Newark Trust for Education and the Foundation for Newark’s Future Announce the Excellence In School Leadership Awards
Newark, NJ (PRWEB) October 22, 2013 -- The Newark Trust for Education and the Foundation for Newark’s Future announced today two new awards designed to honor academic leadership throughout Newark Public Schools.
The awards will be supported with up to a $3.5 million grant to the Newark Trust for Education, who will distribute it to principals and vice principals who serve in the district’s lowest performing schools and those who demonstrate notable success throughout the district. The award program will begin this academic year and will continue through the 2015-16 school year.
The Newark Trust for Education, whose mission is focused on ensuring a quality public education for all Newark’s children, is responsible for the design and implementation of the Excellence in School Leadership Awards, which the Foundation for Newark’s Future has agreed to fund as part of its focus on supporting excellent teachers and leaders in Newark.
“We know that leadership matters. What is often overlooked is how much it matters,” said Dr. Ross Danis, president and CEO of the Newark Trust for Education. “The research is clear that great schools need great principals.”
The Excellence in School Leadership Awards comprises two separate awards: The Leadership Matters Award and the Leadership Achievement Award. The Leadership Matters Award will provide a one time financial award of $10,000 to principals and $5,000 to vice principals who serve in one of Newark Public Schools’ lowest performing or most challenging schools. The Leadership Achievement Awards will provide annual financial awards of $15,000 to principals and $7,500 to vice principals across the district who serve in schools that exhibit breakthrough success.
Leaders of the Foundation for Newark’s Future and the Newark Trust for Education believe that these awards will help recruit and retain quality leaders for Newark’s schools, while also increasing the number of students throughout the district who are on track to graduate prepared for college.
“We are excited to recognize and reward well-deserving leaders for their commitment and exceptional performance on behalf of Newark’s kids,” said Foundation for Newark’s Future’s President and CEO Kim McLain. “We are pleased to provide the resources for the Excellence in School Leadership Awards to the Newark Trust for Education as they take the lead in honoring and supporting effective school leadership in Newark.”
The Newark Trust for Education is Newark’s first independent, local education fund. Since its launch in January 2011, the Newark Trust for Education has been aligning and coordinating resources, providing credible data, and serving as a neutral convener for civic discourse among those working to improve public education in Newark. Shané Harris, chair of the Trust’s board of directors, said the organization is the right steward to distribute these new awards. “Ensuring high quality leadership and governance at the school, district and local level is central to our work," Harris said.
The Foundation for Newark's Future is a private foundation working to improve educational outcomes for Newark's students. The Foundation is the centerpiece of a $200 million campaign for Newark’s public schools, established in 2010 with a $100 million matching grant from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. The Foundation invests in programs and initiatives across Newark that create large-scale change through short-term philanthropy.
Principals and vice principals are encouraged to apply for the awards on the Trust’s website: http://www.newarktrust.org. The application for the first round of awards—the Leadership Matters Awards—will be available on the Trust’s website beginning November 15, 2013. These awards will be made and distributed by December 15, 2013. Applications for the Leadership Achievement Awards will be available at the end of the 2013-14 school year.
Andrea Marilyn Garcia, Jaffe Communications, +1 (973) 315-0300, [email protected]
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