District Administration - July 2007 - (Page 47)

Epps encourages students to do their best at Henry Snyder High School, the location of Jumpstart 2010, a program for the district’s eighth-graders. Students from William L. Dickinson High School thank Epps at the Jersey City Armory during a recent high school career fair. schools. We have reduced the achievement gaps for Hispanic and African-American students when compared to their white counterparts at all three school levels. For example, the Hispanic and AfricanAmerican achievement gaps closed 14 and 15 percentage points respectively in math at the elementary school level, and 7 and 8 points respectively in reading at the middle school level. The Broad ﬁndings for low-income and minority students are reﬂected as well in test results for our total student population. If we look at the district’s three-year academic performance levels, we note a general upward trend in language arts, and strong results in mathematics in grades 3, 4 and 11. highest in more than 25 years. This is a number that had averaged around 45-50 percent for a very long time. DA: The Jersey City Public Schools is participating as a “pilot” district in the New Jersey State Department of Education’s new Secondary School Initiative. Can you tell us about it? EPPS: The Jersey City model provides a continuum of quality instruction and support that will eventually extend from the middle grades through high school for all students in the district. We have established a singular focus on smaller learning communities and have established freshman academies in all four comprehensive high school campus, with all the students enrolled in the program taking honors and AP courses. DA: I know that you believe preschool is a vital part of later success. Can you elaborate on that? EPPS: A good ending—graduation from high school—can hardly be expected if we don’t get our students oﬀ to a great start. We believe our preschool program begins that momentum—that it jumpstarts a successful school career. Children with disabilities are included in it according to their Individualized Education Program. That could mean placement in an integrated classroom, an inclusion classroom, or a self-contained classroom. The classroom teachers also provide English Language Learners with experiences in their daily routine to support language and literacy development. Our preschool program is one of continuous outreach and family support. We believe that all eligible children in Jersey City should attend, and that working directly with families and the community is the best way to accomplish this goal. DA: In the Abbott v. Burke case, the New Jersey Supreme Court ordered in 1998 a set of education programs and reforms that applied to predominantly lowJuly 2007 47 “I think it has made a major change in how students look at one another, how they socialize with one another.” We also have been quite successful in student attendance and dropout prevention. Our student attendance rate, at 93 percent, remains well above state standards, and our retention rate—the percentage of students who begin as ninthgraders and remain enrolled through the 12th grade—has reached 70 percent, the www.DistrictAdministration.com high schools. We have designed and implemented more than 20 specialized magnet programs within our larger high schools in areas like media arts, industrial arts, culinary arts and technology, and these programs serve 1,965 enrolled students. And we have established an all-honors academic program at each comprehensive http://www.DistrictAdministration.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - July 2007

Contents
Editor’s Letter
Letters
News Update
Facilities/Construction Update
Curriculum Update
Inside the Law
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Cover Story: Rethinking School Bus Safety
Broadening Collective Bargaining
Searching for Subs
Jersey City’s Broad Appeal
Improving Nutrition in Schools
New Products
Computer Literature
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
Research Corner
Problem Solution
Online Edge
Speaking Out
Supervisor’s Opinion
Calendar of Events
Understanding the Times

District Administration - July 2007