Mayor Ras J. Baraka will join Newark Public Schools Superintendent Roger León; Montclair State University President Dr. Susan A. Cole; American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten; Newark Teachers Union President John Abeigon; legislators, educators, and students to launch New Jersey’s most comprehensive teacher academy on Tuesday, February 26, at 10 a.m., at East Side High School, in the city’s East Ward. The school is located at 238 Van Buren Street.
The launch begins the planning phase for The Teacher Academy, which is expected to open in 2020, which is also among the first such facility in the nation’s history.
The AFT and Montclair State University will help design a curriculum to prepare students for a career in teaching. In addition, the university will provide adjunct professors to teach students, and internships for students will be available, as well. The Teacher Preparatory Academy will be housed at East Side High School, Newark’s largest high school with more than 2,000 students. Partner high schools to East Side High are Newark’s University High Schools Media Studies Academy and Arts High Schools Arts Academy. Both academies will be housed at East Side High School. Graduates of The Teacher Academy will receive a substitute certificate and college credits upon completion.
The Teacher Preparatory Academy will prepare Newark Public School students for careers as teachers and create a pipeline of diversity in education to reflect the state of New Jersey and the nation. The Academy will also create an environment that makes a career in education a destination for high school and college bound students.
