Quality Public Education for All New Jersey Students

 

2-10-17 Education in the News

NJ Spotlight--Free Primary-Care Office Opens for Government and School Employees

Pilot project developed by Sen. Sweeney to improve care, reduce taxpayer costs

Four primary-care practices have opened for business in a pilot program that can treat tens of thousands of government and school system employees for free, the realization of a plan developed by Senate President Steve Sweeney and labor unions to improve patient care and reduce costs to taxpayers.

The R-Health Direct Primary Care Program is now operating in Burlington, Camden, and Mercer counties, and just across the river from Trenton in Pennsylvania, with a model designed to allow doctors to spend far more time with their patients and better understand their concerns, leaders at R-Health explained.

By shifting the way their physicians are paid, the program reduces the pressure on doctors to squeeze in more patient visits and gives them the time needed to better diagnose and treat those who are under their care. A lack of any co-pays or other fees makes it even more attractive to patients, according to the company.

http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/17/02/09/free-primary-care-office-opens-for-government-and-school-employees/

Lilo H. Stainton | February 10, 2017

 

Star Ledger--5 things N.J. parents should know about Betsy DeVos

Betsy DeVos, a billionaire school choice advocate from Michigan, was confirmed Tuesday as the next U.S. Secretary of Education. 

The Senate vote, a 50-50 tie broken by Vice President Mike Pence, came after DeVos emerged as President Donald Trump's most controversial cabinet pick, thanks in part to several shaky answers during her confirmation hearing.

Here are five things New Jersey parents should know about DeVos and how she might affect education in New Jersey.

Why was her appointment so controversial?

DeVos has no professional experience whatsoever in public schools and seemed unfamiliar with key federal education policies during her confirmation hearing.

http://www.nj.com/education/2017/02/5_things_nj_parents_should_know_about_betsy_devos.html#incart_most_shared-education

 

Adam Clark | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com| February 08, 2017 at 8:45 AM

 

The Atlantic--Does Religion Have a Place in Public Schools?

“The question of what to do with religion in school-choice programs is how, or whether, to keep the baby while ditching the bathwater.”

From the standpoint of democratic theory, the basic problem with school choice is this: Religious belief and affiliation can be vital sites of civic learning for many Americans. In their temples, mosques, and megachurches, Americans learn to cooperate, organize, identify, and engage with social problems. These skills help them develop the kind of bonding capital that forms the basis of a democracy; from that platform, citizens can develop the bridging capital that allows them to identify with and engage civil society as a whole.

On the other hand, some religious groups preach beliefs and false information that are hostile to fellow citizens and dangerous to civil society. Any old bonding capital is not good enough. As John Dewey once observed, belonging to a gang may provide a member with opportunities for connection and growth, but toward the pursuit of destructive ends. The question of what to do with religion in school-choice programs is how, or whether, to keep the baby while ditching the bathwater.

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/02/does-religion-have-a-place-in-public-schools/516189/

Benjamin Justice and Colin Macleod| Feb 9, 2017