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Former Lodi Teacher Has Teaching License Revoked After Child Endangerment Conviction

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Lodi NJ, a former Lodi public school teacher, Stephanie Carafa, officially had her teaching license revoked in April after pleading guilty in October 2024 to endangering the welfare of a child — a second-degree crime stemming from an inappropriate incident with a student in 2018.

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Glen Ridge School Officials Placed on Leave Amid Grooming Allegations at Ridgewood Avenue School

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Glen Ridge NJ, in a developing story that has sent shockwaves through the local community, Principal Michael Donovan and Vice Principal Jonathan Heitmann of Ridgewood Avenue School have been placed on indefinite administrative leave following disturbing allegations of a long-term grooming case involving a former teacher.

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Ridgewood Eyes Community School Model: A Political Shift in Public Education?

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Ridgewood NJ, as New Jersey continues to reshape public education, Ridgewood Public Schools may soon become the first district in Bergen County to embrace the Community School model—a structure already implemented in Paterson and Newark as part of their agreement with Governor Phil Murphy to restore local control after decades of state oversight.

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The Trouble with New Jersey Public Schools is They are Always Trying to Teach the Wrong Lesson: Critical Race Theory’s Experiment with Public School Discipline Practices

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Ridgewood NJ, Page one of Critical Race Theory: An Introduction places the reader into an elementary school classroom where they are asked to observe the following scene: “A child raises her hand repeatedly in a fourth-grade class; the teacher either recognizes her or does not” (1). Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic, the authors, then ask the reader to imagine receiving messages from others as a white person: “are you annoyed? Do you, even for a moment, think that maybe you are receiving this treatment because of your race? Or might you think that all these people are merely having a bad day? The authors question the reader if a sense of anger or depression arises within if a person of color delivered that negative message. Delgado and Stefancic then ask the reader to imagine being a person of color: “do you immediately think you might be treated in these ways because you are not white?” (1)

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Is New Jersey About to Elect a Union Puppet as Governor?

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, New Jersey voters may soon face a critical decision: Will they allow the state’s powerful teachers’ union to handpick their next governor?

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US Department of Education: Wasteful Federal Spending with no Measurable Improvement in Student Performance

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Ridgewood NJ, in a bold move to reshape American education, President Donald Trump has declared that most of the programs within the Department of Education provide no value to students and will be eliminated, redirecting funds directly to the states.

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Ridgewood School Educrats Systematic Dismantling of the District’s “Tradition of Excellence”

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Ridgewood NJ, Superintendent of Ridgewood Schools, Dr. Mark Schwarz, gave an impassioned locker room speech during Thursday night’s Superintendent Coffee.

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Ridgewood Board of Education Unveils $130 Million 2025-2026 Budget

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Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Public Schools present its tentative $130 Million 2025-2026 Budget as district wide enrollment continues to decline.

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Morris County Teacher and Soccer Coach Arrested for Alleged Inappropriate Messages to Student

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Parsippany NJ, a Morris County high school teacher and local soccer coach, James Wiegand, 43, has been arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child after allegedly sending inappropriate messages to a 14-year-old student, authorities announced.

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U.S. Public School Enrollment Decline Signals Budget Cuts and Tough Decisions

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K-12 Enrollment to Drop by 5% by 2031—New Jersey Faces 8% Decline

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Ridgewood NJ, A new analysis from Georgetown University’s Edunomics Lab reveals a significant decline in U.S. K-12 public school enrollment, projecting a 5% drop by 2031 and a further 7% decline by 2041. New Jersey will be hit even harder, with an 8% enrollment decrease by 2031. Only Idaho is expected to see an increase.

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Former Garfield Teacher Faces Rescheduled Arraignment in Sexual Assault Case

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Garfield NJ, a former Garfield Middle School teacher, Amy Dovidio, 47, of Pompton Plains, is facing serious sexual assault charges involving a student. However, her arraignment has been rescheduled and reassigned to a new judge in Bergen County’s criminal division.

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New Jersey’s Education Spending vs. Student Outcomes: A Decade-Long Analysis

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Ridgewood NJ, a new Edunomics Lab study analyzed return on investment (ROI) in education from 2013 to 2024, examining per-pupil spending alongside 4th-grade reading and 8th-grade math scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The goal? To determine which states have been the most (or least) successful in leveraging funding for academic improvement.

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New Jersey’s Education Battle: Public Schools vs. Private Education

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Twp. of Washington NJ, a new front has opened in New Jersey’s education wars, as left-leaning Boards of Education shift their focus from curriculum control and parental authority to discrediting private schools. The latest example comes from the Westwood and Township of Washington Board of Education (BOE), where recent comments by Board President Jason Garcia appear to take aim at private education and the growing number of parents opting out of public schools.

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Belleville High School Staff Under Investigation for “Gulf of America” T-Shirts

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Belleville NJ, a group of Belleville High School employees are under investigation by district officials after reportedly wearing t-shirts with the phrase “Gulf of America”—a name change for the Gulf of Mexico suggested by President Donald Trump.

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Private-Sector Union Membership Hits Record Low Despite High-Profile Organizing Efforts

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, in recent years, unionization efforts at major companies like Starbucks, Amazon, and Costco have made headlines, sparking debates about the future of labor movements in America. However, the reality is that private-sector union membership has reached an all-time low—just 5.9% in 2024.

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