POOR CHILDREN STILL NEED COURT PROTECTION

ELC filed papers on Wednesday with the NJ Supreme Court opposing the State's request to stop providing extra help for poor children and schools, as ordered in the landmark Abbott v. Burke litigation. Read More....

EDUCATION JUSTICE SPONSORS QUALITY EDUCATION CONFERENCE

On June 11-12, 2008, Education Justice – ELC's new national initiative on behalf of public school children – will co-sponsor "Exploring New Horizons for Equal Educational Opportunity," a conference bringing together plaintiff litigators, education advocates, and policy experts to engage in an exploration of education reform. Conference Details....

DO ABBOTT DISTRICTS SPEND THE MOST PER PUPIL?

Find out the real answer and help us bust another myth about New Jersey's high poverty urban schools and its students. Read Now....

NJ MISSTEPS ON SECONDARY REFORM PLAN: NEW TESTS, NO NEW RESOURCES

On April 25, the New Jersey High School Redesign Steering Committee released its long-awaited recommendations for secondary reform in a report entitled NJ Steps: Re-designing Education in NJ for the 21st Century. Although the report urges six new high-stakes exams and “a fundamental change in public education in the state that will affect students in all grades,” the committee did not propose any new resources to support its recommendations. Read More....

STATE BOARD VOTES TO RETAIN ALTERNATIVE ROUTE TO GRADUATION

At its March 19 meeting, the New Jersey State Board of Education passed a resolution to retain and reform the Special Review Assessment (SRA), the alternative high school assessment used in recent years by over 10,000 students to earn a high school diploma. The Board’s action followed a year-long campaign by advocates and stakeholders, including Education Law Center, to reverse plans to eliminate the alternative route to a diploma. Read More....

APPELLATE COURT REQUIRES NEEDS ASSESSMENT IN BACON DISTRICTS

A New Jersey appellate court directed the Commissioner of Education to carry out a needs assessment of the so-called Bacon school districts. In an opinion released on March 14, the court found the assessment to be a prerequisite for determining whether the new school funding formula enacted by the State Legislature in January provides an appropriate remedy for these poor, rural districts. Read More....

GOVERNOR & LEGISLATURE GET THIRD CHANCE TO FUND SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION

In an order issued today, the NJ Supreme Court has given Governor Corzine and legislators a third chance to approve $2.5 billion in new construction funds to restart numerous stalled school projects in Abbott districts. Read More....

PUBLIC ACCESS TO SCHOOL FUNDING ALTERNATIVES HEADED FOR SUPREME COURT SHOWDOWN

The NJ Supreme Court has announced it will review a December 11, 2007 Appellate Court decision ordering the Education Department to release to the public a 2003 memo containing alternative school funding formulas, setting up a showdown on the Corzine administration's legal strategy for keeping background research, data and other documents under wraps. Read More....

BILL PLACING BURDEN OF PROOF ON DISTRICTS NOW LAW

ELC leads efforts which result in passage of a bill that places the burdens of proof and production on school districts in special education due process hearings. Read More....

ELC ASKS GOVERNOR TO WAIT TO APPLY NEW FORMULA TO ABBOTTS

Lawyers for urban school children at Education Law Center (ELC) have asked Governor Jon Corzine to exempt the Abbott districts from the new school funding formula until the State Supreme Court has had the opportunity to review the constitutionality of the new law. Read More....

REPORT ON SCHOOLYARD PLANNING AND DESIGN RELEASED

NJIT’s Center for Architecture and Building Science Research (CABSR) has published a report that explores ways of enhancing outdoor play and learning through more effective schoolyard design. The report, titled "Schoolyard Planning and Design in New Jersey," was developed jointly by CABSR and Education Law Center at the request of the New Jersey Department of Education (DOE). Read More....

EDUCATION LAW CENTER LAUNCHES NATIONAL INITIATIVE

Education Law Center (ELC) today launched a new, expanded national initiative on behalf of public school children – Education Justice – as announced by ELC Executive Director David Sciarra. Education Justice (EdJustice) at ELC will support advocates, policymakers, attorneys and others, in states across the nation, who are working to strengthen and improve public schools, especially those schools serving low-income and minority students. Read More....

ELC SUPPORTS PLAN TO RETAIN ALTERNATIVE GRADUATION ASSESSMENT

Education Law Center testified before the New Jersey State Board of Education on January 9 in support of a plan that would revise, rather than eliminate, the state’s alternative assessment for high school graduation. The new proposal follows a yearlong public campaign by ELC and other advocates to block attempts to eliminate the Special Review Assessment (SRA). Read More....