By Kathleen Nugent, DFER NJ State Director
Last month in a historic move, the New Jersey State Legislature unanimously passed Senator Teresa Ruiz’s (D-Essex) tenure reform bill known as the Teacher Effectiveness and Accountability for the Children of New Jersey Act (TEACHNJ). After more than 18 months of research, ongoing discussion, and consensus-building led by Senator Ruiz, the final product earned the support of education stakeholders statewide. Proponents of the bill included the state’s largest teachers unions, the New Jersey Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers New Jersey, business chambers, education reform advocates, school boards, and more.
TEACHNJ does three key things:
1) Fundamentally redefines tenure in New Jersey as both its acquisition and ongoing retention become tied to demonstrated effectiveness in the classroom, based in part on student growth measures;
2) Creates significant professional development support for teachers and school leaders targeting individual needs and fostering greatest growth as well as increased student achievement; and,
3) Dramatically reduces the time and costs for tenure charges while ensuring due process and protecting employee rights in a responsible way.
Senator Ruiz is a remarkable champion of New Jersey’s students whose dedication to ensuring every child has access to an excellent education drove the state’s tenure reform passage. You can watch her speak to TEACHNJ here on NJTV’s “NJ Today,” or listen to her interview on WNYC’s “The Brian Lehrer Show” here (click on #30).