Laura Waters

For 667 students, the lease for this school building would cost $1,500 per student, per month. Or $15,000 for a full school year— per student. Just for the building alone. @julieoconnorNJ njspotlightnews.org/2026/03/newark…

Who's in line to win the unusual $500 million contract to secure a new school building in Newark? The district won't say. But found his name in a public records filing: Scott Fields, a donor to Mayor Ras Baraka’s failed campaign for governor last year. njspotlightnews.org/2026/03/newark…

"Any overview of the state of New Jersey K-12 education must begin here: students’ proficiency levels have been in stagnation or decline.” @FiftyCAN @JerseyCAN @WakeUpCallNJ njedreport.com/new-jersey-is-…

"Democrats need to come to a reckoning with teacher unions and other anti-reform factions within the party to strike a careful balance between maintaining alliances and prioritizing the needs of our nation’s students and families..." 🎯 educationnext.org/how-democrats-…

IT GETS WORSE. Newark Public Schools approved $1.4M in federal funds for a literacy “consultant” who admitted that she never even started the work. Now the district refuses to account for where the $ went??? The details are UNREAL: An unproven, newly formed "company". No NJ certification. Her only referenced experience? A short stint inside a Newark school where under her “guidance,” 4th grade reading proficiency DROPPED from 34.7% to 10.6%. There is no logical explanation as to how she beat out well-established companies with proven results in literacy and math and got this no-show contract. And get this-her written proposal claimed alignment with Newark’s strategic plan, yet literally included the words: “Go back and look at plan” and {insert} “COMPANY NAME.” THAT'S what was approved for $1.4M. Then we start to connect the dots. A patronage hire tied to an assistant superintendent who quickly retired. One board member said it didn’t add up and tried to pump the brakes. The rest voted yes. WHERE IS THE MONEY??? This is disgusting. These are kids-many are economically disadvantaged-who actually needed academic support. Instead, they got THIS??? I don’t know what kind of racket this is, but this has got to stop. NO QUARTER. Keep pushing, @declanoscanlon @AlexSauickie @NJEdReport njedreport.com/a-district-flu…

"Prolonged and often unnecessary school closures didn’t just harm students—they wrecked Democrats’ credibility on education." educationnext.org/how-democrats-…

How Democrats Lost the Plot on Schools—and How to Get It Back

@charliesmirkley I disagree that it is just a Dem issue, but a broader lowering the bar across diplomas, degrees, AP tests etc. Though my home state of NJ isn’t helping my non-partisan argument: njedreport.com/dishonesty-hid…

NJ's new ed chief hails from Texas, where she led one of the nation's largest efforts to get schools more in line with the latest science on reading. I asked Lily Laux what she plans for our state, where 60% of third graders aren't reading on grade level. njspotlightnews.org/2026/03/qa-wil…

@DawnFantasia_NJ @GovSherrillNJ @njedreport As I noted in this piece, NJ student outcomes are certainly unacceptable. However, I gave (and still give) @GovSherrillNJ a pass for what she said at the debate. She wasn't informed of the progress made by LA and MS. And she made a mistake. It happens. njspotlightnews.org/2025/12/nj-sch…

This didn’t age well. Remember when @GovSherrillNJ scoffed at the idea of NJ schools looking like Louisiana or Mississippi? Fast forward. New Jersey is now #30 in student growth, FAR BEHIND Louisiana, Mississippi, and 27 other states. According to Laura Waters in @njedreport : njedreport.com/new-jersey-stu… She writes: “According to the rankings, New Jersey is ranked #30 in student growth, despite massive spending from the state (projected to be $12.4 billion next year, a 3.1% increase from last year, plus a big chunk of your property taxes).” “The drop for NJ eighth graders in reading was especially precipitous, 3.8 points, one of the worst performances among all states, and proficiency scores in the other subjects — fourth grade reading and math and eighth grade math — dropped about one point.” “In contrast, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee saw increases in proficiency in every subject. In Louisiana, fourth graders increased scores in math by almost six points and 3.7 points in reading.” She also points to a mix of causes (might I add spearheaded by the Democrat Majority and supported by the NJEA) for NJ's massive decline: lowered standards that mask reality, long school closures, lack of accountability, grade inflation, and a system focused on inputs instead of results. How'd that work? • Asbury Park – 12.6% of 4th graders reading at grade level • Trenton (Thomas Jefferson School) – 2.8% • Newark (Grover Cleveland School) – 6% of 4th graders proficient in math • Camden (Cooper’s Poynt School) – 0% proficiency in math Stop defending the indefensible. You can’t spin it, you can’t excuse it, and you can’t throw more money at it. Start listening to stakeholders with proven results of measurable student outcomes. 🗞️WaPo Op-Ed: washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/… 🎥 Video credit: bg.loves.math

Today, Congressional bill drafts are flying around to advance Science of Reading. They vary in quality. (Note to Congress: banning three-cueing won't change reading outcomes; pls, we don't have time for performative stuff). The best idea that lacks traction: a national curriculum database. @KevinKileyCA @rephouchin @MannionforNY @JoshHarder @CongMikeSimpson @Robert_Aderholt @rosadelauro

Talk about the Northern Nadir: NJ comes in 30th in growth for 4th & 8th grade reading and math. What can we do differently? @marcportermagee @GovSherrillNJ @NewJerseyDOE @DFER_News @WakeUpCallNJ njedreport.com/new-jersey-stu…

Two New Jersey teachers and a state think tank are separately challenging how the New Jersey Education Association used teachers’ dues to fund its political action committees. In their New Jersey Superior Court lawsuit, Dr. Marie Dupont and Ann Marie Pocklembo argue that the union broke their membership contract, made misrepresentations, and breached its fiduciary duty to union members when it spent more than $40 million of members’ dues to support then-NJEA president Sean Spiller’s gubernatorial campaign. The New Jersey Policy Institute @NJPIDoes is asking for the IRS to investigate up to $114 million in potentially misreported dues transfers from the NJEA to a Super PAC and for the New Jersey election commission to examine campaign donations that may have exceeded state limits.

Thanks, @laura11D !

Does Sherrill Have the Muscle To Overcome the Pitfalls of Local Control? njedreport.com/does-sherrill-… -- Great post by @laurawaters

This is a ranking of states by average change in reading and math scores on the 4th and 8th grade NAEP between 2022 and 2024 (using scale scores). Mississippi is #1 and Florida is #50.

The student enrollment of Newark Public Schools has declined by 818 students.

Former State Bd. of Ed VP and Chair of NJ Policy Inst. Andy Mulvahill nails it in @njedreport: @NJEA leadership ignored their fiduciary duty by wasting $45mm of dues on @SeanMSpiller's failed run while hiding the truth. Will there ever be accountability? njedreport.com/45-million-no-…

What can NJ learn from Louisiana about putting kids above local politics? @doelouisiana @julieoconnorNJ @EdReports @NewJerseyDOE @peteshulman1 njedreport.com/does-sherrill-…