New Jersey

News, analysis, and opinion about K-12 education in New Jersey
Democrat Jay Jones speaks on stage at an election night watch party for Democrat Abigail Spanberger after Jones was declared the winner of the Virginia attorney general's race Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Richmond, Va.
Democrat Jay Jones speaks on stage after he was declared the winner of the Virginia attorney general's race Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Richmond, Va. As attorney general, Jones could join multistate coalitions of Democratic state attorneys general suing the Trump administration over its education policies.
AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough
States 4 Education-Related Takeaways From This Week's Elections
How results from Tuesday could affect K-12 schools, and the trajectory of Trump's education policies.
Brooke Schultz, November 5, 2025
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5 min read
Nathali Hernandez, 9, left, and Zoe Estrella Quiroz, 9, center, build a program using commands to make a robot named Dash follow a path on a grid. Students worked together in Funda Perez’s 4th grade computer applications class at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School No. 6 in Passaic, N.J., on Oct. 14, 2025.
Nathali Hernandez, left, and Zoe Estrella Quiroz use AI tools to design a program to direct a robot named Dash to follow a path on a grid. The 4th graders worked together in a computer applications class at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School No. 6 in Passaic, N.J., on Oct. 14, 2025. A growing number of school districts are emphasizing the development of AI literacy.
Erica S. Lee for Education Week
Artificial Intelligence 'It's Not Magic': How These Schools Are Teaching AI Literacy
Students are building knowledge about the technology that could help them in future jobs.
Lauraine Langreo, October 20, 2025
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9 min read
Philadelphia Phillies' Harrison Bader (2) gestures to the bullpen after hitting a home run during the forth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins on Sept. 5, 2025, in Miami. The ball ended up in the left field stands near the Feltwell family.
The Philadelphia Phillies' Harrison Bader gestures to the bullpen after hitting a home run during a game against the Miami Marlins on Sept. 5, 2025, in Miami. The ball ended up in the left field stands, and a New Jersey school district quickly became entangled in an online rumor that went viral.
JC Ruiz/Sipa via AP
School & District Management 'Phillies Karen': How a School District Defused an Online Mob With a Joke
Leaders of a small school district turned to humor as misinformation spread online.
Evie Blad, September 10, 2025
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5 min read
Leonellys Rodriguez, a graduate of University High School in Newark, N.J., and recipient of a conditional teaching job offer from the Newark Public School District, poses with Principal Genique Flournoy-Hamilton on June 24, 2025.
Leonellys Rodriguez, a graduate of University High School in Newark, N.J., and recipient of a conditional teaching job offer from the Newark Public School District, poses with Principal Genique Flournoy-Hamilton on June 24, 2025. The district's grow-your-own, dual-enrollment partnership will bring high-achieving students back to the district as teachers.
Courtesy of Newark Public School District
College & Workforce Readiness These High School Graduates Earned a Diploma—and a $74,000 Teaching Contract
This district's 'grow-your-own' program includes an extra incentive: a generous starting salary for graduates who come back to teach.
Elizabeth Heubeck, July 11, 2025
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6 min read
Damon Lewis, the principal of Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy, and Tony Cattani, the principal of Lenape High School, receive their awards at the annual National Association of Secondary School Principals Illuminate Principal of the Year Celebration in Seattle.
From left, Damon Lewis, the principal of Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy, and Tony Cattani, the principal of Lenape High School, receive their awards at the National Association of Secondary School Principals conference in Seattle. They were both named the 2025-26 National Principal of the Year.
Courtesy of Allyssa Hynes/National Association of Secondary School Principals
School & District Management Q&A ‘A Nice and Gentle Disrupter’: Meet the New Principals of the Year
The award went to middle school principal Damon Lewis and high school principal Tony Cattani.
Olina Banerji & Jennifer Vilcarino, July 10, 2025
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11 min read
D. M. Therrell High School student Ja'Marion Hulin, 17, who runs the school's record company, Panther Records, laughs with another student in the school's podcast recording room on Jan. 27, 2025, in Atlanta.
D. M. Therrell High School student Ja'Marion Hulin, 17, who runs the school's record company, Panther Records, laughs with another student in the school's podcast recording room on Jan. 27, 2025, in Atlanta. Podcasts can be another way for schools to increase family engagement.
Brynn Anderson/AP
Families & the Community Q&A Want to Reach Parents? Try a Podcast
A district technology leader discusses the value of podcasts and how to start one.
Lauraine Langreo, June 30, 2025
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3 min read
Notes from students expressing support and sharing coping strategies paper a wall, as members of the Miami Arts Studio mental health club raise awareness on World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10, 2023, at Miami Arts Studio, a public 6th-12th grade magnet school, in Miami.
Notes from students expressing support and sharing coping strategies paper a wall, as members of the Miami Arts Studio mental health club raise awareness on World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10, 2023, at Miami Arts Studio, a public 6-12 grade magnet school, in Miami.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Inside the Schools Bringing Therapy Directly to Students
K-12 schools can offer services to students despite a mental health specialist shortage.
Jennifer Vilcarino, May 5, 2025
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8 min read
Image of a boy with a blue backpack standing in front of the entrance to school.
bodnarchuk/iStock/Getty
States Tracker Which States Are Challenging Undocumented Students’ Right to Free Education?
States are reviving efforts to challenge the 1982 Plyler v. Doe ruling that guarantees undocumented students a free, public education.
Ileana Najarro & Daniela Franco Brown, March 17, 2025
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1 min read
Evan Abramson, 47, Director of Technology and Innovation at Morris-Union Jointure Commission, sits for a portrait at the school in Warren, N.J., on Jan. 15, 2025. Morris-Union Jointure Commission works primarily with students up to the age of 21 on the autism spectrum. Abramson, through his experience watching his own son with special needs play video games, helped bring an e-sports lab to life at the school in order to help students better regulate themselves.
Evan Abramson, the director of technology and innovation at Morris-Union Jointure Commission, in Warren, N.J., on Jan. 15, 2025. Abramson spearheaded an esports program to help students on the autism spectrum connect with one another and learn new skills. The gaming arena where students play together may be the first-of-its-kind in the country.
Michelle Gustafson for Education Week
Classroom Technology Leader To Learn From This Tech Director Is Revolutionizing Special Education With Gaming
Evan Abramson led the creation of an esports arena for students with autism spectrum disorder. It may be the first in the country.
Alyson Klein, February 3, 2025
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12 min read
Evan Abramson, 47, director of technology and innovation at Morris-Union Jointure Commission, sits for a portrait at the school in Warren, N.J., on Jan. 15, 2025.
Evan Abramson, the director of technology and innovation at Morris-Union Jointure Commission, assists a student playing video games in the district's esports arena in Warren, N.J., on Jan. 15, 2025.
Michelle Gustafson for Education Week
Classroom Technology Q&A How a District's Embrace of Esports Is Transforming Special Education
Esports can help build 'soft skills' such as collaboration and teamwork, for students in special education, one district leader says.
Alyson Klein, February 3, 2025
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3 min read
The direction of money, the question of money, the businessman stands at the crossroads with coins and ponders.
Z_Wei/iStock/Getty
Budget & Finance Districts Struggle to Find the Least Harmful Cuts as Budgets Shrink
Districts are losing one-time federal funds and laboring to figure out how to prudently cut positions or even close schools.
Mark Lieberman, June 11, 2024
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9 min read
Photo of teenage boy outside of school.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
School Climate & Safety Want to Tackle Attendance Apathy? Students Will Show You How
There’s no one-shot solution to chronic absenteeism, but listening to students is a good way to begin.
Olina Banerji, March 4, 2024
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5 min read
Gamification TTT vThumbnail 01 BS
Mathematics Video Teachers, Try This: Gamify Instruction to Reduce Math Anxiety and Improve Test Scores
After this teacher "gamified" her classroom, students responded positively.
Kaylee Domzalski, February 1, 2024
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Two teen boys sit behind a long table with a sign on the front that says "voter registration" in bold black letters.
High school students Sawyer Brockman, left, and Jack Skilling volunteer at the voter registration table for the presidential primary election at Windham High School, on Jan. 23, 2024, in Windham, N.H. Encouraging students to volunteer in elections can help them understand the process before their first time voting, experts said.
Michael Dwyer/AP
Social Studies Should Students Vote for School Boards? The Case for Lower Voting Ages in Local Elections
Doing so can give students more time to build lifelong voting habits, some advocates say.
Evie Blad, January 30, 2024
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5 min read
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