Education Round Table

League of Women Voters of New Jersey wants to the New Jersey curriculum to include Civics Education. The purpose is to create aware voters and to raise a generation of active citizens. Which grade levels should get Civics? Can it be online? Where do you get the teachers? How does funding work? Dr. Rozella Clyde, PhD and Beth Hyre speak on behalf of League of Women Voters of New Jersey.

Bob Goodman, director of NJCTL, says his organization can turn an English teacher into a  much needed Physics teacher through online classes. The NJDOE will approve of all the courses for credit. Is it affordable? Well....you be the judge.

Kelly Grotrian explains how students in Monmouth and Ocean counties can take virtual classes for high school credit. Whether a child has extended illness that prevents attendance in a physical school or students find online courses convenient, parents can opt for the online version. One of the classes is Physical Education! While taxes pay for the physical classes, these virtual classes have to be paid for. Who pays for these classes? 

Math proficiency in the United States is around 30%. About 70% of the nation's students is not proficient at math.  Gina King from Western Michigan University and Dr. Jennifer Bay Williams from the University of Louisville, both leaders of NCTM, discuss new methods to teach children basic arithmetic.

Anthony J. Gray, Esq., President and CEO of Institute for Global Ethics contemplates the story of Princeton University neuroscience professor, Dr. Michael Graziano. Dr. Graziano's six year son has a disability called apraxia, but Princeton Public School educators accused the first grader of sexual deviancy.

Laura Waters, former writer for NJSpotlight.com and current editor for NJleftbehind.org, shares with us her insights into how New Jersey is one of the most educationally segregated states in the nation.

John Mooney, founder of NJSpotlight.com, discusses the reinvented Newark Public Schools. Parents can choose from over 100 traditional public and charter schools. Parents use a web system to select their school. It was funded by Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg.

Joan Almon, Co-founder of Alliance for Childhood, discusses the Common Core's effects on kindergarten.

The US DOE supports skilled teachers. “The goal is to enable every American 4-year-old to attend a quality preschool program — one characterized by well-organized learning experiences, guided exploration, art, and storytelling, led by a skilled teacher.” However, what the terms quality preschool program and skilled teacher mean is undefined. Dr. Barbara Willer, Associate Directory of NAEYC, shares with us the standards set by NAEYC.

Tim Seldin, President of Montessori Foundation, shares with us Montessori's standards for early education.

Mr. Paul Munoz, Assistant Superintendent of Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools, and Dr. Linda Russo, principal of Middlesex County of Academy for Science, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies share their school system with us.  Some New Jersey families have turned to a county-wide public school system, and their costs are paid for by state, county, home town district and federal funding. 

Why are families from around the world trying to live in Monmouth County? 

Kevin Bals, principal of High Tech High, joins us to share his knowledge of the Monmouth County career academy. Like all public schools, parents do not pay tuition for children to attend. Unlike public schools, it has an admissions policy that requires review of candidates' academic history as well as an entrance exam. 

Dr. Kim Schneider, Superintendent of the Mercer County Technical Schools, and alumna, Bethany Andrade, MSW, share their school district with us. Mercer County Technical Schools, a county wide school district open to all residents of Mercer County, also has a career academy called Health Science Academy. How does a student get admitted?

Professor Andreas Schleicher, Deputy Director for Education and Special Advisor on Education Policy to the OECD's Secretary-General, discusses education reform in the United States of America. The 2009 PISA results indicates that the United States is lagging behind in education innovation. While top performing countries like Finland give children with economic disadvantages the same opportunities to education, the United States has sharp divide in academic achievement between rich and poor.

Every state in the country has defined Gifted differently. Two states, South Dakota and Massachusets offer no definition. No Child Left Behind never defined a group for Gifted Students, but the academic world has been trying to offer a definition. Dr. Don Ambrose of Rider University offers his insights into the different viewpoints of giftedness, and how gifted children often exhibit characteristics that would fall under Special Education.

Dr. Alejandro Brice, 2012-2014 Chair, ASHA Multicultural Issues Board, Dr. Mahchid Namazi, Assistant Professor at Kean University and Patricia Murray, M.A., LDT/C, Advocate and Educational Consultant Educational Resources for Success, LLC , share their knowledge of how LEP children acquire English.

No Child Left Behind shed light on the achievement gap by grouping students primarily by race and ethnicity then collecting data.The NCLB race subgroups included Male, Female, Black, Asian, White, Native American, Hawaiian and Pacific Islander and Hispanic Students. Why did the government group students by race and ethnicity? What does ethnicity mean? What defines Hispanic Students? The US Census Bureau helps us understand race and ethnicity in education.