd Annual Learning Ally Great Reading Games, a national reading contest. Students at Louise A Spencer placed first in the state of New Jersey and in the top 10 percent of participating schools nationwide for the most pages read, with a total of 4,453 pages read throughout the competition.

Thousands of students in more than 300 schools across America participated in the 2nd Annual Learning Ally Great Reading Games national reading event. All of participating students have reading difficulties such as dyslexia, or blindness/visual impairment, which impacts their reading abilities. Because of their reading difficulties, these students are often times left out of book clubs and other mainstream reading programs, which can damage their self-esteem and cause students to fall behind in their studies.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the students at Louise A. Spencer Elementary School for their hard work and well-deserved recognition in the Great Reading Games,” said Christopher D. Cerf, Superintendent of Newark Public Schools. “Through Learning Ally audiobook technology, and the support of our teachers, all of our children have the opportunity to access critical reading material to enhance their personal and academic achievement.”

During Learning Ally’s Great Reading Games, students proved that with the right kind of support, inspiration, teachers and technology, they can overcome any challenge. The Learning Ally audiobook technology gives students a wide variety of more than 80,000 human-narrated books to choose from such as textbooks, non-fiction or literature. Students can download the books directly to their tablets, computers, smartphones, iPods and other devices, giving them the ability to read in school, on the go, or anywhere they have a device.

“We are very proud of the achievement of Newark’s students. The NPS- Learning Ally collaboration is a significant part of our Governor’s Literacy Program work and is a great example of the benefits we can realize with strong collaboration among schools, the state education department, and nonprofit non-governmental organizations,” remarked Edward Bray, Learning Ally’s Public Policy Director.

Currently, 6,600 students in 51 Newark Public Schools have access to Learning Ally audiobook technology. Approximately 72,000 pages have been read by students across the district since implementing the program at the beginning of this school year. Louise A. Spencer, Roberto Clemente, Dr. William H. Horton, Rafael Hernandez, Ann Street School, Luis Munoz Marin and McKinley School have the most students using audiobooks in the classroom.

“I am so inspired by my students at Louise A. Spencer. These children dedicated a great amount of time and energy towards this contest, and it’s so gratifying to see them being honored today for their hard work and dedication,” said Mr. Anthony Dilley, a sixth grade language arts and social studies teacher at Louise A. Spencer. “Learning Ally is truly a great program that has enhanced our instruction, and has given our students unprecedented access to reading material both at school and at home. The best part is seeing their reading levels improve, sometimes dramatically, and then the self-confidence that follows.”

“The determination of my scholars to become better readers motivates me daily,” added Ms. An’ Tiona Miller, special education teacher at Louise A. Spencer. “Using Learning Ally as an intervention with my group of scholars has allowed them to have access to a wider variety of texts to enhance instruction and improve their individual reading levels. Seeing my scholars achieve is my greatest joy.”

NPS’ partnership with Learning Ally is an example of how the district is investing in technology to create a more engaging educational experience for students and to ensure they are college and career ready. The district recently purchased over 11,000 Google Chromebook laptops with the goal of facilitating 21st Century learning environments. To support this goal, NPS has implemented strategic initiatives focused on the effective use of technology in district schools and classrooms including: monthly Digital Learning Institute (DLI) workshops with teacher leaders who are responsible for supporting instructional technology through ongoing and embedded coaching, a purposeful integration of technology into the district’s core curriculum, and an expanded partnership with a subset of schools participating in a Digital Transformation Pilot initiative.

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Newark students with learning disabilities honored for becoming independent readers
Students at the Louise A. Spencer School were recognized for their reading efforts in the second annual Learning Ally Great Reading Games. The school earned first place for most pages read in the state and was among the top ten percent for schools who participated nationwide. Students read a total of 4,453 pages throughout the 7-week competition, using their tablets, computers, and cell phones to read in class and at home. “They read for at least 20 minutes a day and got points. So, the more you read, the longer you were on, the more books you turned pages in, you got more and more points,” Special Education Teacher Antiona Miller explains. Language Arts Teacher Anthony Dilley says the competition helps kids with learning disabilities become enthusiastic book worms by increasing their understanding of vocabulary words. “It’s read to them…they can look at the vocabulary words and see how they are supposed to sound,” Dilley said. Students and teachers say the competition helps bolster reading levels, which can lead to positive outcomes later in life. Newark Superintendent of Schools Christopher Cerf says becoming an effective reader not only helps students graduate, but can also translate into greater lifetime earnings. (Fios, 4/15/16)

Newark students place 1st in New Jersey in Learning Ally Reading Competition
Students at the Louise A. Spencer elementary school in Newark knew just how important reading is when taking part in a national competition. Learning Ally, a national nonprofit organization serving individuals with learning and visual disabilities, honored students at the school today for outstanding achievement in the 2nd annual learning ally great reading games. That’s a national reading contest for students with reading difficulties. Students in Newark placed first in the entire state of New Jersey during the February competition. These students weren’t just tops in New Jersey. They also scored in the top 10% of schools participating nationwide for the most pages read. Altogether, the students read a total of 4,453 pages throughout the competition during the month of February. (News 12, 4/5/16)

4,400 pages: Tech contest helps special needs Newark students
School officials are applauding the efforts of special needs students at Louise A. Spencer school, who recently took first place in the state in the second annual Learning Ally Reading Games. The students also finished in the top 10 percent of the 300 schools nationwide that competed in the contest, which counts how many pages students read. The Spencer students, who all have reading disabilities like dyslexia, read 4,453 pages during the competition, school officials said. “We are thrilled to celebrate the students,” Newark Superintendent Chris Cerf said in a statement about the recognition. “Through Learning Ally audiobook technology, and the support of our teachers, all of our children have the opportunity to access critical reading material to enhance their personal and academic achievement.” (NJ.com, 04/25/2016)

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About Learning Ally
Founded in 1948, Learning Ally supports K-12, college and graduate students, veterans and lifelong learners – all of whom read and learn differently due to dyslexia, blindness or visual impairment, and other disabilities. Through its extensive community events and support programs, Learning Ally enables parents, teachers and specialists to help students thrive and succeed. The organization hosts live and virtual events for families and teachers; provides instructive webinars led by experts as well as peer-to-peer sessions led by students; personal consultations for parents; and professional development workshops for educators.

Learning Ally’s collection of 80,000 human-narrated audio textbooks and literature titles can be downloaded by students using their smartphones and tablets, and is the largest of its kind in the world. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, Learning Ally is partially funded by grants from state and local education programs, and the generous contributions of individuals, foundations and corporations. For more information, visit http://LearningAlly.org.