New Jersey

Association for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ)

The Association for Children of New Jersey, established in 1978, describes itself as a non-partisan statewide child advocacy organization that works to improve the lives and living conditions of New Jersey's children through grassroots advocacy and organizing activities, monitoring of state and federal legislative activity, and research on issues facing children and families to provide a factual background for advocacy activities. Among its major initiatives, ACNJ advocates and conducts policy research related to early childhood education, particularly as it relates to the New Jersey Supreme Court's mandate in Abbott v. Burke.

Executive Director: Cecilia Zalkind
35 Halsey Street
Newark, NJ 07102
Phone: (973) 643-3876
Fax: (973) 643-9153
CZalkind@acnj.org

Coalition for Our Children's Schools

The Coalition for Our Children's Schools describes itself as a statewide organization that advocates for policies that provide state-of-the-art educational facilities to New Jersey children, particularly for the New Jersey Supreme Court's ruling in Abbott v. Burke that mandated full funding of school construction and renovation in the 30 Abbott districts. Coalition members include representatives of business, education, government, and non-profit organizations.

Executive Director: Karla Spivey
109 Church Street, New Brunswick NJ 08901
(732) 246-4227 Fax: (732) 545-8573
karlaspivey@yahoo.com

Education Law Center

The Education Law Center represents the plaintiff-class of approximately 300,000 school-age children and over 40,000 preschoolers from 30 urban communities in the Abbott v. Burke case. Through its Abbott Schools Initiative, ELC is working to assure the full, effective and timely implementation of the programs and reforms ordered by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Abbott.

Executive Director: David Sciarra
155 Washington Street, Suite 205
Newark, New Jersey 07102
Phone: (973) 624-1815
Fax: (973) 624-7339
TTY: (973) 624-4618
elc@edlawcenter.org

League of Women Voters of New Jersey

The League of Women Voters of New Jersey is a non-partisan multi-issue organization whose mission is to encourage the active participation of citizens in government and to influence public policy through education and advocacy. The League has conducted policy research on school facilities funding in New Jersey, has provided testimony on school facilities before the state legislature, and promotes school funding and education reforms through its advocacy agenda.

Executive Director: Linda R. Gentry
204 West State Street
Trenton, NJ 08608
Phone: (609) 394-3303
Fax: (609) 599-3993
lwvnj@ecllipse.net

Statewide Parent Advocacy Network, Inc. (SPAN)

The Statewide Parent Advocacy Network advocates on behalf of parents on a variety of child-related issues, and provides training, technical assistance, parent-to-parent support, information and resources, and parent leadership development. SPAN offers several comprehensive training series for parents, including the Parent Leadership Development Institute, designed to prepare parents to be effective partners in school improvement and implementation of Abbott v. Burke. SPAN also states that it provides a parent voice on government and advocacy committees on early childhood education, Abbott implementation, special education, and other issues, and has provided legislative testimony on these issues.

Co-Executive Directors: Diana MTK Autin and Debra Jennings
35 Halsey Street, 4th Floor
Newark, NJ 07102
Phone: (973) 642-8100
Fax: (973) 642-8080
span@spannj.org

Public Education Network Local Affiliates:

Englewood Community Foundation

Working collabratively with community members, the Foundation's programs seek to engage Englewood's citizens in creating an effective public school environment.

President: Douglas L. Popper
154 St. Nicholas Avenue
Englewood, NJ 07631
Phone: (201) 568-5528
Fax: (201) 568-9341
mjs3@ix.netcom.com

Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence

The stated goal of MFEE is to recognize and promote educational excellence in the Montclair public schools; to support the goals of the school district, particularly as they relate to improving academic achievement for all students and to narrow the achievement gap between Caucasian and African American students; and to enhance student welfare, particularly for children who face academic, social or family hardships.

Executive Director: Lois Whipple
22 Valley Road
Montclair, NJ 07042
Phone: (973) 509-4021
Fax: (973) 509-4098
lwhipple@aol.com

Paterson Education Foundation, Inc.

The Foundation's goal is to stimulate community action for change so that the Paterson Public Schools can ensure that all children achieve high academic standards and are able to become effective citizens.

Executive Director: Irene Sterling
22 Mill Street, 3rd Floor
Paterson, NJ 07501
Phone: (973) 881-8914
Fax: (973) 881-8059
isterling@paterson-education.org

Public Education Foundation of Plainfield

The Public Education Foundation of Plainfield was formed in 1998 to work closely with the reform efforts in the school district and yet function independently to increase resources for teaching and learning. The Foundation's stated goal is to foster a public education system that stimulates high achievement for every child.

Executive Director: Dianne Mayberry-Hatt
948 Route 22 East
North Plainfield, NJ 07060
Phone: (941) 262-4952
Fax: (941) 262-5828
dmhatt@aol.com