Teaneck Public Schools
Encyclopedia
Teaneck Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district
in Teaneck
, New Jersey
, United States, serving students in kindergarten through twelfth grade.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the district's seven schools had an enrollment of 4,129 students and 371 classroom teachers (on an FTE
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.13.
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education
as being in District Factor Group "GH", the third highest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide, ostensibly to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J. However, because socioeconomic data is derived from the municipality as a whole and a significant proportion of Teaneck's more affluent families send their children to parochial or other private schools, the usefulness of District Factor Grouping in the Teaneck district's case is disputed.
as part of its Best practice
s program. The district was awarded in the 1997-98 school year for its Passport Portfolio Program , and in the 2000-01 school year for its Early Literacy Initiative.
, who later served as New York City School Chancellor
, was hired in 1961 by the Teaneck Public Schools to serve as superintendent of the district. There he oversaw the adoption of mandatory busing in 1965 that made Teaneck the first district in the nation to voluntarily integrate its public schools. Despite angry phone calls from some parents and the occasional death threat, Teaneck's integration went smoothly and Scribner recalled that he was "literally crying" on the first day of school in 1965 when buses rolled into school without incident. Teaneck's 1965 busing plan made it the first district in the nation with a white majority to implement a voluntary school integration program.
A 1982 teachers strike that lasted for 19 days was settled after a judge threated to jail striking teachers and pressured the board of education to negotiate an agreement.
) include the following:
and faces up to 8½ years in prison when sentenced on January 18, 2008.
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
in Teaneck
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States, serving students in kindergarten through twelfth grade.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the district's seven schools had an enrollment of 4,129 students and 371 classroom teachers (on an FTE
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.13.
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education
New Jersey Department of Education
The New Jersey Department of Education administers state and federal aid programs affecting more than 1.4 million public and non-public elementary and secondary school children in the state of New Jersey. The department is headquartered in Trenton.The Department is responsible for ensuring that...
as being in District Factor Group "GH", the third highest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide, ostensibly to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J. However, because socioeconomic data is derived from the municipality as a whole and a significant proportion of Teaneck's more affluent families send their children to parochial or other private schools, the usefulness of District Factor Grouping in the Teaneck district's case is disputed.
Awards and recognition
The Teaneck Public Schools have been recognized by the New Jersey Department of EducationNew Jersey Department of Education
The New Jersey Department of Education administers state and federal aid programs affecting more than 1.4 million public and non-public elementary and secondary school children in the state of New Jersey. The department is headquartered in Trenton.The Department is responsible for ensuring that...
as part of its Best practice
Best practice
A best practice is a method or technique that has consistently shown results superior to those achieved with other means, and that is used as a benchmark...
s program. The district was awarded in the 1997-98 school year for its Passport Portfolio Program , and in the 2000-01 school year for its Early Literacy Initiative.
History
Harvey B. ScribnerHarvey B. Scribner
Harvey Bertram Scribner was an American educator and administrator who oversaw the voluntary integration of the Teaneck Public Schools in the mid-1960s. He also headed the Vermont Department of Education...
, who later served as New York City School Chancellor
New York City School Chancellor
The New York City Schools Chancellor is the leader of the New York City Department of Education, the agency that handles New York City's public schools. The current Chancellor is Dennis M. Walcott, who began his tenure on April 18, 2011 after the resignation of Cathie Black on April 7, 2011...
, was hired in 1961 by the Teaneck Public Schools to serve as superintendent of the district. There he oversaw the adoption of mandatory busing in 1965 that made Teaneck the first district in the nation to voluntarily integrate its public schools. Despite angry phone calls from some parents and the occasional death threat, Teaneck's integration went smoothly and Scribner recalled that he was "literally crying" on the first day of school in 1965 when buses rolled into school without incident. Teaneck's 1965 busing plan made it the first district in the nation with a white majority to implement a voluntary school integration program.
A 1982 teachers strike that lasted for 19 days was settled after a judge threated to jail striking teachers and pressured the board of education to negotiate an agreement.
Schools
Schools in the district (with school facilities and principals as listed at the district web site, school history from the Teaneck Virtual Village and 2009-10 enrollment data from the National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education Statistics
The National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
) include the following:
Elementary schools
- Bryant School, with 367 students in pre-K and Kindergarten: Principal - Dr. Elise Bourne-Busby. Built in 1927. Named for poet and journalist William Cullen BryantWilliam Cullen BryantWilliam Cullen Bryant was an American romantic poet, journalist, and long-time editor of the New York Evening Post.-Youth and education:...
. School #6. - Hawthorne SchoolHawthorne School, Teaneck, NJNathaniel Hawthorne Elementary School is a part of the Teaneck Public Schools in Teaneck, New Jersey, United States. The school, built in 1925, with several additions since, serves students in grades one to four...
with 347 students in grades 1-4: Principal - Deirdre Spollen-LaRaia. Built in 1925. Named for author Nathaniel HawthorneNathaniel HawthorneNathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer.Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in the city of Salem, Massachusetts to Nathaniel Hathorne and the former Elizabeth Clarke Manning. His ancestors include John Hathorne, a judge during the Salem Witch Trials...
. School #5. - Lowell School with 321 students in grades 1-4: Principal - Leslie Abrew. Built in 1935. Named for author James Russell LowellJames Russell LowellJames Russell Lowell was an American Romantic poet, critic, editor, and diplomat. He is associated with the Fireside Poets, a group of New England writers who were among the first American poets who rivaled the popularity of British poets...
. School #7. - Whittier School with 406 students in grades 1-4. Principal - Suzanna Kaplan. Built in 1923. Named for John Greenleaf WhittierJohn Greenleaf WhittierJohn Greenleaf Whittier was an influential American Quaker poet and ardent advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. He is usually listed as one of the Fireside Poets...
. School #4. - Benjamin Franklin Middle School with 576 students in grades 5-8. Principal - Dr. Lennox Small. Named for founding father and inventor Benjamin FranklinBenjamin FranklinDr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
. - Thomas Jefferson Middle School with 624 students in grades 5-8. Principal - Angela Davis. Named for American president Thomas JeffersonThomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
. - Eugene Field School. Constructed in 1956. Used as Board of Education Central Administration Offices. School #8. Named for poet and humorist Eugene FieldEugene FieldEugene Field, Sr. was an American writer, best known for his children's poetry and humorous essays.-Biography:...
.
High school
- Teaneck High SchoolTeaneck High SchoolTeaneck High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school, which is part of the Teaneck Public Schools district in Teaneck, New Jersey, United States...
, which has an enrollment of 1,378 students in grades 9-12. Principal - Dennis Heck (interim). Built in 1929.
Defunct schools
- Emerson Elementary School- Built in 1916. Original School #3. Named for author, essayist, and 19th century philosopher Ralph Waldo EmersonRalph Waldo EmersonRalph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century...
. - Washington Irving School - Built in 1906. Original School #2. Named for author Washington IrvingWashington IrvingWashington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works...
. - Longfellow Elementary School- Built in 1910. School #1. Named for poet Henry Wadsworth LongfellowHenry Wadsworth LongfellowHenry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...
.
Controversy
Teaneck has received attention in the media due to sexual crimes committed against minors by faculty members. Joseph White, former principal of Teaneck High School pleaded guilty to official child endangerment in June 2006 and was sentenced to one year in prison. White had been charged in 2002 with fondling a 17-year-old student and was subsequently acquitted. James Darden, an award-winning former eight grade teacher at Thomas Jefferson Middle School, was charged with sexual assault and misconduct in June 2007. He pleaded guilty on December 2007 to a charge of aggravated sexual assaultAggravated sexual assault
Aggravated Sexual Assault is when one commits an aggravated assault of a sexual nature and who wounds, maims, disfigures or endangers the life of the complainant....
and faces up to 8½ years in prison when sentenced on January 18, 2008.
Administration
Core members of the district's administration are:- Barbara Pinsak - Superintendent
- Robert Finger - School Business Administrator / Board Secretary
External links
- Teaneck Public Schools
- Teaneck Virtual Village - History of Teaneck Public Schools
- Data for the Teaneck Public Schools, National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...