Fellowship Helps Belleville Parent Elevate Leadership Skills

BELLEVILLE, NJ — A local parent in Belleville recently got an elevation in leadership skills through a fellowship program hosted by JerseyCAN.

The statewide advocacy organization has graduated the 2025-26 cohorts for its “NJ Teacher Leader Policy,” “Parent Champions for Strong Schools” and “Student Civic Leaders” programs.

According to JerseyCAN, this year’s Parent Champions for Strong Schools Fellowship recipient from Belleville is Vanessa Johnson-Pearson, who advocated for stronger collaboration among families, educators and literacy specialists by promoting shared use of student assessment data to design individualized literacy plans and close reading achievement gaps.

According to JerseyCAN, participants in its fellowships get a chance to discuss the latest policy trends and issues in New Jersey education, deepen their understanding of the state's education challenges, and are empowered to develop the solutions needed at the local and statewide levels to improve public education in the Garden State.

In addition, each program gives participants opportunities to learn from state elected leaders, dialogue with educational experts, expand their own networks, build direct relationships within the New Jersey education space and develop their advocacy skills.

Each cohort meets throughout the school year, with graduation serving as a culminating event in which each fellow shares key milestones from their work and outlines plans to continue their advocacy.

“Public education is strongest when the people closest to students are equipped to help shape the decisions that affect them,” JerseyCAN executive director Paula White said.

“Lasting change in education does not begin in Trenton alone – it begins when students, parents, and teachers believe their voices matter and have the confidence, knowledge, and tools to use them effectively,” White said.

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