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On the day the NJ Supreme Court issued an
opinion in the most recent round of the
Abbott v. Burke case, OC/OS
distributed a press release welcoming the
justices' unanimous decision to remand the
case to a lower court for fact-finding.
"Let's find out what the SFRA will do to the
Abbott districts. Let's see how the state
expects to remain in compliance with the
Court's landmark Abbott decisions. And let's
understand, once and for all, how significant
those decisions have been, and still are, for
urban schoolchildren," the release read.
Read
the entire OC/OS press release..
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The September 22 rally organized by OC/OS,
with help from the New Jersey Education
Organizing Collaborative (NJEOC), just prior
to the New Jersey Supreme Court hearing in
the Abbott v. Burke case, brought out
several hundred Abbott supporters. Buses came
to Trenton from Newark, Paterson, Jersey
City, Asbury Park, Camden and Bridgeton, with
smaller groups and individuals arriving from
around the state.
Read
more about the rally and view photos...
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On November 14, well over a hundred New
Jersey school districts were required to
submit plans for implementation of the
State's preschool expansion program. The
weeks leading up to the deadline were
eventful with public testimony before the
Joint Committee on the Public Schools and
Governor Corzine's remarks about a possible
delay in program implementation because of
budget concerns.
Read
more about preschool expansion...
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Flawed High School Plan on Fast Track
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Despite growing opposition, Education
Commissioner Lucille Davy and the NJ
Department of Education are moving ahead with
proposals for new graduation standards and
tests that would dramatically increase the
requirements to earn a high school diploma.
The "High School Redesign" plans are now
before the State Board of Education, and
critics from urban, suburban and county
Vo-Tech schools have raised numerous concerns
about the plan.
Read
more about "High School Redesign"...
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Jersey City Council Passes Resolution Opposing SFRA
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On November 12, the Jersey City
Municipal Council passed a resolution
opposing the School Funding Reform Act of
2008 (SFRA) and urging the New Jersey
Legislature to "reinstate the Abbott
designation" and "revise the SFRA." Parents
and Communities United for Education, the
Jersey City Chapter of the Statewide
Education Organizing Committee, helped
prepare the resolution.
Read
more about the anti-SFRA resolution and PCUE...
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Second Trenton Parent Empowerment Summit Focuses on Learning
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The September 27 Summit held at Joyce Kilmer
School attracted parents, grandparents,
teachers and administrators, who joined
together for a day-long session about the new
curriculum guides used throughout the Trenton
Public School System. Speakers, including two
Children's Futures' board members, Trenton
Schools Superintendent Rodney Lofton, and
Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer, encouraged
parents to partner with and guide their
children along the learning continuum.
Read
more about the Summit and the Trenton CHANGE Coalition...
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 Abbott
Leadership Institute Classes: Series 14 "What
Parents Need to Know," December 6 and 20,
10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Ackerson Hall, Dean's Lounge,
Rutgers University Newark. For more information,
call 973-353-3560 or visit
www.abbottleadership.org.
Too Hungry To Learn?
Connecting Resources to Address Poverty's Impact on
Student Success, Public Education
Institute Forum with Cecilia Zalkind of the
Association for Children of New Jersey and other
panelists. Monday, December 1, 9 a.m. to noon,
Rutgers University Douglass Campus Center, New
Brunswick. No charge for admission. To register,
call 732-564-9100, x 25, or e-mail
rupei@rci.rutgers.edu.
Our Children/Our Schools
General Meetings, Thursday, December 18,
10 a.m. to Noon, via conference call, and Thursday,
January 15, 10 a.m. to Noon, at Education Law Center
in Newark. For more info, contact
skrengel@edlawcenter.org.
Send announcements of
upcoming events for the Our Children/Our Schools
Calendar to
info@ourchildrenourschools.org. |
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"At its core, a constitutionally adequate
education is one that will prepare public school children for a meaningful
role in society, enable them to compete effectively in the economy and
contribute and participate as citizens and members of their communities."
Abbott v. Burke IV
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With 125,000 Latino children living in Abbott
districts, it's no wonder the Hispanic
Directors Association of New Jersey (HDANJ)
decided to intercede in the Abbott v.
Burke case on the new school funding
formula. But long before the formula became
law in January, HDANJ, a founding member of
OC/OS, had turned its attention to education
issues.
