• Deadline Extended to Apply for Holocaust/Genocide Education Grant

  Kindergarten through 12th grade teachers who are concerned with confronting prejudice and furthering social justice through the study of the Holocaust and other genocides are eligible for Keats grants.

• Legislative Update: Senate, Assembly Hold First ‘Lame Duck’ Voting Sessions

  On Thursday, Dec. 2, the Senate and General Assembly convened for their first scheduled voting sessions since June. The Senate acted on a number of education-related bills, including several that the governor conditionally vetoed last month.

  

• Social Media Takes Center Stage in Two School Ethics Cases

  Once again, social media is dominating the School Ethics Commission’s docket, as the body issued decisions Nov. 16 in two cases involving school board members’ actions on social media.

• Voters to Decide School Construction Proposals in Special Election

  Voters will head to the polls for a special election Dec. 14 to decide various school construction proposals.

• ‘Education Matters’ Highlights Late Start Times at Schools

  Dr. Christine Burton, superintendent of Millburn Township Public Schools, was recently featured on “Education Matters,” the New Jersey School Boards Association's popular video series.

• NJDOE Acting Commissioner and NJSBA Executive Director Get to Work

  Dr. Angelica Allen-McMillan, acting commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education, visited the New Jersey School Boards Association headquarters in Trenton Dec. 6, where she met with Dr. Lawrence S. Feinsod, the executive director of NJSBA.

• Film/Video Showcase Features Top Student Filmmakers from New Jersey

  The film/video showcase includes 17 student-produced short films/videos from 17 school districts that were included in the Garden State Film Festival in 2021, which is one of the largest and most prestigious film festivals in the United States.

• Guide Reveals How Text Messaging Can Improve Attendance in Schools

  The Institution of Education Sciences, an independent, nonpartisan statistics, research and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Education, recently published a study that reveals how text messaging can improve attendance at elementary schools.

• Completing the 2020-2021 Title I, Part A Performance Report

  Districts must complete and submit the report by Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, according to the memo from Kathy Ehling, assistant commissioner, NJDOE Division of Educational Services.

• NJDOE Enhances Portfolio Appeals Process to Support Fully Electronic Submissions

  The New Jersey Department of Education has enhanced the portfolio appeals process to support fully electronic submissions, eliminating the exchange of paper portfolios between districts and the NJDOE, according to a memo.