Branding

Utility Container

NCLB-ESSA

September 4, 2019

Dear Parent/Guardian:

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act was one of our country’s most important education laws. In 2016, this law was revisedand is now commonly referred to as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ESSA is designed to make changes in teaching and learning that will further the growth of our students.

The new law requires that all schools receiving federal funds must inform parents at the beginning of the school year about the qualifications of the child’s teachers. Our school system receives federal funding, and are happy to share this information with you.

We believe that nothing is more important to your child’s education at school than having a well-prepared and appropriately certified teacher. The law requires that all teachers must meet specific definition in order to teach in school that receive federal funding. This definition has three parts. The law states that the teacher must have the following:

  1. A bachelor’s degree

  2. A valid New Jersey state certification in the content area they teach; and

  3. Demonstrated content expertise in the core academic subject(s) they teach.

New Jersey has some of the most qualified teachers in the country, and we are extremely proud of the quality of the teaching staff in the Princeton Public School District.

The 2018 Niche rating ranked Princeton the top school district in New Jersey. All of our regular teachers have college degrees and many have advanced degrees. The State of New Jersey has always required a teaching certification/license for all teachers. In addition, every teacher continues his or her own learning through professional development activities and our teachers are evaluated each year to make sure that their teaching skills remain at the highest possible level.

To ensure that every child in every classroom has a highly qualified teacher, the state of New Jersey and our school district have been working together to help teachers meet the requirements of the revised federal law.

A highly qualified teacher knows what to teach, how to teach and has a full understanding of the subject matter being taught. Every teacher in our school is fully qualified and dedicated to teaching your child.

I encourage you to support your child’s education and communicate with his or her teacher on a regular basis. Sincerely,

Stephen Cochrane Superintendent

Click here to read the full report.