The race for mayor of Newark, New Jersey, has narrowed to two candidates: Ras Baraka and Shavar Jeffries. It has become a referendum on the direction of school reform and whether Newark’s public schools will be turned over to private charter organizations.

Baraka, a city councilman and high school principal, has received the endorsement of the Network for Public Education, based. On his support for research-based methods of school improvement and his commitment to democratically controlled public schools (Newark has been under state control since 1995). Jeffries is a strong supporter of the continued privatization of schools in Newark, which coincides with the plans of Chris Christie’s administration.

This article by Josh Eidelson in Salon contains an informative interview with Baraka.

It is interesting that the editor of the “Star-Ledger” says in the article that Baraka has no new ideas; he just wants to fix the public schools, not blow them up. This is the same editor who admitted that his newspaper had erred in endorsing Christie’s re-election. If he read research about charters in New Jersey, which demonstrates their success in culling the students they want and excluding the ones they don’t want. He should invite Bruce Baker of Rutgers to meet the editorial board.

The election this fall will determine whether public education will survive in Newark or whether the children will become part of the national experiment in privatization of public schools..