Read this editorial as it orignally appeared in The Star-Ledger.

It's good news for the charter school movement that acting Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf has taken a smart, careful approach to expansion.

Many of these alternative public schools are making huge strides. But others are still failing.

So the challenge is to make sure we get this right, to choose only the very best charter schools, to nurture them and make sure that they're shielded from political brush fires.

Read this story as it originally appeared on The Patch

Three's company at George Washington Carver Elementary School.

The integration process of charter school SPARK Academy into the South Ward school is in full swing, with principals from both schools outlining details of the shared campus plan during a public meeting Friday night in Carver's auditorium.

Carver Principal Dr. Winston Jackson joined SPARK Academy Principal Joanna Belcher on stage in an information session intended to "alleviate concerns," according to Jackson.

Read this story as it originally appeared on The Patch

Five charter schools got the green light Tuesday night to move into Newark - but the approval didn't come without a debate among the city's public schools advisory board members.

Lease agreements were approved for charter schools Great Oaks, People's Prep, North Star Elementary III, North Star Elementary II and TEAM Academy at the advisory board meeting held at Science Park High School. Three board members - Antoinette Baskerville-Richardson, Alturrick Kenney and Marques-Aquil Lewis - consistently voted against the co-location plan, which calls for charter schools to share space within Newark public schools.

This article originally ran in a special four-page section produced by the Newark Charter School Fund in Local Talk News.

Education leaders nationwide are eyeing what happens in Newark, which is becoming a haven for innovation. And it’s not just the $100 million from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg that has others paying attention. However, some question all this “outside” interest in Newark.

The reason for this attention is simple and complex.  Whether outside or inside- we all agree that something has to be done before we allow another generation of students to not reach their full potential.  The complexity is that we don’t all agree on how to get there. Charter schools, co-location, new small schools- these are not the silver bullets, but they are part of the solution.

Read this editorial as it originally appeared in The Star-Ledger

Both are public schools in Newark. Both need low-cost space for students. One has extra, unused classrooms, while the other has a long waiting list for few available seats.

So it makes perfect sense to co-locate a fast-growing charter school within the half-empty building of a traditional district school. As in any large building full of students, what matters most is management — that school leaders coordinate well.

Read this article as it originally appeared on njspotlight.com

Camden Middle School is a good example of the kind of challenges -- and uncertainties -- that await Cami Anderson on her first day as Newark's superintendent of schools.

The school, like the 39,000-student district, is in transition. Last year, less than half its students passed the state tests. This fall, it is moving in with Camden Street Elementary School next door, to form a single K-8 facility.

Replacing it will be three new high schools: the Bard High School Early College, New Day Charter School and People’s Prep Charter. And with them come new teachers and new families.

NEWARK, NJ – June 13, 2011 – Mashea Ashton, the CEO of the Newark Charter School Fund, released the following statement about a revised proposal from Newark Public Schools Superintendent Cami Anderson to share underutilized district schools with public charter schools.

Read this article as it originally appeared on localtalknews.com

Newark Public Schools today announced its final shared campus plan for the 2011-12 school year, with fourteen district and public charter schools sharing space in seven buildings across the district, creating space for some 1,800 students.

The plan calls for four new district high schools and seven public charter schools to open next fall in underutilized district schools. The district estimates it will save $4.1 million in facility operating costs next year, while earning about $800,000 in rent.

“Our goal with shared space is simple: to create more high quality school options for Newark families while reducing operational costs and freeing up resources that can be redirected,” said Superintendent Cami Anderson, who announced the plan at a press conference this afternoon, her first official day as superintendent.

Read this article as it originally appeared on Patch.com

Newark's new schools superintendent announced details Monday of a plan that would allow charter schools to share space inside Newark's public school buildings.

Cami Anderson, on her first day of the job, said the shared campus plan would create four new high schools and allow room for seven charter schools in city school buildings. Anderson also said no schools will close this fall, but five will be consolidated.

She will present the plan Tuesday night to the city's school advisory board. Anderson said the moves are expected to save the school district $4.1 million in operating costs and generate $800,000 in revenue from lease agreements with various charter schools.

This article originall appeared in The Star-Ledger.

A showdown brewing in Newark over the "co-location" of charter schools and district schools is expected to come to a head tonight as hundreds of parents, students, teachers and city officials debate the merits of a proposal to meld almost a dozen charter and district schools next year.

After a plan to introduce 11 charter schools into "underutilized" district schools was made public last month, many in the city's education community have coalesced into two camps supporting and opposing the move.