New Jersey Secondary Schools and State Policy of Education

A state in Northeastern as well as the Middle Atlantic regions of United States, New Jersey has a population of 8,791,894 as per the 2010 Census reports. On the one hand it is most densely populated state in United States as well as the second wealthiest state across the country. Education has flourished in the state and New Jersey secondary schools have already earned an important place on the educational map of United States.

New Jersey Educational Scenario

According to a survey conducted in 2010, there are 605 educational districts in New Jersey. Some of the major aspects of the educational scenario in New Jersey are –
Education Advancement Initiative or EAI was initiated to increase the admission rates in the colleges by 10% in respect of the high school students.
The program also aimed at reduction of drop outs by 15% in the same cadre.
Another important step taken was increasing the amount of money devoted to the schools by 10%.
However, later last part of the plan of devoting more money to schools was retracted in the face of public criticism.
New Jersey ranks at the top in terms of L-12 education funding but is ranked last in terms of higher education funding.
On average the expenditure per student in the year 2007-08 of the state was well over $20,000.
An important step was taken by the state government when it paid all the teacher’s premiums for health insurance.
The state ranks at the top in proportion to students that graduate from colleges and leave the state.

Commitment of State towards High School Education

New Jersey is openly committed to preparing the students of the state for both higher standard of living and qualitative works during the 21st century. With the introduction of the Secondary Education Transformation Initiatives, the focus has now shifted on to redesigning the middle schools as well as high schools using action steps combined with supportive policies.

In the process the authorities aim at aligning content standards, assessments, as well as high school graduation requirements in the light of colleges and workplace expectations. Many school districts have substantially rigorous expectations as well as high levels of student achievements; the Secondary Education Transformation in state is completely focused on creating a favorable environment for education befitting the 21st century.