Here’s my new NJ Spotlight piece:

Are we being over-optimistic when it comes to how well NJ’s middle-class students are being prepared for college?

If you live in one of New Jersey’s many middle-class suburbs, you most likely take great pride in your public-school district, each one a reflection of distinctive township identities, our much-maligned “municipal madness” rendered benign. Ninety-seven percent of our teachers, the N.J. Department of Education just informed us, are effective instructors. NJEA celebrates that our state school system “is second in the nation in performance and improvement.” Our teachers are our neighbors. Our schools are our hearts and our second homes. 

It’s painful, then, to acknowledge that our cherished small-town public schools are not adequately preparing our children for college and careers. But that’s what both data and educational experts are telling us. Perhaps it’s time for a suburban version of education reform.

Read the rest here.