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1967
Black residents and Civil Rights Leaders of Newark are outraged by Newark's Mayor Hugh J. Addonizio's decision to appoint James Callaghan as Secretary to the Board of Education. Black residents were upset because Callaghan was elected over a Black candidate, Wilbur Parker, who possessed more qualifications than Callaghan. Parker was a CPA with a master's degree, while Callaghan was a high school graduate. Blacks were tired of the prevalence of corruption and racism w/in Newark's School District. -
1967 Riots
Six long days of rioting and looting pervaded Newark in response to racial disparities and racism. These issues included police brutality and lack of Black political representation in Newark's School District. At this time, Newark School District's student population was predominantly Black and Latinx. Black residents were seeking representation, equality, and government investment. -
1968
N.J. Governor Hughes requested to seize Newark School District, following the 1967 Riots. A state report, referred as the Lilley Report, revealed the poor conditions of Newark's School District. The report concluded, "From investigating housing conditions of the poor, especially in a large and aging city like Newark, is that the problem must be approached in a metropolitan context. The causes are not rooted in the city alone, and it is unrealistic to expect the city to cope with them." -
1983
New Jersey's Department of Education implements school monitoring procedures to certify NJ public schools that meet state and national standards. The 9th Grade High School Proficiency Test was an outcome of these procedures. The HSPT was a graduation requirement that assessed 9th-grade students on their ELA and mathematics skills. -
Abbott v. Burke
The New Jersey Supreme Court ruling declared the state’s reliance on local property taxes for financing K–12 schools unconstitutional and classified Newark as one of 28 districts needing additional state assistance. -
1992
Newark School District went under review by New Jersey's Department of Education. The state sought to measure student academic achievement across schools in Newark. -
1993
New Jersey's Department of Education declares Newark School District as underperforming. Data revealed that primary school-aged students were two grade levels behind national reading benchmarks. -
1993
New Jersey State takes over Newark Public School's funding. -
1995
New Jersey passes the Charter School Program Act. The act permitted the state to foster charter schools under certain guidelines. The policy reads "The program shall authorize the establishment of not more than 135 charter schools during the 48 months following the effective date of this act. The commissioner shall actively encourage the establishment of charter schools in urban school districts with the participation of institutions of higher education." -
1996
New Jersey State takes over Newark School District. -
1997
North Star Academy is founded in Newark. The first charter school opened in New Jersey. -
2004
Newark School District gains back control of funding from the state. -
2008
New Jersey passes the School Funding Reform Act of 2008 to improve funding in low-income districts, Newark School District included. This policy introduced a formula to secure a sufficient funding baseline for each student within these under-resourced districts. -
2010
Newark's Mayor Cory Booker and New Jersey's Governor Chris Christie began collaborating on an effort to reform the Newark school system. -
2010
Mark Zuckerberg donated $100 million to the Newark School District, which accounted for nearly 4% of the district's education budget. In solidarity with Newark's Mayor, Cory Booker, and New Jersey's governor, Chris Christie, Zuckerberg provided this gift to contribute to the city's education reform movement. -
2011
New Jersey's Governor Christie appointed Cami Anderson as superintendent of Newark School District to carry out the educational reform movement. -
2014
New Jersey's Governor Christie and Newark School District Superintendent Cami Anderson introduced the "One Newark" plan. This plan launched a new schooling system in Newark, which allowed families to enroll students into the school of their choice, regardless of zip code. The One Newark plan resulted in the school closure and the termination of hundreds of public school principals and teachers. This new educational choice model received significant backlash from local families. -
2017
New Jersey State decided to return local control to Newark School District, after 25 years of being under state control. In return, Newark's School District was given a lengthy transition plan to standby. The state implemented the plan to monitor the Newark District's progress. -
2022
"My Schools Newark" website is launched to serve as a database that allows users to research any k-12 school in Newark. The site shows there are currently 54 charter schools in Newark's School District. [https://explore.myschoolsnewark.org/]