The New Jersey Education Organizing Collaborative (NJEOC), whose members are also part of OC/OS, attended the first annual convening held by Communities for Public Education Reform (CPER) in Chicago in early April.

NJEOC is part of the CPER network of education organizers in New Jersey, Chicago, Denver and Philadelphia. CPER was created in 2007 to support community organizations working to improve the quality of educational resources and outcomes in low-income public schools. Both local and national foundations contribute to this effort.

In three sites, the CPER project is based in one city. But in New Jersey there is a statewide focus, and three cities participate in NJEOC – Newark, Paterson and Jersey City. New Jersey organizers work both locally and across cities on public education improvement and reform, with a specific focus on the principles established under Abbott v. Burke.

The April CPER convening was held at the end of the initial year of the project and provided an opportunity for organizers and education advocates from the four sites to meet face-to-face to share strategies, difficulties, accomplishments and insights. The consensus, after three days of meetings, was that the interaction was invaluable.

Conference participants attended several workshops, including "The Dynamics of Intergenerational Leadership and Organizing" and "Effective Public Policy Campaigns." NJEOC members presented information about the School Funding Reform Act of 2008, and the resulting sea change in school funding in New Jersey, during a workshop entitled "Closing the Funding Gap, Closing the Achievement Gap."

Given CPER’s emphasis on networking, it’s not surprising that the close of the convening did not mark the end of collaboration among the participating groups. A Chicago coalition – Voices of Youth in Chicago Education (VOYCE) – visited New Jersey during the first few days of May.

Coalition members visited Science Park and Westside High Schools in Newark and later met with NJEOC members to talk about youth education organizing.

"The roundtable with VOYCE was FANTASTIC!  These young people are so committed to the cause of improving their schools, and it's obvious that they have the capacity and a great plan to help them meet that goal," said Rosie Grant of the Paterson Education Fund, a member of NJEOC and OC/OS. "It was also good to see the Newark youth at the table. I feel inspired. Let's keep the ball rolling!"

For more information about NJEOC, contact Lauren Wells, Project Coordinator, at laurenwells@paterson-education.org.

Prepared: May 13, 2008