Ensuring Quality Teaching and Learning for New Jersey Students and Educators

Commissioner Librera has developed and is seeking comment on a discussion paper entitled Ensuring Quality Teaching and Learning for New Jersey’s Students and Educators. In the paper, the Commissioner presents an integrated set of strategies to strengthen teaching, enhance professional learning, and promote teacher leadership and excellence. These strategies would:

Redesign professional development, moving from the current individualized requirement to a group approach, focused on team/school level learning goals;
Extend leadership opportunities to exemplary teachers through a new Teacher with Advanced Standing endorsement;
Identify and share best practices in professional learning;
Provide support for teachers in need of assistance; and
Devise a more effective standards-based teacher evaluation process, including a state recertification process for individuals who do not meet the professional standards.

The Commissioner invites your comments on the discussion paper by email or regular mail service. Email your comments to QTLFeedback@doe.state.nj.us, a Department of Education email address strictly dedicated to comments, or send them by mail to Dr. Jay Doolan, director, Office of Academic and Professional Standards, P.O. Box 500, Trenton, New Jersey 08625. Comments will be accepted through February 18, 2005.

The Commissioner will provide information to the State Board of Education in March, including a summary of the feedback and the possible policy implications. He will then appoint a Task Force on Quality Teaching and Learning to make recommendations for policy changes that implement the new vision for teaching and learning through administrative code and statute.

Please share the Commissioner’s paper widely with principals, teachers and other colleagues and encourage them to provide feedback on this important discussion paper. The Commissioner is seeking widespread feedback from educators and stakeholders to enrich and enlarge upon the vision presented in the discussion paper. The Commissioner’s proposals will lead to changes in policies and programs that can significantly improve teaching and learning in New Jersey.

» Cover Memo (31 kb PDF )

» Commissioner’s Paper on Teaching and Learning (150 kb PDF )

» QTLFeedback@doe.state.nj.us
The following e-mail account will remain active through February 18, 2005. This account has been designed for the sole purpose of receiving comments on the commissioner’s discussion paper titled: “Ensuring Quality Teaching and Learning for New Jersey’s Students and Educators.” Questions/comments sent to this email address regarding other education issues will not receive a reply.