South Middlesex Times

The New Jersey State Policy Lab and Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies at Rutgers University have launched the New Jersey Promising Practices Project in collaboration with the New Jersey Department of Education to bolster K-12 student learning outcomes.

The Department of Education developed the project after most New Jersey schools experienced declines in learning outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, state officials found roughly 15 percent of public schools increased proficiency rates in math or language arts in the first assessment year since the pandemic (2018-2019 to 2021-2022). Motivated by these observations, they formed a plan to identify and document promising practices for learning acceleration in K-12 schools throughout the state.

Since the project’s launch in 2023, Rutgers researchers identified “positive outlier” public schools in the state based on Department of Education school performance reports, student demographic and testing data, and socioeconomic files from the National Center for Education Statistics. These positive outliers include schools that have demonstrated positive student learning outcomes when comparing pre- to post-pandemic performance in English and mathematics. Rutgers researchers interviewed administrators, teachers, and other school staff to identify innovations and best practices that improved student learning outcomes in 52 of these schools.

“We’re delighted to work with the New Jersey Department of Education to identify strategies for improving student learning outcomes for all students, and especially for historically marginalized student groups,” said Elizabeth Cooner, executive director of the Policy Lab and principal investigator of the Promising Practices Project. “We have had the privilege of talking with truly inspiring educators who are transforming students’ lives with their innovative practices. By sharing these promising practices with other schools, we hope to expand opportunities for student learning across the state.”

“I am thrilled that the New Jersey Department of Education has commissioned such a bold, statewide study to understand and document the promising practices in schools which mitigated the negative impact of the pandemic on student learning,” said Vandeen Campbell, associate director of the Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies at Rutgers University–Newark. “The study presents an opportunity to learn from schools that improved performance, maintained already strong performance, or performed better than expected. It should be exciting to showcase and discuss what schools have shared in the coming months.”

The Promising Practices team will present research findings at regional convenings and conferences in December 2024. Additional information—including a list of participating public schools—related to the New Jersey Promising Practices Project and future events can be found on the Promising Practices website.

The New Jersey State Policy Lab assists the state and its many communities in designing, implementing, and evaluating policies and programs by conducting rigorous, evidence-based research that considers equity, efficiency, and efficacy of public policies and programs holistically and innovatively. The lab is run as a partnership between Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers–New Brunswick and School of Public Affairs Administration at Rutgers–Newark. The Policy Lab is funded by the New Jersey Office of Secretary Higher Education (OSHE), but this report does not necessarily represent OSHE's policy or endorsement.

Since its establishment in 2000, Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies has been a signature component of Rutgers University–Newark’s commitment as an anchor institution for metropolitan areas. The center aims to be neutral ground where people with disparate views can come together around mutual interests questions. The Cornwall Center sponsors research projects translating research into effective practice aimed at revitalizing Newark communities.