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For Release: November 6, 2002

State Board of Education Welcomes 2001-2002 Star Schools at November Meeting

TRENTON — The State Board of Education today welcomed and honored the ten 2001-2002 Star Schools at its regular monthly meeting. Schools from Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Essex, Gloucester, Mercer, Monmouth and Passaic counties were represented.

The meeting was held in the first floor conference room inside the Department of Education building, 100 Riverview Plaza.

"The State Board is proud to honor and welcome the state’s 2001-2002 Star Schools," President Maud Dahme said. "Such schools should be recognized — they are a model for excellence in schools statewide. We’re sure they will continue on such a path in the future."

The 2001-2002 Star Schools, released in May, are as follows:

The 10 Star Schools, along with 50 Best Practices schools, were selected earlier this year from a field of nearly 800 applicants.

"These schools are exemplary leaders for districts statewide," Commissioner of Education William L. Librera said. "Our state has many quality schools that are focused on strengthening their classrooms and communities. This year’s Star Schools are the head of that class."

Applications for Best Practices/Star Schools are first reviewed by the county offices of education for compliance with laws, regulations and department policy. Then, the applications are submitted to the Department of Education, where panels of experts (involving approximately 300 administrators and teachers) review the work of their peers and rate each application.

A second peer review of the highest-scoring applications is then conducted. In the final phases, the focus of the evaluation returns to the county and local levels. The process culminates in 60 site visits by panel members to verify information in the applications.

The Star Schools component of the program identifies New Jersey schools that have a particular specialization with objectives that help students meet the state’s academic and cross content workplace readiness standards. In addition, the school’s faculty is involved in professional development activities that contribute to exemplary teaching practices.

Active involvement of parents, business and the community is a hallmark of Star Schools.