New Jersey consistently ranks as one of the top-performing states in the country when it comes to education. Most recently, it was ranked third in the nation. A look at the state's standards in any subject shows the state works diligently to vertically align standards while also challenging students in order to better prepare them for the future…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of the 2006 New Jersey Department of Education's initiative to improve mentoring supports for first-year new teachers throughout the state. As part of this initiative, every school district in the state was required to develop a comprehensive mentoring plan to support new teachers. Districts…

As states are working to align their education systems with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in support of the goal of graduating all students ready for college, careers and life, academic and career and technical education (CTE) leaders at the state and local levels can and should maximize this opportunity to finally break down the silos…

Over the past decade, national initiatives have shifted States' attention to the challenge of turning around low-performing schools. The lack of consistent, dramatic improvements in the lowest-performing schools reflects the severity of the school turnaround challenge, but also suggests the need to continuously evaluate and refine turnaround…

This paper describes New Jersey's efforts to measure the performance of local school districts, efforts which include developing indicators of success and monitoring guidelines and certification standards. Specifically, this report compares and contrasts the ways in which local districts responded to being placed in "Level III"--a…

This study identifies and evaluates changes in secondary schools not meeting the minimum standards required by New Jersey as tested on the Minimum Basic Skills Test. The study identified the deficiencies in three urban high schools and evaluated the progress toward meeting the standards. All but 2 of the 76 recommendations made were implemented.…

The New Jersey Constitution requires that all students receive a "thorough and efficient" education. In Robinson v. Cahill, the New Jersey Supreme Court found that the state funding system and program monitoring systems were inadequate and ordered the legislature to correct these deficiencies. As a result, New Jersey has recently…

The New Jersey State Department of Education is implementing a program to evaluate every school on its basic skills instruction, improvement plans, and legal compliance. Unsatisfactory schools face labeling and a comprehensive program review. This article outlines the state plan and the New Jersey Education Association's objections to it. (SJL)

Implemented in January 1984, the two-part New Jersey local assistance plan calls for state intervention and possible takeover in districts that are unable, after going through the Level I and Level II monitoring and correction processes, to meet state certification standards. The first phase of the intervention plan, a Level III monitoring…

In the wake of January 1988 takeover legislation to improve education in the State of New Jersey, this paper describes and justifies the strict state three-tier monitoring system of school district educational standards. School districts that need improvement after the first level of monitoring must develop an improvement plan to overcome their…