Community Voice: A Two-Tiered Education System

I’m always trying to highlight local voices, and this note from a teacher appeared in my comments a little while back. I’ve had a hard time wrapping my head around the recent #AllSchoolsRise social media campaign by the school district here, in part because I keep hearing teachers who I respect tell stories like these. … Continue reading Community Voice: A Two-Tiered Education System

Can Camden Charter School Promote Justice by Acting Unjustly? Part II

Yesterday, I wrote about the idea that you could address injustice (in this case, the wide disparity in education outcomes) by treating a community poorly. To some, that sounds like an exaggeration, so I want to continue the theme today by focusing on improvements to cultural competence, something that is much needed, but fails to address … Continue reading Can Camden Charter School Promote Justice by Acting Unjustly? Part II

Camden School Closures Send the Wrong Message to Black Students

I’ve been eagerly awaiting Rutgers PhD candidate Mark Weber’s analysis of the Camden school closures. Many of you know Mark as JerseyJazzman, but he’s also doing work with Dr. Bruce Baker at Rutgers, New Brunswick. His policy brief on the school closures is an important document (and an important public work). It pokes holes in … Continue reading Camden School Closures Send the Wrong Message to Black Students

Community Voice: Jose Delgado on the state’s “Portfolio Management strategy”

Pulled this, from Jose Delgado, up from the comments:It is comforting to now have so many people articulate the fact that the NJ DOE strategy has always been the eventual destruction of the public school district through implementation of a Portfolio Management strategy. For years I felt like I was the only person on earth … Continue reading Community Voice: Jose Delgado on the state’s “Portfolio Management strategy”

Legal Challenges to the Camden School District Part I

Last week’s Camden School Board meeting featured a noticeable change in both tenor and strategy of activists that have opposed the Camden School District’s move toward “No Excuses” charter management organizations such as KIPP, Uncommon and Mastery. For more than 18 months, residents have been taking the school district at face value. When the district said it was … Continue reading Legal Challenges to the Camden School District Part I