On Top of the News
Newark Students Are Better Off, Despite The Political Noise
Newark Star-Ledger | 9/6/15
Behind the Headline
Dispelling Five Falsehoods About Newark’s School System
Education Next blog| 12/8/14
Dale Russakoff, a reporter from the Washington Post, spent more than four years in Newark observing its school reform efforts, and the result is a new book, The Prize: Who’s in Charge of America’s Schools? which was released today.
Russakoff began her work when Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg made a $100 million donation to launch a new round of reform in Newark. She followed along as reformers “expanded charter schools, closed chronically failing schools, offered merit pay to good teachers, gave principals powers to hire and fire, and offered a menu of new school choices.”
Russakoff’s verdict is that students in high-performing charter schools are now better off than they were before, but that students in district-run schools are not. Many are objecting to her conclusion.
Tom Moran of the Newark Star-Ledger offers his take here. Alexander Russo rounds up several reviews of the book here.
For some background on Newark:
Cami Anderson, who resigned this June as superintendent of schools in Newark, was profiled by Peter Meyer for Education Next in 2013.
Chris Cerf, the former New Jersey Education Commissioner who was brought in to serve as superintendent of Newark schools after Anderson resigned, wrote “Dispelling Five Falsehoods About Newark’s School System” last year.
– Education Next
