Rutgers Partners with Department of Education to Improve K-12 Learning Outcomes

Rutgers Partners with Department of Education to Improve K-12 Learning Outcomes
The New Jersey Promising Practices Project examines “positive outlier” schools to develop a model other schools may emulate.
The New Jersey State Policy Lab and Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies at Rutgers University launched the New Jersey Promising Practices Project in collaboration with the New Jersey Department of Education to bolster K-12 student learning outcomes.
The Department of Education developed the project after most New Jersey schools experienced declines in learning outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. But state officials found roughly 15 percent of public schools increased proficiency rates in math or language arts in the first assessment year since the pandemic (2018-2019 to 2021-2022). Motivated by these observations, they formed a plan to identify and document “promising practices” for learning acceleration in K-12 schools throughout the state.
Since the project’s launch in 2023, Rutgers researchers identified “positive outlier” public schools in the state based on Department of Education school performance reports, student demographic and testing data, and socioeconomic files from the National Center for Education Statistics. These positive outliers include schools which have demonstrated positive student learning outcomes when comparing pre- to post-pandemic performance in English language arts and mathematics. Rutgers researchers interviewed administrators, teachers, and other school staff to identify innovations and best practices that improved student learning outcomes in 52 of these schools.
“We’re delighted to work with the New Jersey Department of Education to identify strategies for improving student learning outcomes for all students, and especially for historically marginalized student groups,” said Elizabeth Cooner, executive director of the Policy Lab and principal investigator of the Promising Practices Project. “We have had the privilege of talking with truly inspiring educators who are transforming students’ lives with their innovative practices. By sharing these promising practices with other schools, we hope to expand opportunities for student learning across the state.”
“I am thrilled that the New Jersey Department of Education has commissioned such a bold, statewide study to understand and document the promising practices in schools which mitigated the negative impact of the pandemic on student learning,” said Vandeen Campbell, associate director of the Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies at Rutgers University–Newark. “The study presents an opportunity to learn from schools that improved performance, maintained already strong performance, or performed better than expected. It should be exciting to showcase and discuss what schools have shared in the coming months.”
The Promising Practices team will present research findings at regional convenings and conferences in December 2024. Additional information related to the New Jersey Promising Practices Project and future events can be found on the Promising Practices website.
These public schools participated in the Promising Practices Project:
Atlantic
Atlantic City School District
Chelsea Heights School
Atlantic
Galloway Township Public School District
Reeds Road Elementary School
Atlantic
Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District
Oakcrest High School
Bergen
Bergenfield Borough School District
Hoover Elementary School
Bergen
Garfield Public School District
Woodrow Wilson School #5
Bergen
Lodi School District
Roosevelt School
Camden
Cherry Hill School District
Rosa International Middle School
Camden
Haddonfield School District
Central School
Cape May
Lower Cape May Regional School District
Richard M. Teitelman Middle School
Cape May
Ocean City School District
Ocean City High School
Cumberland
Millville School District
Rieck Avenue Elementary School
Cumberland
Vineland Public School District
Marie Durand Elementary School
Essex
Caldwell-West School District
Lincoln Elementary School
Essex
Newark Public School District
University High School
Essex
Orange Board of Education School District
Orange Prep Academy School of Inquiry and Innovation
Gloucester
Deptford Township Public School District
Good Intent Elementary School
Gloucester
Gateway Regional High School District
Gateway Regional High School
Gloucester
Monroe Township Public School District
Radix Elementary
Gloucester
Swedesboro-Woolwich School District
Walter Hill School
Gloucester
Township of Franklin School District
Caroline L. Reutter School
Gloucester
Washington Township School District
Birches Elementary School
Gloucester
Washington Township School District
Whitman Elementary School
Hudson
Hoboken Public School District
Joseph F Brandt Elementary School
Hudson
Union City School District
Sara M. Gilmore Academy
Hunterdon
Flemington-Raritan Regional School District
Reading-Fleming Intermediate School
Mercer
Princeton Charter School
Princeton Charter School
Middlesex
Woodbridge Township School District
Oak Tree Road Elementary School
Middlesex
Woodbridge Township School District
Robert Mascenik Elementary School
Monmouth
College Achieve Greater Asbury Park Charter School District
College Achieve Greater Asbury Park Charter School
Monmouth
Hazlet Township Public School District
Middle Road School
Monmouth
Middletown Township Public School District
Navesink Elementary School
Morris
Parsippany-Troy Hills Township School District
Mount Tabor Elementary School
Ocean
Berkeley Township School District
H & M Potter School
Ocean
Brick Township Public School District
Brick Township Memorial High School
Ocean
Lacey Township School District
Cedar Creek Elementary School
Passaic
Passaic City School District
Passaic Gifted and Talented Academy School No. 20
Passaic
Passaic City School District
Passaic Preparatory Academy
Passaic
Paterson Public School District
Charles J. Riley, School 9
Passaic
Paterson Public School District
School 28
Passaic
Wayne Township Public School District
Packanack Elementary School
Passaic
West Milford Township Public School District
Upper Greenwood Lake Elementary School
Somerset
Bound Brook School District
Community Middle School
Somerset
North Plainfield School District
North Plainfield Middle School
Somerset
South Bound Brook Public School District
Robert Morris School
Sussex
Hamburg School District
Hamburg School
Union
College Achieve Central Charter School
College Achieve Central Charter School
Union
Cranford Public School District
Orange Avenue School
Union
Elizabeth Public Schools
Elmora School No. 12
Union
Plainfield Public School District
Dewitt D. Barlow Elementary School
Union
Plainfield Public School District
Frederic W. Cook Elementary School
Union
Roselle Public School District
Harrison Elementary School
Warren
North Warren Regional School District
North Warren Regional School
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The New Jersey State Policy Lab assists the state and its many communities in the design, implementation and evaluation of policies and programs by conducting rigorous, evidence-based research that considers equity, efficiency, and efficacy of public policies and programs in holistic and innovative ways. The lab is run as a partnership between the Bloustein School in Rutgers–New Brunswick and the School of Public Affairs and Administration in Rutgers–Newark. The Policy Lab is funded by the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE), and the contents of this report do not necessarily represent the policy or endorsement of OSHE or the State of New Jersey.
Since it was established in 2000, the Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies has been a signature component of Rutgers University–Newark’s commitment to be an anchor institution for the metropolitan area. We strive to be neutral ground, where people of disparate views and interests can come together around questions of mutual interests. The Cornwall Center sponsors research projects, publications, conferences, symposia, seminars, workshops, public forums, and incubates projects translating research into effective practice with the result of revitalizing Newark and similar communities in the region and state.
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