A number of states are considering policy proposals to update credential or degree requirements for early educators. Practitioners, policy experts, and researchers have expressed concern, however, that well-intentioned policies to raise educator qualifications without sufficient supports may have negative consequences for the adequacy; stability;…

High-quality early childhood education (ECE) begins with well-prepared, highly qualified educators. This brief offers practitioners and policymakers an opportunity to learn from promising programs that recruit and prepare racially, ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse cohorts of educators to teach in programs serving children birth…

High-quality early childhood education (ECE) begins with well-prepared, highly qualified educators. This brief offers practitioners and policymakers an opportunity to learn from promising programs that recruit and prepare racially, ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse cohorts of educators to teach in programs serving children birth…

This report is drafted with state leaders and policy makers in mind, including those who work with or support these education leaders. The information shared in this report will likely be most relevant to states that have either not yet considered a new data system on teacher preparation providers, are only now starting to consider the idea, or…

Annually, ACT provides a snapshot of the college and career readiness of ACT-tested high school graduates. This report is offered as a service to inform policymakers and practitioners about selected indicators of effectiveness and how that translates into readiness. It is designed to stimulate discussion, inquiry, and action. This report for the…

The guides aim to help New Jersey school administrators and staff undertake the process of developing and implementing programs for their gifted students. The first guide deals with staff development, focusing on criteria to consider when selecting teachers of the gifted, teacher training, and stages of staff development. Appendices offer…

This systematic planning guide is intended to assist early childhood teachers in planning the educational program and in designing classroom activities. In addition, New Jersey educators will find it helpful in complying with state requirements. Guidelines are presented in the following areas: (1) establishing a philosophy; (2) developing goals;…

This guide was developed by the New Jersey Department of Education to assist adults working with young children in providing high quality education experiences. Articulating the optimal relationships between and among families, the community, and schools, the guide describes developmentally appropriate teaching practices; identifies expected…

The purpose of New Jersey's Visual and Performing Arts Standards is to improve student achievement in arts education, not arts-as-entertainment, not art-assembly projects, not art-as-activity. An education in the arts requires curricular scope and sequence and the intellectual rigor of experiential learning. The Visual and Performing Arts…

In 1984-85, a study was conducted to gather information about current professional development policies in New Jersey's county colleges, professional development activities and opportunities, the effectiveness of these activities, variations among campuses and disciplines, and incentives for participation. The study involved surveys of the…

Annually, ACT provides a snapshot of the college and career readiness of ACT-tested high school graduates. This report is offered as a service to inform policymakers and practitioners about selected indicators of effectiveness and how that translates into readiness. It is designed to stimulate discussion, inquiry, and action. This report is…

A grass roots effort led to the first state-sponsored contest for invention and innovation for children. (Author)

To increase parent involvement and meet the need for adult help in classrooms, a preschool director implemented a practicum in a church-owned, nondenominational preschool serving 250 children from an upper-middle-class community in the Northeast. The intervention offered a wide range of parent involvement activities, including the formation of a…

This theme issue of "The Docket" is devoted to national standards and their effects on education reform. National standards may provide the first real opportunity for schools to address the issues of student assessment and achievement. As the touchstone for educational equity, they may be the first real opportunity for teachers to…

This extensive draft of a social studies curriculum framework for New Jersey elementary and secondary schools is divided into three broad sections: (1) "Introduction/Statement of Purpose"; (2) "Guiding Principles"; and (3) "Teaching to the Standards." The framework is based upon the nine approved social studies…