by Common Ground | Jun 28, 2013 | Courts
The New Jersey commissioner of education has issued a ruling that ensures that parents cannot be held liable for the cost of educating their child, even when that child lives in a group home and the parents move out of state. The case involves a child with multiple...
by Common Ground | Jun 27, 2013 | Capitols
This spring, U.S. Representative Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) introduced bipartisan legislation to support students’ positive development and academic success through social and emotional learning. The Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning Act of 2013 (HR 1875) would...
by Common Ground | Jun 27, 2013 | Capitols
New Jersey Education Commissioner Chris Cerf has upheld two charges of bullying under the state’s tough new anti-bullying act. Both incidents took place in 2011 and involved middle-school students. In the first case, a sixth-grader from Middlesex County insulted...
by Common Ground | Jun 27, 2013 | Capitols
A bi-partisan measure approved by the New Jersey General Assembly would ban a growing practice that has school boards offering “merit pay” bonuses to school superintendents who reduce out of district special education placements. The bill, A-3997, was...
by Common Ground | Jun 26, 2013 | Capitols
Bipartisan legislation to establish a task force to improve the funding, delivery, and effectiveness of special education programs and services in New Jersey was signed into law earlier this spring by Governor Christie. The legislation was introduced in response to an...
by Common Ground | Jun 26, 2013 | Capitols
Following months of opposition on the part of special education advocacy groups, the State Board of Education voted to withdraw plans to revise sections of the state’s special education code. Last fall, the New Jersey Department of Education proposed major...
by Common Ground | Jun 26, 2013 | Capitols
Governor Chris Christie signed a bill into law that is designed to provide stability in Special Education programming. The measure (A-2739 /S-1949) stemmed from parental concerns that students with disabilities were subject to continued transfer of schools and...
by Common Ground | Jun 25, 2013 | Students
By Jordan Westwood Self-advocacy skills are important no matter what setting you are in, whether it is in middle school, high school, college, or the work place. I started advocating for myself when I was in fifth grade. I asked my grandmother if I could come with her...
by Common Ground | Jun 25, 2013 | Teachers
Strategy instruction gives students the tools and techniques they need in order to understand and learn new material or skills.If you’ve ever played chess, chances are you used a fairly unsophisticated approach when first making your way around the board. It’s also...
by Common Ground | Jun 25, 2013 | Snapshot
In 2011, nearly 16,000 New Jersey children were enrolled in Head Start Programs, up 7% since 2007. Of the 91,832 New Jersey children enrolled in kindergarten, 74% attend full day programs. The number of children enrolled in full day kindergarten (67,627) rose by 9%...
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