In this new video, New Jersey Education Report interviews three Newark mothers who express their frustrations with the districts “universal enrollment” platform that is supposed to provide families with the information they need to choose the best schools for their children. Jasmine Morrison explains,

We’re in the 21st century. I can buy a car online and never touch it. I can be at a doctor’s appointment and never enter a hospital or a doctor’s office, and I can attend school virtually and get a whole degree. But I can’t enroll my child in my local school system and have adequate information about all the options available to me? I’m just at a loss for words.

The platform has been rocky for several years. (For an analysis of its deterioration see this report.) Covid-19 made everything worse; parents encountered an “archaic system” that lacked “adequate information” or a “transparent process” for school choice. “The sense,” say one mother, “is this is what I’m giving you, you either take it or you don’t.” “Why couldn’t we just have a conversation with the superintendent,” another wonders? “All we’re looking for is a solution to antiquated system that doesn’t serve our children.”

In response, New Jersey Children’s Foundation launched Newark Common App, a new school application and enrollment portal that will be available to all families interested in attending some of the city’s highest-performing schools. Executive Director Kyle Rosenkrans sent this letter to Newark Superintendent Roger Leon inviting all district schools to be part of a system that provides parents with what they need: an equitable, family-friendly, information-rich, one-stop-shop to best meet the educational needs of their children. Watch and listen!