District Administration - July 2007 - (Page 48)

ADMINISTRATION and SUPERVISION Epps was the keynote speaker at the 2006 graduation ceremony of the adult education program in his district. Epps shares laughs with teachers at FACEOFF, a districtwide professional development day where teachers lead workshops on various teaching methods and styles. income and minority students in 31 New Jersey districts. What was the ruling’s impact on Jersey City’s schools? EPPS: Before Abbott v. Burke, our budget was about $100 million. We couldn’t support full-day kindergarten or after-school programs—those kinds of things that were necessary for children in an urban district. As a result of Abbott v. Burke, our budget was tripled. We receive state funds, or “parity aid,” to equal the funding in some of the wealthier districts in the state. It allowed us to meet the educational needs of all urban students. We have been oﬀering free childcare for all Jersey City three- and four-yearolds, approximately 4,500 of them, which helps prepare them for success in kindergarten. Abbott funds provide for a myriad of programs that enhance character development and social awareness, as well as equipment and training in technology. Class sizes were reduced, with support services like after-school tutelage and summer enrichment programs. It had great impact, and still does, on the delivery of instruction and on closing the achievement gap. It helped us with retention. We became a total inclusion district. 48 July 2007 DA: You talk a lot about inclusion in the schools and in the classrooms. Can you explain that? EPPS: In 1998, after the Abbott v. Burke decision, the state developed a strategic plan for whole school reform. One key piece of it was to bring special education into regular education programming and create true inclusion classrooms. Today that make the Jersey City schools the high performers that they are today? EPPS: We have modiﬁed our curriculum to be sure it is directly related to state core content standards. Traditionally, Jersey City developed and revised its curriculum every ﬁve years. Since the introduction of the 2004 New Jersey state standards, we have accelerated this schedule. Now, “I envision our high schools operating like a trolley system one day, where a child can get on and take one class at a specialized high school and then another subject in another school.” almost all our children are in regular neighborhood schools, with most special services being provided in an inclusive general education classroom. Many of our classes have a team teaching model, with one general ed and one special ed teacher who work cooperatively with all students. If you walked into our schools, you wouldn’t know the diﬀerence between a regular student and a special ed student. DA: What are some of the key elements immediately after new standards come from the state, we build our curriculum around them, and we integrate our curriculum so it is not taught in isolation. It’s taught by integrating science, social studies and language arts. Many of the activities are developed by groups of teachers in a school as part of their regular common planning time. But programs for our students can only be as successful as our ability to recruit, retain and support a highly District Administration

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