Thousands Of Newark Students Start ‘Historic’ School Year Online

NEWARK, NJ — Tuesday marked a historic day for the Newark Public School District, and not just because of the coronavirus.

As more than 30,000 Newark students logged on for their first day of class – which is taking place remotely until at least Nov. 17 – many eyes were focused on how COVID-19 would change the daily routine in the largest school district in New Jersey.

• See related article: Newark Public Schools Will Stay Remote Until November (UPDATED)

There has been a flurry of activity over the past weeks – much of it done by hardworking teachers, coaches and department chairs, officials said.

“Since April of last school year, the Office of Teaching and Learning, along with classroom teachers, coaches, and department chairpersons have worked to create 89 new curriculum documents, as well as 22 new courses of study,” the Newark Board of Education said in a joint statement.

“Students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of mathematics, science, foundational literacy, reading and language through online benchmark assessments. In addition, we have revamped curriculum in civics and Amistad, and planned changes in Black and Latino studies courses,” the board stated.

“We have prioritized social emotional learning as critical to the success of our students and we will be assessing student needs beginning on day one,” board members said. “All of this work will be complemented with progress monitoring assessments — very brief assessments that are used to better ensure students meet end-of-the-year learning targets.”

Staff have also been busy:

• Rolling out a new, “intensive cleaning and sanitizing” cleaning policy
• Giving specialized training to staff
• Distributing thousands of Chromebooks to students
• Digitizing the registration process
• Tweaking entrance/exit procedures

“When students log on for remote learning today, they will be greeted by their teachers who now have new and updated curricula, digital learning platforms, digital books and a variety of online assessments,” officials said.

• See related article: Newark Families And Educators: Are You Ready For Remote Learning?
• See related article: Newark Scraps Requirement That Students Complete FAFSA To Graduate

NEWARK TAKES BACK CONTROL

There are other reasons why the start of the 2020-2021 school year is unique, administrators pointed out. For example, Newark’s public schools are marking a huge milestone: their first year under local control in more than two decades.

In July, the New Jersey State Board of Education voted to return full local control to the Newark Public School District. The decision took place nearly 25 years to the day after the board stripped the authority of its local counterpart, which had struggled for years with academic achievement and management woes.

Gov. Phil Murphy called the milestone a “day for celebration.”

“For a quarter century, the local board of education in Newark has not had the full power to make decisions for their community,” Murphy said. “Today, full local control of the public schools has been restored to the people of Newark so that the local school board can address the unique needs of the school community.”

• See related article: Newark Schools Celebrate 'Historic' NJ Board Of Education Vote
• See related article: Positive Vibes As Newark Schools Return To Local Control

Newark school officials rolled out their ambitious, 10-year strategic plan on Tuesday.

The plan – developed with input from parents, students and community leaders – represents “the best thinking” of some of the brightest minds in Newark, Superintendent Roger León said.

“Our vision is that in ten years our schools will be equal in quality to the best anywhere and all our students will achieve to their fullest potential,” León said, adding that Tuesday was a “historic” day for the city.

“This strategic plan will help guide us there,” León said.

The plan also got a vote of confidence from Mayor Ras Baraka, who said it will make sure that everyone in Newark plays their part to create the schools that the city’s children deserve.

“As the mayor, and an educator myself, I commit to mobilizing the city’s resources in partnership with Newark Public Schools in order to bring this plan to life,” Baraka said. “I look forward to working with the district to make Newark the nation’s exemplar for culturally responsive and equitable education that empowers our students to live and lead in the 21st century.”

• See related article: Newark Schools Look To Next Decade After State Oversight Ends

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