The ugly reform mess in Newark public schools — by a top Newark education official
Cami Anderson, the hermit superintendent of the Newark schools
The public school system in Newark, N.J., is not run by the people of Newark but, rather, by a superintendent appointed by Gov. Chris Christie (R). That superintendent, Cami Anderson, who was appointed in 2011, has turned many in the city — including former allies — against her as she has implemented a highly controversial reform plan, called “One Newark.”According to this story by my Post colleague Lyndsey Layton, this is how the reforms were implemented:
The plan, which fully took effect during this academic year, essentially blew up the old system. It eliminated neighborhood schools in favor of a citywide lottery designed to give parents more choices. It prompted mass firings of principals and teachers, and it led to numerous school closures and a sharp rise in the city’s reliance on charter schools, which are publicly funded but privately run.
“One Newark” has led to seven separate complaints of civil rights violations now under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education, Layton reported. In April 2014, dozens of clergy in Newark warned Christie that school reform was causing so much “unnecessary instability” that they were “concerned about the level of public anger” over the issue. Weeks later, Newark voters elected a new mayor, Ras Baraka, whose campaign was focused on attacking Anderson’s reforms, and who continues to call for Anderson’s resignation. To date, Christie has maintained his support for Anderson.
Just last week, Baraka issued his latest letter to the Newark community in which he blasts Anderson’s reforms, saying in part (note that the bold-face type and underlining is in the original letter.] :
The facts can no longer be ignored. Our schools are being failed. They are not failing; they are being failed. Our schools have been attacked by a narrow reform agenda that amounts to nothing more than chaos, graft, and mis-education.
The following post details what is going on in the Newark district, which was so low-performing that the state took over in control in 1995 but failed to either do much to improve things or return control back to the city. This was written by Lauren Wells, who was appointed in 2014 as the Chief Education Officer in Baraka’s administration. An educator and school change agent, she was, from 2006-2009, the project coordinator of a statewide education policy coalition called the New Jersey Education Organizing Coalition. In 2009, Dr. Wells became the director of the Broader Bolder Approach to Education at the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education at New York University, where she led the design and implementation of a major school reform initiative in The ugly reform mess in Newark public schools — by a top Newark education official - The Washington Post:
Baraka: Time for the people to take back their schools.
