By Dr. Larry Feinsod 

After Superstorm Sandy struck New Jersey last fall, the outpouring of concern and generosity from people across the country was comforting.  Many of those contacting the NJSBA Sandy Relief Effort had experienced destruction and tragedy first hand during Hurricane Katrina or other natural disasters.  They knew the needs of displaced families and the types of equipment and supplies required by schools that were severely impacted by the storm.

Yesterday, a super tornado carved a two-by-20 mile Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Larry Feinsod

As NJSBA’s semi-annual Delegate Assembly approaches (Saturday, May 18 is the meeting date), it’s a good time to recount the Association’s progress on key initiatives Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Larry Feinsod

Last week, I had the honor of recognizing a gentleman who has served his community as a school board member for more than half a century.   You read that correctly: 50 years! Calvin Back, the president of the Middle Township Board of Education in Cape May County, first joined his board at the age of 27. When Calvin started on his board, John F. Kennedy Read the rest of this entry »

By

Ray Pinney

There is a nationwide focus on the achievement gap and weak academic performance in our poorest communities. It’s certainly warranted.  In New Jersey, this issue  has been at the core of the Abbott rulings by the New Jersey Supreme Court.

Unfortunately, there seems to be the notion that to improve the educational achievement of our poorest children, we need charismatic leaders with bold ideas that will be implemented quickly, dramatically and with great fanfare. That is why charismatic educators like Michelle Rhee, Geoffrey Canada, and several years ago, Joe Clark, become overnight stars –for awhile.

What if the way to academic success in our poorest school districts is slow, quiet, and actually accomplished with some ordinary practices? That is what David Kirp, author of the book Improbable Scholars argues is probably the direction we should go. He holds up the New Jersey school district of Union City as a model.

In New Jersey, we grab headlines when the state “takes over” a district as it did with Jersey City, Newark and Paterson. Recently, the state announced that it would initiate a state “intervention” in the city of Camden. The Camden “intervention” is different than that in the other three cities because it appears that the community and the district did not object to the state’s action.  Nonetheless, it did grab headlines.

It should be noted that Union City, the star district in Kirp’s book, was itself was on the verge of a state takeover about a quarter of a century ago. Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Larry Feinsod

It isn’t very often that one finds unanimity among state-level education organizations on issues before the Legislature. Last week, however, Read the rest of this entry »

 By Dr. Larry Feinsod

New Jersey’s 21 county school boards associations play a critical role in developing sound educational leadership.  They can be a valuable source of training and information, as well as a forum for sharing ideas and concerns across district lines. Throughout my 32 years Read the rest of this entry »

 By Dr. Larry Feinsod

Expect to see widespread news coverage of the state’s School Performance Report, an extensively retooled version of the familiar New Jersey School Report Card.  The new report is expected to be released shortly.

Long-standing NJSBA policy stresses Read the rest of this entry »

By

Ray Pinney

As Diane Lein, a Greenwich Township (Warren County) board member, spoke before the NJSBA Legislative Committee, it was obvious by the inflection in her voice and by the pained look in her eyes that she was in a bit of distress. The kids in her district were going to be hurt by Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Larry Feinsod

No other organization can provide information on school law, labor relations, policy and governance better than the New Jersey School Boards Association.  I discovered that fact early in my career as a district superintendent, and it’s been confirmed during my past six months as NJSBA’s executive director.

Still, a nagging question remained about Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Larry Feinsod

Enrollment grows and declines.  Educational goals and programs evolve.  Finances expand and tighten.  During my career, I’ve experienced all of these trends.  They underscore why public education must be a dynamic institution, which adapts to the needs of our students.

One factor has consistently thrown up a roadblock to educational progress.  It remains in place Read the rest of this entry »