New Report Shows Nearly 75 Percent Of NJ Black And Latino 4th-Graders Are Not Proficient In Math Or Reading

Former Gov. Tom Kean to co-chair new education reform advocacy group. JerseyCAN: The New Jersey Campaign for Achievement Now launched today as an education reform advocacy organization with the release of its inaugural 'State of New Jersey Public Education' report.

The 2013 report shows that a lot of work needs to be done for all of our children to compete nationally and globally. Key findings include:
• Black eighth-graders trail their white peers by 38 percentage points in math.

• Only 4 percent of black students and 11 percent of Latino students passed an Advanced Placement exam before graduating high school.
• New Jersey’s black and Latino students fall more than 200 points short of the college-and career-ready benchmark on the SAT.
• New Jersey spends $16,841 per pupil on public K-12 education. Only New York and the District of Columbia invest more money in their public schools.
JerseyCAN’s mission is to close the academic achievement gaps that divide our students by serving as the go-to research and policy organization for New Jersey public education. JerseyCAN is a non-profit organization that will work in close partnership with New Jersey’s foremost education policy groups, business and civic leaders and organizations to build a broad, statewide movement for change that is grounded in a robust, rapid and authoritative research-driven advocacy.

“New Jersey’s achievement gap is larger than the national average despite having the third highest per-pupil spending in the country,” said JerseyCAN Executive Director Janellen Duffy. “We have to ensure that this level of investment in education is translated into high quality options for all students in New Jersey, regardless of their zip code.”

Former governor Thomas Kean, who began his career as a teacher and has a long committment to improving education in New Jersey, will co-chair the JerseyCAN advisory board. “Great communities start with great public schools, and it is unacceptable for any New Jersey child not to have access to one,” said Governor Kean. “Furthermore, the economic prosperity of our state depends on cultivating a highly educated workforce. JerseyCAN will be committed to using data and research to support the growth of high-quality public school options to prepare the students of New Jersey for success in college and careers in a global economy.”

Ann Borowiec, who previously ran JP Morgan's New Jersey Private Banking business, will co-chair the JerseyCAN board. "I believe education is one of the best anti-poverty programs," said Borowiec. "The data clearly show that greater educational attainment leads to more employment opportunities and greater annual earnings. We have school districts in New Jersey where less than 50 percent of the children graduate high school. It is an economic and moral imperative that we address this issue."

Former New Jersey education advisor Janellen Duffy is JerseyCAN’s founding executive director. Duffy comes to JerseyCAN from the Newark Charter School Fund, where she was vice president for advocacy and policy and worked on expanding high-quality charter school options in collaboration with the Newark Public Schools district. Prior to that, Duffy was director of policy and the education policy advisor for Governor Jon Corzine. During that time, she worked on countless education issues, including the development and enactment of the School Funding Reform Act of 2008, the authorization of $3.9 billion for school construction funding and the implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in New Jersey.

Duffy is a New Jersey native and the daughter, daughter in-law and sister in-law of teachers. She attended Avon Elementary School in Avon, NJ, Saint Rose High School in Belmar, NJ and received her master’s degree in public affairs from Princeton University.

In addition to co-chairs Kean and Borowiec, JerseyCAN's founding advisory board includes: Ray Chambers, Founder and Chairman of The MCJ Amelior Foundation; Ken Donovan, Trustee, R&C Donovan Family Foundation; Mary Farrell, Director, Maeve Foundation; Shané Harris, Vice President of The Prudential Foundation; Tom Healey, Managing Partner of Healey Development and former Managing Director of Goldman Sachs; Dr. Michael Nettles, Senior Vice President, Education Testing Service (ETS); Larry Rogers, Treasurer, Better Education for Kids (B4K); Walter Shipley, former Chairman & CEO, Chase Manhattan Bank; and Josh Weston, honorary Chairman & former CEO, ADP.

JerseyCAN, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, will be funded by individual donors and foundation support.