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Showing posts from May, 2017

The 50 School Districts that Spend the Most per Pupil of New Jersey's 647 Traditional and Public Charter School Districts

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2017 Memorial Day Parade- Hoboken, N J   The numbers come from the state's annual Taxpayers's Guide to Education Spending , which is intended to provide a comparison of all money spent on the students enrolled in the public school system, including transportation, equipment, total food services, judgments against the school district, and tuition/costs for students sent out of district (except payments to charter schools).  " According to data from the New Jersey Department of Education and reported by NJ.com , the Hoboken School District spent $28, 217 per student in 2015-16. This places the Hoboken City District 23rd out of 647 NJ school districts or in the top 3.5% in the state in per pupil spending"  Also included in the total cost are pension payments the state makes on behalf of school districts and tuition and fees districts paid to send students to other schools. There are approximately 647 traditional public and public charter school districts in the State o

Dr. Petrosino (Co-Founder) and Colleagues Celebrate UTeach Natural Sciences 20th Annversary

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20th Anniversary Celebration- May 23, 2017 As one of the original Co-Founder's of UTeach Natural Sciences, this year's annual conference is especially close to my heart as we celebrate our 20th Anniversary.  The UTeach teacher certification program is a collaborative effort on the part of the College of Natural Sciences and the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin . It was created in 1997 to address both the shortage of qualified secondary mathematics, science, and computer science teachers as well as the quality of those entering the field. The program has been well-received, cited by the National Academy of Sciences as a model program addressing the need for more highly qualified mathematics and science teachers. UTeach has been a model for other innovative mathematics and science education programs at other institutions; expanded to involve an additional forty-four universities in twenty-one states by 2019. -Dr. Petrosino Click to Enlarge T he 2017

The Trump-DeVos Budget: An All-Out Assault on America's Kids?

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As a new federal budget is proposed, Senator Elizabeth Warren explains what might be in store for education... 0:00 so the Trop budget comes out tomorrow 0:02 but the word is already leaking out from 0:05 the Washington Post about what's in it 0:07 you're not going to believe it so I just 0:10 want to talk for a minute about a few of 0:12 the details here Trump and DeVos 0:14 remember Betsy divides the person the 0:17 Republicans confirmed to be Secretary of 0:19 Education the big complaint was that 0:22 this is a woman who does not believe in 0:23 public education well she just proved it 0:25 and that is the Trump defense budget 0:28 cuts 11 billion dollars from public 0:32 education they want to take away 22 0:36 programs that help kids K through 12 0:40 they won't take away after-school 0:42 programs gone teacher training gone 0:44 class size reduction gone school arts 0:48 programs gone physical education 0:51 programs gone foreign language programs 0:54 gone education

How the National Science Foundation Supports Teachers- Teacher Appreciation Week 2017

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I have been fortunate to secure funding or have served as a reviewer for all 6 of these NSF funded educational research programs dedicated to STEM education and the learning sciences. While each of these programs cover unique ground, there is some overlap or ways in which the grants or programs leverage off of each other. Nonetheless, here is a nice summary of NSF funded areas with a little description and links that might be interesting to look into. -Dr. Petrosino Each year, during the first full week in May, Teacher Appreciation Week honors outstanding educators. The National Science Foundation (NSF) honors teachers during this week and throughout the year with grants, scholarships and initiatives designed to increase student learning, support innovative teaching approaches and promote best teaching practices. Here are a few of the ways in which NSF honors K-12 teachers and supports science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning: Discovery Research K-12 (DRK

UTeach Computer Science - Bringing Computer Science to High School Classrooms Across the Nation

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Some regular readers will recall I am a co-founder of the UTeach Natural Sciences program recognized by the The White House as a national model for STEM education for aspiring teachers in 2014 and recipient of funding from the Howard Hughes Foundation , the Department of Education, the National Math and Science Institute and implementation and expansion funding from ExxonMobil. Recently, UTeach has expanded from science, mathematics, and engineering to become more formally involved with the field of computer science and particularly computer science at the middle and secondary level with a focus on children from under-represented populations. UTeach Computer Science has also worked closely with the nationally recognized Advanced Placement Program in forming an effective a scalable approach to STEM education reform at the national level.  -Dr. Petrosino  UTeach Computer Science is a $2.5 million dollar project funded project by the National Science Foundation.  The project proposes to

The Case for Having Nothing to Do

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I was recently interviewed for a magazine which looks at early child education and development. This article focused specifically on unstructured play and its critical role for healthy child development. -Dr. Petrosino  S ummer vacation is almost here. Programs and activities fill quickly, and parents often feel the pressure to grab spots while they can. This is especially true for parents unable to be home with their children during the summer break, and those who fear kids will languish if left to their own devices. But in the push to settle your child’s summer schedule, it’s wise to allow for a generous dose of unstructured playtime. His or her mental health, as well as academic and social success, could depend on it. Intuitively, we may see free playtime in school or elsewhere as nice but not essential—a time to decompress, socialize and perhaps get some exercise. But a quick survey of what experts have said on the subject reveals that it’s all that and much more. In fact

Some Democratic Perspectives on School Funding Reform in New Jersey

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Speaker Prieto on his Framework for School Funding Reform Assembly Democrats Sound Off on Funding Education in New Jersey

Some Questions and Answers About Charter Schools and Services to Students with Disabilities

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Deanery Mass- St. Ann's Church A previous post on the number of SPED students enrolled in a school district in New Jersey has generated a fair amount of queries . This is an attempt to address some of those thoughtful questions concerning students with special needs and traditional public and public charter schools. Thank you, -Dr. Petrosino Are Charter Schools Required to Provide Services to Students with Disabilities? Yes.  The responsibility to make a free appropriate public education (FAPE) available to all students with disabilities applies to ALL public schools under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Charter schools are public schools; therefore, they bear the same responsibility. Who is actually responsible for ensuring that special education services are available to students with disabilities in a charter school?  The answer depends on how the charter school is legally identified in the state: If a charter school is considered to be an  indepen

No Statistical Difference in Special Education Enrollment Numbers in Hoboken, NJ Among Traditional Public and Public Charter Schools: An Exception or the Rule?

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T here is a continuing dialogue in the education policy and finance areas concerning traditional public schools and public charter schools. This dialogue and public discourse has been going on for the past 25 years. Issues often discussed and debated center around choice, funding, facilities, test scores, student populations, non-profit, for-profit, innovation and regulation among others. One issue that comes up a great deal is the issue of students identified in need of special instruction (SPED) .  Specifically discussions center on whether charter schools educate special education students at all or at the same proportion as traditional public schools .  "With more than a 99% certainty we can state that data indicates there is no statistical difference between the percentage or number of students identified as SPED between the traditional pubic schools and charter schools in Hoboken, NJ. when accounting for enrollment. In other words, counter to some claims, neither the tradit

Hoboken Board of Education vs. Hola Dual Language School and NJ DoE May 2nd, 2017 10:00 am

Hoboken Board of Education vs. Hola Dual Language School and NJ DoE May 2nd, 2017 10:00 am (allow time for security line) Hudson County Administration Building 595 Newark Avenue Jersey City 9th floor - Room 906 The Chambers of the Hon. Administrative Judge Peter Bariso