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Star Ledger--Can it be? Good news about N.J. public worker pensions?
TRENTON -- The deterioration of New Jersey's pension system has begun to level off, a rating agency says, and the troubled funds could actually begin to see some long-awaited improvement.
As of July 2016, New Jersey's government worker pension fund had enough assets to cover just 31 percent of promises made to current and future retirees. That was down from 37.5 percent 42.5 percent in the prior two fiscal years, as measured under national accounting standards.
But based on the state's latest budget, which contributes $2.5 billion to the pension fund -- half of what's recommended by actuaries, S&P Global said Friday it doesn't expect the funding ratio to slide further.
By Samantha Marcus| Updated on August 28, 2017 at 7:07 AM Posted on August 28, 2017 at 7:00 AM
Associated Press (via Philadelphia Inquirer) Can computers enhance the work of teachers? The debate is on
WASHINGTON (AP) - In middle school, Junior Alvarado often struggled with multiplication and earned poor grades in math, so when he started his freshman year at Washington Leadership Academy, a charter high school in the nation's capital, he fretted that he would lag behind.
But his teachers used technology to identify his weak spots, customize a learning plan just for him and coach him through it. This past week, as Alvarado started sophomore geometry, he was more confident in his skills.
"For me personalized learning is having classes set at your level," Alvarado, 15, said in between lessons. "They explain the problem step by step, it wouldn't be as fast, it will be at your pace."
As schools struggle to raise high school graduation rates and close the persistent achievement gap for minority and low-income students, many educators tout digital technology in the classroom as a way forward. But experts caution that this approach still needs more scrutiny and warn schools and parents against being overly reliant on computers.
MARIA DANILOVA, The Associated Press| Updated: August 28, 2017 — 3:01 AM EDT
