On Friday, a large continent of Black students walked out of North Star Academy, a high-scoring no-excuses charter school in Newark, New Jersey. The students were protesting the mistreatment of Black students and teachers.
Hundreds of students walked out of a Newark charter school and rallied outside City Hall on Friday to call attention to what students said is the frequent mistreatment of Black students and faculty.
Around 9 a.m., students began streaming out of the Lincoln Park High School campus of North Star Academy, which is New Jersey’s largest charter school operator with more than 6,000 students in Newark and Camden. After marching from the Central Ward campus to nearby City Hall, student organizers and a former teacher gave speeches about a culture of anti-Blackness they said pervades the school, while scores of students cheered and waved signs.
“We’re tired and we’ve been fed up,” 12th grader Kwadjo Otoo called out from the steps of the historic building, adding that some Black teachers and students continue to feel disrespected despite efforts by the charter operator’s leadership to address complaintsabout the schools. “Now they’re trying to pretend like something changed, but we know it’s the same school we’ve been going to forever now.”
Several students said multiple Black teachers over the years have left the school, which the students said is because the teachers felt overworked and undervalued. When well-liked Black teachers depart, their absence can leave students feeling isolated, they said.
“It’s very upsetting for us to build bonds with our teachers, to build relationships and connect,” said L. Drummond, a senior at the Lincoln Park campus, “and then see them chased out by the school.”
The school went into lockdown during the protest, and students who left were not allowed back in after they returned from City Hall. Locked out of school, the students began to disperse around 10:30 a.m.; some said they planned to walk home while others set out for a different North Star campus downtown.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Newark. Isn’t that the city with the turncoat, traitorous, sell out mayor who promised to support publics schools (I donated #$100 to his first campaign back then because he sounded like the real thing — I haven’t donated to any candidates since because I do not trust what anyone promises anymore. If I donate, it has to be someone with a long track record that matches their campaign promises), and then the new mayor of Newark stabbed the public schools in the back once he was elected?
Yes, Cory Booker is a charter school supporter but he is decent on other non-educational issues. So I did vote for him as US senator rather than some GOPer who would be bad on everything. That’s right, I voted for the lesser evil, as in the case of Obama as well. Both political parties are a big disappointment when it comes to education, though I must admit that Gov. Phil Murphy has been pretty good on education and has not promoted charter schools or school privatization; he’s quite the opposite from the noxious Chris Christie.
I think he’s referring to Baraka.
Sorry you have the Wrong Great City of Newark New Jersey.
I am and engaged education activist Advocate and organizer and mayor of the city of Newark have never ever giving up on traditional public schools in the great city of Newark New Jersey.
In fact he has done an awesome job as the mayor of all the people in the city of Newark being upfront and honest about the differences in the districts about the charter schools and the traditional Public School District.
So unless you are here in this know the facts , please stop spreading bad information.
” you are entitled to your opinion but you are not entitled to distort the facts and the truth”
“Period”
Denise Cole,
Please take your own advice and stop spreading bad information. Saying “traditional public schools” is spreading bad information. And doing so shows one has absorbed the destroyers of public education lie that “charter schools are public schools,” leaving non-charter schools to be the old-fashioned, non-innovating “traditional schools.” The truth is that charter schools are not public schools. The truth is that charter schools are private business operations.
Quoting you: “You are entitled to your opinion, but you are not entitled to distort the facts and the truth.” “Period.”
Ed, I totally agree. Charters cannot be both “private businesses” and “public schools.” That’s an oxymoron.
I love the fact that you used my same quote.
Why you are wrong about What you said about the Mayor of Newark New Jersey.period !!! That’s fact.
Your if you again going to quote me do it’s factually.
I corrected you our mayor in the great city of Newark New Jersey have always advocated for traditional Public Schools.
I also stated he has done an amazing job representing all of the people in the great city of Newark even the people and the Charter School District charter schools are legislatively created not constitutionally created like the traditional Public Schools.
So again you are entitled to your opinion but you are not entitled to create facts that are inappropriate and not true.period !!!
Thank you, Denise!
Raw Baraka
The worst kind of Baraka.
Booker left Newark mayoralty 7 yrs ago, Lloyd! Yes, under his aegis and with his no-doubt enthusiastic cooperation with Christie and Cerf, Zuckerman was brought in to inject $100million into a stupid plan for NCPS which mostly evaporated into consultant fees—but did result in the One Newark plan that closed/ replaced many pubschs with charters, and so far, zippo results in raising test scores, closing the gap, et al absurd fantasies of the ed-reform clan. Thank god he was replaced by Ras Baraka, who right out of the box grabbed NCPS away from decades of state takeover status, putting it finally back under a locally elected Bd of Ed.
I follow Booker as Senator on CSPAN. And—as a voter who refused to participate in his special-election run against a rwnj to replace Lautenberg—have to admit he’s not half-bad. Just keep him away from education!
North Star charter school has also been negligent in posting the agendas of meetings as required by New Jersey law. Once public money goes behind the wall of private ownership, it is difficult for the state to enforce any rules. Now with a student walk-out protesting the treatment of Black students and staff, there are more reasons for the state to question what is happening in the school. North Star is not the only charter that is failing to comply with state transparency rules. https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2022/02/newark-charter-schools-less-transparent-than-rules-require-covid-testing-learning-loss-plans/
It’s funny that charter school students never seem to realize that the ed reform dogma dictates they may “vote with their feet” and leave the charter, so there shoulldn’t be any dissent or complaints about the schools.
Charter students themselves buy into that “charter schools are public schools” much more than ed reform leaders do.
Ohio pushes vouchers like crazy and there’s often the same misunderstanding there- they’re publicly funded so people are angry when they expel students, refuse to admit certain students, etc. People assume they retained some “rights” as to these private entities, mostly because ed reformers misled them about it with the ridiculous claim that “anyone” can attend any private school with a voucher.
If they’re hell bent on privatizing, and clearly they are, perhaps they could consider telling the whole story to the public? That these are private contractors?
Chiara– I will say only two things in defense of NJ’s [Newark’s] charter school expansion: (1)transportation to school of choice (including trad’l publics) is provided, and free. That is unusual among states, and eliminates one of the hidden costs making ‘school choice’ inequitable; (2)I’m hazy on this one & can’t find link (perhaps someone can help here), but my understanding is that Newark is one of few schdistrs nationwide that uses an admissions questionnaire/ lottery that is more equitable & family-friendly than most [??]
That said, I obviously do not approve of wholesale elimination of tradl publics in favor of charters. Jersey Jazzman [Mark Weber] and Rutgers’ Bruce Baker have many cogent inputs to this discussion. One analysis that enlightened me was a comparison of efficient use of tax $ in NCPS vs Newark’s large charter orgs. NCPS traditional pubschs’ per-pupil expenditure is incredibly efficient compared to other large-ish urban pubschdistrs, and outdoes the big Newark charter-chains when it comes to lean admin vs ed-achievement results.
Typical ed reform “debate”:
https://www.educationnext.org/rees-responds-to-hess-on-charter-strategy/
Two charter supporters “debate” charter schools. They both agree charters are wonderful and superior to public schools but they disagree over how to market and sell them to the public.
Notable what’s entirely missing in the “movement” too- any mention of public schools.
Public schools have one role in ed reform- they are to be used as a negative comparison to charter and private schools. There is no positive or productive work performed on our schools at all- they’re either bashed or missing.
The second role for public schools in privatization is to be a host to a bunch of parasitic charters that take from the common good to feed the private coffers of investors. After all the student cherry picking that charters do, the public schools are left with the most vulnerable and expensive to educate after losing a great deal of funds from charter drain. This is an unfair, corrupt practice that undermines public education.
“In the 2020-21 school year, the height of the pandemic, we saw one of the largest increases—over 240,000—in the total number of students attending charter schools. It’s fair to assume those numbers would be even higher if more charter schools were available in more communities. Policymakers took notice. The 2021 state legislative session was one of our most robust when it came to amending charter laws to allow for expansion—many of these improvements occurred in red states, but the sector also defended itself capably in blue states.”
You know what they didn’t do? Anything at for public schools. This is so systemic in ed reform- so baked in- no one even questions it. It’s perfectly acceptable to have thousands of people employed in “public education policy” who return absolutely no value to public schools or public school students. Public school students and families are a huge constituency with no representation. Fine with ed reformers. They “protected the sector”.
Public school supporters really could remedy this. Don’t ask about charter schools and vouchers. Ask what they have actually accomplished on behalf of students in public schools. If the answer is “nothing” (and it will be) hire someone else, from OUTSIDE this echo chamber. There’s nothing in here for your students. They offer them nothing.
I gather that the ‘shocking’ drop [3%?] in tradl pubsch enrollment during the worst of the pandemic is already reverting to normal distribution. I also noted via following WaPo that charter schools, contrary to public impression, were mostly closed at the same time as tradl pubschs, & many chose not to re-open as quickly.
Oh Lord how I love the kids coming up! Our hope for the future!!!
Charter school amateurs.
North Star’s response doesn’t seem to address the students’ issues at all. It’s just a re-hash of pop DEI curriculum. A far cry from the thoughtful piece I seem to remember KIPP’s leadership posting about how it was re-thinking it’s “no-excuses” policy.
Once again no acknowledgement of the dire reality that most Newark schools are borderline anarchic and that North Star and its ilk are making a valiant if imperfect attempt to stem the anarchy. No acknowledgment that these complaining kids are, above all, kids—of course they hate discipline—instead of angelic representatives of a sacred oppressed class whose claims shall never be challenged. The gaslighting continues.
Your comment are so misleading and the Charters in Newark are backed by hedge funders , Big Banks, large Cooperations and Big money donors .period
the assembly approved an increase in the per- Charters per – pupil rate was raised higher than the traditional Public School in Newark New Jersey per- pupil rate.
The fact is Charters are legislatively created and privately ran ; they have big corporation backing, Big money sponsors and big hedge fund donors, Charters are about making money for all their backers.
Fact the Supreme Court in Washington State said that they should not be funded out of the same pot of money the traditional Public Schools is funded out of ; in fact the charter should be funded out of the gambling pot since it is created by legislation .
Studies Nationally show the Charters do not educate any better then the constitutionally created Public Schools.
In fact charters keep segregation alive and well and discriminate against the majority of African-American males and our special needs populations .
“Studies Nationally show the Charters do not educate any better then the constitutionally created Public Schools.”
Thank you for saying “Public Schools” instead of “traditional Public Schools.” Please, continue to do so. Just as there is no such thing as “public charter schools,” there is no such thing as “traditional public schools,” except in the language of charter school operators.