| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NJ Spotlight--Brave New World for Newark Schools as State Cedes Control
With one struggle ended, politicians, educators, advocates, and parents look to new challenges
Yesterday marked the beginning of the end of New Jersey’s control of Newark’s public school system, as the state Board of Education voted unanimously to start the process for the state to cede its direct oversight after more than two decades.
But in the immediate aftermath of the vote at the state Department of Education, the scrum of activity outside the Trenton offices showed just how complicated — and likely contentious — that process will be.
John Mooney | September 14, 2017
Star Ledger--After more than 20 years, state takeover of Newark schools is over
NEWARK -- A new chapter is beginning for the state's largest public school system.
The state Board of Education voted Wednesday to end its takeover of the Newark school district and begin the transition to return control to the locally-elected school board after 22 years.
"Today it ends," said Sen. Teresa Ruiz, D-Essex. "And local control returns. And what does that mean? It means a lot of work."
Karen Yi| Updated on September 13, 2017 at 1:10 PM Posted on September 13, 2017 at 11:07 AM
Education Week--Coding, Robotics, Makerspaces Poised to Grow in Schools, Report Says
Coding and robotics highlighted in report
Coding and the rise of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) learning are the trends to watch in K-12 educational technology this year, and schools may be expanding robotics programs and makerspaces, which are physical environments for hands-on learning, predicts a recent report from the New Media Consortium and the Consortium for School Networking.
For the NMC/CoSN Horizon Report, researchers consulted with 61 education and technology experts to predict the five-year impact of emerging technologies in K-12 schools. The annual report identifies six trends driving technology adoption, six challenges facing schools and districts, and six upcoming technological developments in schools.
Along with the report, the organizations also released a digital toolkit designed to help schools and districts implement technological change, said Keith Krueger, the CEO of CoSN.
"There's so many new technologies and exciting things happening, it's hard to spend time focused on what's most important," he said. The report "gives educational leaders a focused lens to say, 'These are the really important things happening this year.' "
Sarah Schwartz| September 12, 2017