Newark Schools Get $250K Grant For Technology, Digital Learning

Newark, NJ – The Newark Public School District received a $250,000 Future Ready Schools – New Jersey grant from the New Jersey Department of Education to “implement a technology-enhanced curriculum that ensures Newark students are college and career ready.”

According to school administrators, the district will partner with the Pascack Valley Regional High School District to “develop an innovative and effective technology curriculum that enhances digital learning.”

The partnership will help both districts develop best practices that can be shared with teachers in other classrooms and schools to create student-centered learning environments that improve college and career readiness, Newark school officials stated.

Over a period of six months, NPS and Pascack Valley Regional High School will collaborate through virtual professional learning communities, virtual and in-person coaching and professional development trainings to develop and share best practices, school officials said.

The grant will primarily focus on promoting digital learning in high-need schools such as Luis Munoz Marin Elementary School, Brick Avon Academy, Technology High School and East Side High School, administrators stated.

According to school officials, the FRS-NJ grant program was included in the 2015-16 budget to assist schools with implementing a technology curriculum to create student-centered learning environments that are closely aligned with Common Core standards and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) exam.

“Digital learning has transformed the way our students learn at Pascack, and we are looking forward sharing best practices to collaborating with educators in Newark to create a technology enhanced curriculum that will serve as a model for others,” said P. Erik Gundersen, Superintendent of Schools at Pascack Valley Regional High School District.

Sign up for Patch NJ email newsletters here.