Camden City School District (CCSD) serves ~15K students in the city of Camden, NJ.\u00a0 Known for its violence and drug-riddled streets, Camden is not a city that most would choose to raise a family in.\u00a0 Still, the mission of the school district is to provide equitable access to a high-quality education to prepare students for life and career. Though the current administration and many of the teachers live and breathe this mission each day, the reality for most students remains stark, and their prospects few.<\/p>\n
I began at CCSD in November of 2013 after being hired by the new superintendent.\u00a0 During my first month there, I uncovered a horrifying statistic: only 3 students were deemed college ready in the high school class that had graduated the prior spring.\u00a0 That is 3 students (no, not 3% of students) out of a graduating class of approximately 500, as measured by their performance on the ACT[1]<\/a>.\u00a0 This was just the first of many disappointing data points discovered as we began to delve deeper into the district\u2019s data while developing a strategic plan for the district.<\/p>\n Given the district\u2019s business model is focused on educating the preK through 12th<\/sup> grade students in Camden, it is important to note that these students also represent the district\u2019s revenue source, as school districts in New Jersey are funded on a per pupil basis.\u00a0 However, unlike a purchase where a customer can walk away if they are unsatisfied or have received poor customer service, these students have few alternatives outside of the CCSD school located in their neighborhood.\u00a0 Therefore, they are reliant on the success of the district\u2019s operational model, which involves:<\/p>\n The current operating model for CCSD is similar to the operating model in districts nationwide; while it successfully supports the execution of districts\u2019 business models in some places, Camden represents a place where it is clearly failing.\u00a0 It is failing because it is inflexible and because it fails to account for the unique needs of students in a city like Camden.\u00a0 It is failing because costs are not fungible, and though dollars follow the students, many costs stay behind when the student leaves.\u00a0 It is failing because funds are tied up in crumbling buildings, in funding a pension system that is antiquated and likely won\u2019t even provide for today\u2019s teachers in retirement. \u00a0With many fixed and increasing costs, it is difficult to direct dollars to the school- and classroom-level where they may be used by school leaders and teachers to more directly impact student learning and success.<\/p>\n This is not to say there isn\u2019t hope in Camden, or even in public education systems in general.\u00a0 Many charter schools have proven it is possible to do more with less, to make progress in leaps and bounds with students who others might have given up on and to train and retain high quality teachers without a pension system.\u00a0 And with a new teachers\u2019 contract[3]<\/a> in Camden, commitment for a new high school from the state[4]<\/a> and improving school climate and culture[5]<\/a>, CCSD is certainly moving in the right direction.\u00a0 They\u2019ve just got a long and hard road in front of them.<\/p>\n [1]<\/a> \u201cOnly 3 students scored college-ready in Camden\u201d, nj.com, December 18, 2013.\u00a0 http:\/\/www.nj.com\/camden\/index.ssf\/2013\/12\/only_3_students_scored_college-ready_in_camden.html<\/a><\/p>\n [2]<\/a> \u201cNJ Per Pupil Spending\u201d, http:\/\/www.nj.com\/education\/2015\/04\/nj_schools_how_much_is_your_district_spending_per.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> \u201cNew contract for Camden\u2019s teachers\u201d, Courier Post, March 11, 2015. http:\/\/www.courierpostonline.com\/story\/news\/local\/south-jersey\/2015\/03\/10\/new-contract-camdens-teachers\/24713079\/<\/a><\/p>\n [4]<\/a> \u201cGov. Chris Christie announces $50M upgrade to Camden High School facilities\u201d, nj.com, December 2, 2014. http:\/\/www.nj.com\/camden\/index.ssf\/2014\/12\/gov_chris_christie_announces_50m_upgrade_to_camden_high_school_facilities.html<\/a><\/p>\n [5]<\/a> \u201cSuperintendent and School Leaders Share Progress\u2026\u201d, CCSD press release, July 6, 2015. http:\/\/www.camden.k12.nj.us\/pdf\/news_releases\/\/2015-2016\/01-Superintendent%20and%20School%20Leaders%20Share%20Progress.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" (still) waiting for Superman in New Jersey's toughest city<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":945,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[1002,73,1003,119],"class_list":["post-6439","hck-submission","type-hck-submission","status-publish","hentry","category-camden","category-education","category-funding","category-loser"],"connected_submission_link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/assignment\/the-tom-challenge-tom-winners-and-losers-assignment\/","yoast_head":"\n\n