Candidates seeking a spot on the Newark Public Schools Advisory Board examined a long list of challenges facing the district—part of a March 28 forum focused on the future of the Newark's public schools, along with the district's near-$1 billion operating budget.

The discussion, hosted by the Newark Trust for Education's Committee of Advocates, touched on several of the pressing issues facing the district. They included the merit pay provision in the recently adopted contract between the district and the Newark Teachers' Union, the effect of district charter schools as well as school closings and teacher layoffs.

But at almost every step, the candidates argued for local control over the district. The New Jersey Department of Education has held the district's administrative reins since 1995.

"This school board election is critical," said forum moderator Richard Cammarieri, a former advisory board member and lifelong Newark resident. "With a budget that surpasses the city's budget by $300 million, we have a moral, civic and financial responsibility to vote on April 16."

With recent data showing that the vast majority of high-achieving students from low-income neighborhoods don't apply to selective colleges or universities, concerns over an ever-growing achievement gap continue to hang over Newark's schools and families.

That achievement gap, largely considered a national crisis, was the focus of a March 14 panel discussion held by the Newark Trust for Education's Committee of Advocates.

"As Newark Public Schools works to launch reform initiatives to accelerate district-wide academic achievement, we need to examine some key challenges facing our youth," said Trust President and CEO Ross Danis.

"We should stop the street fighting between charter schools and public schools," said candidate and interim board member Ariagna Perello. "If a charter school works, guess what? Let's share best practices."

Perello, who assumed the seat vacated by Shanique Speight last year, is running on the Children First ticket, a three-candidate slate backed by a coalition of city leaders that, in the past, has been wary of charter schools.

Read this article as it originally appeared on Patch.com

Five of the six candidates seeking seats on the Newark School Advisory Board met Thursday at Essex County College for a forum to discuss issues ranging from charter schools to the performance of state-appointed superintendent Cami Anderson.

Three seats are up for election April 16.

The forum, hosted by the Newark Trust for Education, was moderated by Richard Cammarieri of the New Community Corp., who read a series of questions to the candidates. The candidates did not debate each other but did offer sometimes divergent views on a number of issues.

Read this op-ed as it originally appeared in the March 20 Star-Ledger.

The recent resignation of Greg Taylor from his position as president and CEO of the Foundation for Newark’s Future has set tongues wagging throughout New Jersey’s education community.

If only there was as much critical conversation about the effectiveness of the many generous grants made to our public schools by a multitude of philanthropic foundations, including Face­book founder Mark Zuckerberg’s Startup Foundation, which has pledged $100 million in matching funds to the FNF to help Newark schools.

But such conversation remains difficult, in part, because we still don’t have a reliable way to measure the effectiveness of the city’s education philanthropy.

Trust President and CEO Ross Danis sat down with NJTV's Mike Schieder to discuss the role of philanthropy in Newark education.

'Literacy through yoga'? Maybe well-intentioned philanthropy in education needs better tracking.

Read this article as it originally appeared in the March 6, 2013 edition of The Wall Street Journal (may need a subscription) 

When Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg hosted a fundraising event at his home in Palo Alto, Calif., last month for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, the event set tongues wagging. The billionaire's interest in the New Jersey politician was thoroughly dissected by the chattering class. Too bad there hasn't been as much interest in analyzing Mr. Zuckerberg's $100 million commitment to support the struggling public schools in Newark, N.J., or in studying the effectiveness of the many other education grants made by foundations to help in Newark.

To be fair, it is difficult to judge how well the philanthropy in Newark is working because precious few data have been collected. Truly useful metrics, therefore, haven't been developed. The gap between good intentions and measurable results will be familiar anywhere in the country where philanthropies join efforts to improve education.

Newark Contract Emphasizes Quality Teaching

Read this story as it originally appeared in The Patch.

In reaching a tentative agreement on a teachers’ contract, Newark Superintendent Cami Anderson and NewarkTeachers Union President Joe DelGrosso have demonstrated a remarkable degree of courage and discipline tempered by a shared desire to build a foundation for a vibrant future.

The agreement, which is to be voted on by teachers on Wednesday, has been described as groundbreaking because, for the first time, it awards teachers bonuses based on an annual evaluation.

Merit pay has long been an anathema to teacher’s unions that fear it creates a competitive environment at odds with the collegial nature of teaching.