“We’re not getting the bang for the buck that we need.”
Our jaws hit the floor when we heard this admission from Governor Sherrill.
And our hopes rose. Most of us working in education advocacy know that New Jersey isn’t achieving significant ROI for our heavy spending. But we never expected to hear that reality plainly stated in an inaugural budget address.
That transparency deserves more than applause. It deserves follow-through from policymakers, educators, parents, and all of us. $12.4 billion is a fantastic input. Now let’s make the outcome match that investment.
Our student data highlights the work ahead. New Jersey currently ranks 30th in the nation for student growth. While 15 other states saw significant gains in 4th-grade math scores last year, New Jersey’s scores remained flat. New York 4th graders made more than 7 times the gain than our own. Are we really going to accept that New York makes better grades than us, when those loudmouths can’t even beat us in bagels and pizza?
Beyond the Northeast, states like Mississippi and Louisiana are closing the gap in 8th-grade math by raising standards and implementing rigorous curricula. We have our own catching up to do, given that at 412 of our 616 middle schools, more than half of 6th-grade students are below grade level in math. If we raise our expectations to match our spending, there’s no reason we can’t make similar gains.
But gains, whether those are adding muscle at the gym or growing your stock portfolio, begin with knowing your starting position. Right now in NJ, students’ true performance is obscured by:
So to get bang for our buck in education, we need to address the “cover up” before we can fix the “crime.” With fewer than 40% of our 8th graders performing proficiently on national math and reading assessments, we have young people’s futures at stake.
Governor Sherrill laid bare the current reality in her budget address. Let’s use her remarks as a springboard to improve education in the Garden State. And that starts with giving students and parents the truth about academic performance. Bang!
