Assembly votes to support Camden students and families

Thank you to those of you who took action on Friday or over the weekend by telling your Assembly members to vote YES. Thank you to the Assembly members who voted for this bill, and thank you to Assemblyman Troy Singleton for sponsoring this bill.

S2264 will help renaissance schools grow and better serve students, ultimately giving more families access to high-quality schools.

Renaissance schools are free public schools that serve all students who live within the immediate neighborhood. The current renaissance schools that have opened in Camden this year are being run by three nonprofit school organizations with strong track records of success. Uncommon Schools has operated high-quality public charter schools in Newark for over 15 years, and KIPP has operated in Newark for over 10 years. Mastery has operated high-quality public charter schools in Philadelphia for over 10 years. Their track records speak for themselves:

Mastery:

• Over 85 percent of Mastery’s graduating class of 2013 was accepted to a four-year college.
• Test scores increased an average of 40 points in Mastery turnaround schools after four years.
• Schools that partnered with Mastery saw an 80 percent drop in violence.

Uncommon:

• Approximately 90 percent of North Star Academy graduates enrolled in four-year universities after graduation.
• 100 percent of Uncommon 11th graders scored advanced or proficient on the English-language arts HSPA exam and 96 percent scored proficient or higher on the math HSPA.

KIPP schools in New Jersey:

• 78 percent of students who were with KIPP in New Jersey in eighth grade matriculated to college.
• KIPP schools in New Jersey have successfully retained 92 percent of their students.

We at JerseyCAN are pleased that this bill is just one step away from becoming law, and we thank the Assembly and Senate leaders and members for helping the legislation advance this far. We look forward to seeing it signed by Governor Christie.

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