If you are a real estate agent, Canada based, then you have probably found
that questions about the school system from clients in any given city are relatively
easy to answer. No matter what province you are in, you know that the public
school system is well funded by the provincial government and that almost all
of them are relatively safe. One school varies little from another in the public
system in Canada, with all providing a decent education and learning environment
for their students.
Unfortunately, this is not true for many schools within the public system to
the south, and there is no better example than Newark. Newark public schools
run the gamut from facilities in neighborhoods such as the relatively safe North
Ward to those which are scary for students and staff alike in the poverty and
crime ridden South Ward. Those coming from homes is simpler states are truly
shocked to witness the state that many of this city's schools find themselves
in.
The public school system in Newark is the most heavily populated in the state,
which is not surprising as Newark is the most populous city in New Jersey. Over
46,000 children are enrolled in the K to 12 schools of the city each year. In
1995, the state government took over the operation of the city's schools
in what was essentially an annex. Toronto and other large cities have also engaged
in such practices in the past in order to bring underperforming schools under
a more centralized method of control.
The hope for the Newark system was that state operation would improve the performances
of these schools, whose students were the most under performing in the entire
state. These results have not yet been realized, however, and the education
rate in Newark continues to be well below the standards expected of people who
own New York or Central Toronto homes.
Security is also an issue in many of Newark's public schools. It was
in this city that the infamous metal detectors in schools programs were first
set up, so that staff could confiscate weapons from guns to wire cutting tools from
the student population. It is system that continues to this day, and has had
a positive result in increased safety of the public school population.
Unfortunately, the private school system in Newark does not offer many alternatives
to the dismal public system. There are only a handful of private schools, including
Link Community School and Saint Vincent Academy.
In short, Newark's school system will come as a bit of a shock to anyone
moving from Milton Ontario homes or almost any other location in the eastern
half of the continent. While annexation movements by the state government may
have failed, it is hoped that the renaissance of the city will result in a more
positive atmosphere for the youth of the city and their schools as well.
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