DFER New Jersey Blog
REPUBLICAN FY 2013 BUDGET PROPOSAL
March 29, 2012
REPUBLICAN FY 2013 BUDGET PROPOSAL
DRAMATIC AND RECKLESS CUTS TO EDUCATION SPENDING
Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives began debate on its budget proposal for FY 2013, the upcoming fiscal year that begins October 1st. The debate resumes on the House floor today.
In New Jersey:
• Almost 5,000 children will be eliminated from the Head Start program;
• Nearly 54,000 students with disabilities' costs will shift to states and districts as part of cuts to IDEA; and,
• Approximately 90,000 students from historically disadvantaged groups will have reduced or eliminated services due to Title I cuts.
Read more here.
The Importance of Civil Discourse
March 21, 2012
By Kathleen Nugent, DFER New Jersey State Director
A few weeks ago, Georgetown University President John DeGioia issued a statement in response to the attacks on Sandra Fluke, a Georgetown law student who testified before Congress about proposed regulations around contraceptive coverage. Ms. Fluke, he noted, "was respectful, sincere, and spoke with conviction. She provided a model of civil discourse. This expression of conscience was in the tradition of the deepest values we share as a people." His letter continued:
One need not agree with her substantive position to support her right to respectful free expression. And yet, some of those who disagreed with her position -- including Rush Limbaugh and commentators throughout the blogosphere and in various other media channels -- responded with behavior that can only be described as misogynistic, vitriolic, and a misrepresentation of the position of our student.
In our vibrant and diverse society, there always are important differences that need to be debated, with strong and legitimate beliefs held on all sides of challenging issues. The greatest contribution of the American project is the recognition that together, we can rely on civil discourse to engage the tensions that characterize these difficult issues, and work towards resolutions that balance deeply held and different perspectives. We have learned through painful experience that we must respect one another and we acknowledge that the best way to confront our differences is through constructive public debate. At times, the exercise of one person's freedom may conflict with another's. As Americans, we accept that the only answer to our differences is further engagement.
The timing and content of President DeGioia's letter feels particularly relevant to recent education reform debates. At all levels of policy discourse, from local to state to federal, too often participants generalize, distort, and otherwise manipulate the facts. This diverts focus from the actual priority - improving student outcomes.
DFER Applauds Effort to Reform Teacher Tenure System in NJ
March 5, 2012
Public Hearing on TEACHNJ Act a Promising First Step
On Monday, March 5th, Democrats for Education Reform New Jersey released the following statement from State Director Kathleen Nugent regarding the NJ Senate Education Committee hearing on SB1455, the Teacher Effectiveness and Accountability for the Children of New Jersey (TEACHNJ) Act.
"New Jersey's current tenure laws are out of date, costly, and inefficient. What's worse, they don't consider a teacher's impact on student achievement, disrespecting the teaching profession and not placing the needs of students first. Data shows that in one year the top five percent of teachers can impart a year and a half's worth of learning to their students; during the same year the weakest five percent of teachers impart only half a year's worth of material to their students. Our children deserve better.
"TEACHNJ will drastically improve the way districts and schools in New Jersey evaluate and support teachers. The Act calls for the creation of a new teacher evaluation system that will identify great teachers, support struggling teachers, and in the case of persistent failure, remove ineffective teachers. Tenure decisions and staff reductions will be based on effectiveness rather than seniority, as they have been for far too long.
"We know that the single most important factor in a child's academic success is whether or not she or he has an excellent teacher in the classroom. We applaud Senator Ruiz for her recognition of that fact and strong leadership as she takes a bold step toward improving education for all of our state's children. New Jersey - with one of the largest achievement gaps in the United States - has the opportunity now to set a national example if the legislature leads us to an improved system. This is good policy for teachers, it is good policy for children, and it is good policy for the future of our state."
In New Jersey, a year makes quite a difference
January 4, 2012
By Kathleen Nugent, DFER NJ State Director
Sometimes it's hard to realize progress when you're caught up in the daily grind. You tend to take for granted where you are since the focus is always on what's next. So, this post is a glance back at where we were a year ago in three priority areas in New Jersey education: tenure reform, leadership at the NJ Department of Education, and the search for Newark Public Schools' superintendent.
1) New Jersey's tenure reform debate
On December 9, 2010, Senator Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex), Chairwoman of the NJ Senate Education Committee, held the state's first-ever hearing on tenure reform. Although conversations on tenure reform today are commonplace in New Jersey, there was no substantive discussion of it before Ruiz's hearing.
Witnesses at the hearing included officials from NJ Department of Education (NJDOE), Colorado state Senator Michael Johnston (sponsor of Colorado's "Great Teachers and Great Leaders" bill - aka SB 191, considered to be one of the strongest teacher evaluation and tenure reform bills in the nation), TNTP's Executive Vice President and General Counsel Daniel Weisberg, and the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), among others. A few highlights from the day's testimony:
• The NJDOE stated there were 35 tenure cases open in 2008, which equated to less than two cases for every 10,000 educators;
• Senator Johnston noted the impact of a highly effective teacher is 2.5 times greater than class size reductions. According to Johnston, under the new teacher evaluation system in Colorado, tenure will be a "badge of honor;"
• Daniel Weisberg summarized findings from a national survey which showed that district evaluations typically fail to differentiate between teachers and do not provide useful feedback or support. He urged that a fair and credible evaluation system must be in place to measure performance, provide teachers with quality feedback, reward excellence, and address the small percentage of persistently poor-performing teachers;
• The NJEA asserted that a process was already in place to remove a teacher if a district believed he or she was not performing up to its standards. They outlined a few suggestions for improvement including a state-mandated and funded mentoring program for new teachers.
Fast forward to today... Senator Ruiz, after diligent research and broad stakeholder engagement, introduced her tenure reform bill called TEACHNJ in June. TEACHNJ ties tenure acquisition and retention to effectiveness, empowers principals by giving them more authority over staff in their schools, ends seniority-based layoffs for new hires, and overall outlines the foundation for a system that would greatly elevate the teaching profession in New Jersey. At the same time, the NJEA introduced a revised education reform agenda building from its previous testimony. Last but not least, the state, under the leadership of Acting Commissioner Chris Cerf, launched a new pilot educator evaluation system.
Serving all kids in all public schools
November 21, 2011
