Dive Brief:
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The Newark clergy penned a letter asking Gov. Chris Christie to place a moratorium on the One Newark Public School Plan, a highly contentious education reform effort spearheaded by the city's superintendent, Cami Anderson.
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Anderson and One Newark have received criticism from both sides of the school reform debate, with opponents disliking the plan's reorganization of the city's schools and advocates struggling to get behind Anderson, who is being pegged as an ineffective leader.
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The clergy says they are writing the letter to Christie because they are "concerned about the public anger" they see "growing in the community," as the current plan creates both instability and controversy.
Dive Insight:
According to the Washington Post, Christie last year responded to criticism of Anderson and One Newark with, "I don't care about community criticism, I care about the job she is doing."
This all-encompassing defense of the superintendent, perhaps gives some insight into the sort of response he will give the city's clergy.
While the bipartisan clergy shows neither support or opposition to charter schools, they do explain frustration with the the way the new education reforms have been rolled out in the city. "The presentation and implementation process of the One Newark Public School Plan has been fraught with problems," they write before discussing the high teacher turnover rate and low morale of families and other school stakeholders.
In addition to a moratorium on the plan, the clergy lists numerous alternatives that the city could implement. While it is admirable that the clergy did not just ask for a moratorium, but in fact gave suggestions for improvement, the actual list of suggestions feels a bit vague and not necessarily immediately usable.
Here are some of their suggestions: Use data-driven pedagogical practices, give stakeholders the chance to play an important role in the future of the city's children, give citizens the opportunity to plan long-term educational strategies of change, and establish a partnership between the State of New Jersey and the Citizens of Newark.