camden city schools

AgendaOverviewStudent and Staff SurveyPerformanceListening & Evaluation TourPreliminary Actions Taken

Camden is home to 77,000 people, of whom 25% are school-aged childrenCamden City OverviewMore than 15,000 students are served by Camdens 26 traditional district schools and 11 charter schoolsNearly 95% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch19% of students have a special education classification

Schools in Camden*Camden is the lowest-performing district in New Jersey

Priority Schools schools with the lowest school-wide proficiency rates in the state23 of Camdens 26 schools are Priority Schools3 of the absolute lowest-performing schools in the state14 of the lowest-performing 21 schools in the state based on overall proficiency in our NCLB waiver

Elementary School Students:I want to explore and learn new thingsMiddle and High School Students:Thinking back over the past year in school, how often did you try to do your best work in school?The Opportunity: Students are eager to learnCamden City School Climate Survey, Spring 2013

Elementary School Students:My family wants me to do well in schoolMiddle/High School Students:My family wants me to do well in schoolThe Opportunity: Students perceive their families to have high expectations of themCamden City School Climate Survey, Spring 2013

Elementary School Students:My teachers really care about meElementary Students:My teachers would give me help if I needed itThe Opportunity: and believe that their teachers care about themCamden City School Climate Survey, Spring 2013

The Challenge: One-third of Camden City students wish they attended a different school Elementary School Students:I wish I went to a different schoolMiddle/High School Students:I wish I went to a different schoolCamden City School Climate Survey, Spring 2013

The Challenge: Many students feel unsafe both inside and outside of their schoolElementary School Students:I feel safe in the hallways and bathrooms of the schoolMiddle/High School Students:How safe do you feel outside around the school?Camden City School Climate Survey, Spring 2013

The Challenge: and violence is a significant problem in middle and high schools Middle/High School Students:Violence is a problem at my schoolCamden City School Climate Survey, Spring 2013

The Challenge: Students do not find their school work engaging or interesting Elementary School Students:My teachers make learning interestingMiddle/High School Students:My teachers make learning interestingCamden City School Climate Survey, Spring 2013

The Challenge: and many students frequently miss schoolChronic Absenteeism% of students absent > 10% of days

The Challenge: Staff members report that schools lack the necessary ingredients for a culture of achievementStaff Members:The school community has high expectations of all studentsStaff Members:Teachers have close working relationships with each otherCamden City School Climate Survey, Spring 2013

The Challenge: Staff members spend a lot of time attending to student emotional needs and have difficulty motivating themStaff Members:I spend a great deal of time dealing with students social and emotional troubles.Staff Members:Some students at this school just cannot be motivated to do the work.Camden City School Climate Survey, Spring 2013

Nearly half of Camdens K-8 and high school students are performing far below the States bar for proficiencyCamden NJASK LAL and Math Scores,2012-2013Note: Students scores are attributed to the school they were enrolled in as of October 15; data is for district schools only Source: NJDOEProficientProficientCamden HSPA LAL and Math Scores,2012-2013

Despite modest progress in some areas, Camden students remain 40-50 percentage points lower than the state proficiency averageCamden NJASK LAL and Math Proficiency, 2011-2013Camden HSPA LAL and Math Proficiency, 2011-2013Note: Students scores are attributed to the school they were enrolled in as of October 15; Data is for district schools only Source: NJDOELALMathLALMath

While all sub-groups under-perform, Special Education and ELL students in K-8 schools score particularly lowCamden Public Schools NJASK LAL Performance by Demographic,2012-2013Note: Students scores are attributed to the school they were enrolled in as of October 15 Source: NJDOE

Last year, some K-8 schools showed modest progress in LAL while others fell further behind; charters performed slightly better on the wholeChange in Camden K-8 NJASK LAL Scores by School,2011-2012 to 2012-2013Source: NJDOEIndicates charter

aStill, all K-8 district schools are both low-performing and low growthNJASK LAL Performance and Growth, 2012-2013Source: NJDOESGP0

And at the high school level, the majority of schools have declined in performanceChange in Camden HSPA Scores by School,2011-2012 to 2012-2013Source: NJDOEIndicates charterMathLAL

And most concerning, were far from preparing our students well for college or careers College ReadinessHigh School Graduation Rate

Superintendents 100-Day Transition: Three Areas of Focus

Superintendents 100-Day Transition: Areas of Focus

Teaching and Learning We visited all 26 schools in the districtSchool visits served as an opportunity to observe the teaching and leadership practices and build relationships with school-based staff

School Safety and Climate This summers School Climate Survey found school safety and climate to be an area of critical concern in CamdenAs a result of this urgent need, this fall we have:Completed a full security auditUpdated security plans for all schoolsProvided training on emergency preparedness We see this as only the start of what is a critical area we must address as a City

Superintendents 100-Day Transition: Areas of Focus (contd) Community Engagement: The Listening Tour

Objective: to listen to and learn from all members of the community about the best path forward for Camdens schools How was this achieved?4 community town halls8 focus group events with parents, students and staffFeedback from hundreds of teachers via suggestion boxes placed in every school

* 100-Day Listening Tour: Community Town Halls Town HallsAttendees:Signed In: 67Students: 11Parents: 26Educators: 26Community Members: 16

Attendees:Signed In: 48Students: 9Parents: 15Educators: 8Community Members: 10



88% of attendees indicated an interest being involved in efforts to improve schools

100-Day Listening Tour: Focus Group Events Liberty Park Community HuddleOct. 24th District OfficeTown HallNov. 26th Fairview Community Huddle Nov. 19th Parent Roundtable Nov. 25th Teacher TalksMet East - Nov. 25th Coopers Poynt - Dec. 12th Camden High - Dec. 16th Chat with Student RepresentativesOct. 28th

Listening Tour Findings

Students want:Safer and better schools in high quality school buildingsHigher expectations from teachers and parentsAccess to innovative technology and learning toolsAccess to extracurricular resources

Parents want:Safer and better schools in high quality school buildingsA more service-oriented district office and school environmentClear opportunities for parents to engage

Teachers want:Better curriculum and instructional supportA more service-oriented district office and school environmentLess bureaucracy

Community stakeholders want:Safer and better schools, and community centersContinuity in district-led community programs and initiatives

Camden receives $21.7K per pupilCamden City General Fund% Allocated to Charters & Out of District Tuition*Excludes PEA and Federal Grants

Preliminary Actions Taken*Leaders & EducatorsHired 5 new turnaround principalsStarted the school year with 100% of vacancies filled through a more strategic approach to staffingRevised recruitment and selection process for new hiresHeld first ever matching fair for current staff to increase choice in school placement processEnsured a sufficient number of substitute teachers were hired to meet persistent gapsWon a 5-year $5M SLP grant to support the development of a residency-based school leadership development programCurriculum & InstructionAuthored rigorous new math and ELA curricula across grades K to 12 to align to Common Core State StandardsInvested $5M in new textbooks for students and classroomsProvided intensive summer development institutes to all educatorsProviding ongoing monthly professional learning opportunities for teachers and principalsTechnologyEstablished technology pilots in three schools to explore the use of instructional technology in our classroomsWorking closely with the state to ensure that our PARCC pilot schools are prepared for computer-based testing this spring

Preliminary Actions Taken*School Safety & SecurityUpdated all school security plansInstalled more than 100 new security camerasPartnered with Camden City and the Camden County Police Department to establish Safe Corridors for students traveling to and from schoolOngoing heightening of school safety drills and protocols with state supportDeveloping a comprehensive school safety and security strategyCurrently, interviewing to hire a School Safety and Security directorStudent SupportEstablished the development and growth of a breakfast programProgram began in 2 schools at the start of the school year, and is now in all schoolsPiloting a dinner program for students in our after school programProgram is beginning in 6 schools with plans to expand to all schools by the end of the yearPiloting PBSIS (Positive Behavior Support in Schools) in three of our K8 schools to promote positive behavior and improved school climatesPlanning similar intervention programs for our early childhood and high school students

Preliminary Actions Taken*Families & PartnershipsContinued parent and community engagement though additional roundtables and community cabinet meetingsHosted 4 community meetings and 8 focus group events in 2 months Establishing Parent and Community Centers in our citys 4 wards in partnership with the Office of the Mayor to ensure parents have access to clear information about educational options for their studentsRe-engaging recent dropouts through a home visit campaignOf the ~350 students who have recently dropped out, we have already re-enrolled more than 50 studentsSchool OptionsLaunched an RFP seeking additional Renaissance school project applicants to partner with the district starting in the fall of 2014Supported the takeover of Freedom Academy by Democracy Prep to improve rigor and school quality

Based on the findings of our transition period, we are finalizing a strategic plan to be rolled out later this monthIt aims to address the concerns that we heard voiced by our families and the community, including:Academic rigorSchool-level resourcesSchool safetyBuilding qualityAccess to informationFollowing the roll-out of the strategic plan, we will re-engage with families at the school level to discuss how the strategic plan commitments will improve education options for all students in their communityNext Steps

***********Listening Tour was our 3rd area of focus*********