EDUCATION NEWS
NEW JERSEY
| Asbury Park Press
Jackson schools forge deal with Lakewood busing consortium Faced with a growing population of private school students, Jackson schools signed a deal with the Lakewood Student Transportation Authority. |
Rutgers-Eagleton poll: Book bans and censorship top content concerns
Banning books concerns more New Jerseyans than worries over inappropriate content, according to a new Rutgers-Eagleton Poll.
- Also appears in burlingtoncountytimes.com
NJ.com
Vote to merge 2 Jersey Shore school districts hits potential roadblock
A referendum in Ocean County asking voters to approve merging a small Jersey Shore school district with one of the state’s largest districts is in limbo after another regional district filed a last-minute objection.
N.J. ranks No. 1 in the nation for college students in crucial category
New Jersey tops the nation in the percentage of community college students who transfer to four-year colleges and graduate with a bachelor’s degree, according to two new reports.
Some parents furious over plan to allow 14-year-olds to seek mental health counseling
New Jersey is poised to join two dozen other states to allow children as young as 14 to seek counseling on their own without parental consent, as the nation grapples with a post-pandemic mental health crisis, especially among youth.
- Also appears in Jersey Monitor
NJ Spotlight
Q&A: How to deal with student-aid application obstacles
Two high school counselors share tips.
New Jersey halts expansion of two Newark charter schools, renews one
The state approved charter-school expansion requests elsewhere, including in Paterson, Hoboken, Jersey City and Lakewood.
Feds deliver $19M for electric school buses in NJ
Funding for Union City, Elizabeth, Newark, Bloomfield and Lakewood school districts.
NorthJersey.com
NJ bill would protect librarians from abuse amid book ban push
The bill would give librarians immunity from being sued as calls for book bans continue. School boards would have to create policy on book removal.
- Also appears in mycentraljersey.com, nj.com and New Jersey Monitor
Trentonian
Violence in Hamilton and Trenton schools illustrates apathetic trend to watch and record
A disturbing video captured the attack of one Nottingham High School student Thursday while the incident delivered a notorious trend in adolescent behavior.
NATIONAL
Associated Press
Concerned parents are beginning to see progress on their push for healthier electric school buses
Fewer than 1% of the nearly half million school buses on the roads in the U.S. ran on electricity as of the end of 2023, even though this kind of clean bus has been available for years.
Chalkbeat
Years after COVID school closures, we’re seeing the effects on our fourth, fifth, and sixth graders
Across fourth, fifth, and sixth grades, we’re seeing students have trouble with sharing, taking turns, and working with others — symptoms of the developmental milestones many children missed in recent years.
Education Week
Low-Performing Schools Are Left to Languish by Districts and States, Watchdog Finds
Fewer than half of district plans for improving struggling schools meet bare minimum requirements.
Bilingual Teachers Are in Short Supply. How 3 Districts Solved That Problem
Districts found creative solutions by investing time and resources into bilingual paraprofessionals.
How States Are Rethinking Where School Funding Should Go
There’s constant debate over the best way to allocate state money to schools.
Parents Worried About Their Kids’ Mental Health See the Fix in New Schooling Options
Parents considering a change to their kids’ education identify mental health as a driving factor.
Applying the ‘Science of Reading’: 3 State Leaders on Putting Policy Into Practice
Officials discuss how their states have attempted a multifaceted approach.
These Black Women in STEM, Teachers’ Encouragement Went a Long Way
Ciara Sivels had her heart set on becoming a pastry chef and attending culinary school after graduation, until her high school chemistry teacher encouraged her to pursue chemical engineering after realizing how good she was at the subject.
A Court Ordered Billions for Education. Why School Might Not Get It Now
It’s the latest twist in a three-decade-old attempt by North Carolina school districts to compel the state to invest more funding to minimize education inequities in the state’s public schools. And it’s an example of how public schools can win a victory in court, only to face fresh complications in the quest for more resources.
