About Newark

Teaching in Newark

Newark Public Schools (NPS) serves almost 42,000 students and is largest school district in New Jersey. 59% of the students in NPS are African-American, 32% are Latino/Hispanic, 8% Caucasian, and 1% Asian-American. The district is comprised of 75 schools with 74% of the students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

The problem:

In a report at the end of the 2005-2006 school year, the US Department of Education noted:

In the country's second poorest city, only 26% of graduating seniors planned to go to college, with only 6% actually going, and a mere 2% making it all the way through

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It’s clear that the achievement of Newark schools still has a long way to go to serve all of its students:

• In math, only 57% of fourth graders and 45% of high school students passed state standardized assessments in 2006.
• Only 39% of fifth graders performed at the proficient level or higher in Language Arts in recent assessments

Be a part of the Solution:

The right changes are starting to take place in Newark. Education has been a major focus for Cory Booker since he became Mayor in 2006. Under his leadership, NPS is making bold and significant changes to help close the achievement gap, and improve the academic attainment of all students:

• Across every grade level, test scores have increased dramatically every year since 2002, with some gains as high as 24 points.
• Ten years ago, only 46% of entering high school freshman graduated four years later. In 2007, that graduation rate has risen to 79.8%, well exceeding the national average for urban school districts.

Now is the time for you to lend your energy and talent to increasing this momentum. By teaching the Newark students who need you most, you will be working in the most important way towards closing this achievement gap.

To learn more about Newark Public Schools, please visit their website.

Charter Schools

Under the leadership of Mayor Cory Booker, Newark’s effort to improve the educational opportunities for all students have included an aggressive plan to encourage the growth and success of charter schools... Mayor Booker believes we are obligated to provide a "portfolio of excellent options to best meet the needs of kids" including charters, magnets and traditional public schools.

In 2008, The Newark Charter School Fund, was created to support support and strengthen Newark’s charter school movement. Among the larger and more well-known charter school networks are the KIPP Schools and New Community Corporation .

To learn more about charter schools in New Jersey, please visit the New Jersey Department of Education’s website and the Newark Charter School Fund.

Living in Newark

As the third oldest city in the United States, Newark is the gateway to New Jersey and serves as the Garden State’s financial, historical and cultural center. Located only 5 miles west of Manhattan, Newark has a population of roughly 273,000 and is home to one of the country’s largest shipping ports and the busiest airport in the tri-state area. African-American residents comprise 53% of the population of the city and the next largest groups are Caucasians (26%) and Asian-Americans (1%). Regardless of race, 29% of the population claims Hispanic or Latino heritage, and Newark is also home to a large and vibrant Portuguese community.

In recent years, Newark has undergone significant revitalization that began with the construction of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and has culminated in the construction of two sports arenas, the Prudential Center and the Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium. Sports fans can now enjoy minor league baseball and major league hockey in these state-of-the-art facilities.

In addition, Newark’s close proximity to New York City and to the rural farmlands of New Jersey allows its residents to have the best of both worlds. Newark Penn Station, the city’s public transportation hub, serves the Newark Light Rail and City Subway, New Jersey Transit commuter rail, Amtrak long distance trains to Philadelphia and Washington DC, the PATH rapid-transit line to New York City, and local, regional and national bus services.

Located in the center of northern New Jersey, Newark is also close to both the Appalachian mountains in the northwest corner of the state and the Jersey shore, one of the most popular vacation destinations on the East Coast. Neighborhoods like Hoboken and Jersey City provide affordable alternatives to the famed neighborhoods of New York City without sacrificing vitality or diversity.

For more information, check out these links:

Government websites:

• City of Newark: http://www.ci.newark.nj.us/
• Newark public schools: http://www.nps.k12.nj.us/

Local publications:

• Newark Star Ledger: http://www.nj.com/starledger/
• Go Newark: http://www.gonewark.com/