NEWARK, NJ — In a surprise ceremony in front of her students, Jody-Anne Jones '06, principal of North Star Academy Clinton Hill Middle School of Newark, was honored Wednesday with the 2018 Ryan Award for exceptional school leadership, a national award that honors urban principals who are closing the achievement gap.
According to a statement from North Star Academy:
"When students enter the Clinton Hill campus as fifth-graders, they lag behind students from more affluent districts on state exams. But by eighth grade, they close that gap and reverse it, outperforming those students by almost 30 percentage points in math and 15 percentage points in English-language arts, as they did in 2017."Pat Ryan Jr., founder of the Accelerate Institute, said Jones was selected for the Ryan Award because she helps her students compete with peers who don't face the challenges of poverty.
Read the article in its entirty at Newark Patch.
