Charter Anxiety: A Suburban Malady?As backlash grows in the suburbs, the reaction in the cities is more complicated
A Senate hearing yesterday on charter schools brought out many of the same familiar faces, led by a growing cadre of parents from suburban communities like Princeton, Highland Park, East Brunswick, and a new one to the list, Cherry Hill.
While more than half of all of New Jersey's charter schools operate in its poorest cities, there was nobody from places like Paterson, Trenton, and Camden. They weren't entirely without representation, to be sure, as various advocates stepped up to speak, but New Jersey's fierce debate over charter schools has had a distinctly suburban feel of late.
That raises the question: where are the cities in what some have called the growing backlash
Cerf Names Penny MacCormack as Chief Academic OfficerNew assistant commissioner served as assistant superintendent of Hartford secondary schools
Nine months into the job, acting education commissioner Chris Cerf continues to fill out what he calls his top "cabinet-level" positions, the latest hire a former official in Hartford, CT, schools to be his chief academic officer.
For the past five years, Penny MacCormack served as chief academic officer and assistant superintendent for secondary schools in Connecticut's capital city.
Starting two weeks ago but serving in an interim role until confirmed by the state Board of Education (BOE), MacCormack will be in charge of New Jersey's curriculum development and testing programs. Although a new title, the position has historically been the highest profile in a