Howell, NJ – All schools in the district of the Howell Township Public Schools have met the rigorous requirements to achieve silver-level certification and a Digital Schools Star recognition from Sustainable Jersey for Schools. Joseph Isola, Superintendent of Schools said, “The Sustainable Jersey and Digital Schools Star program focuses on developing a culture of sustainable practices within instruction and learning. Through the certification process, the program allows districts to review their current sustainable and digital practices and reflect on developing areas of their work. In partnering with the Sustainable Jersey program, we were able to build upon our sustainable practices, and advance our work with the Digital Star program. We were able to leverage our technology and push forward on personalized instruction, while incorporating the action steps within the digital learning roadmap. This work has proven to benefit our students and our entire community.”
Thirty-seven schools from nine school districts were the first schools in New Jersey to earn Digital Schools Star recognition as part of their Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification. Laurence Cocco, senior program consultant for Sustainable Jersey Digital Schools said, “The importance of digital remote and hybrid learning to sustainability and resiliency has never been more evident. To help strengthen support for schools, educators, and students in navigating the opportunities and challenges of digital learning, the Digital Schools program was created, integrating new content into Sustainable Jersey for Schools.”
A Digital Schools Star embraces the mindful implementation of effective digital learning and communication tools, resources, and practices – a commitment that is evident in its mission, culture, classrooms and interactions with its stakeholders. Star schools document their successful digital learning strategies in the action areas of leadership, learning practices, technology access, school culture and climate, and student learning in order to qualify for Star recognition.
Sustainable Jersey for Schools, a program for pre-kindergarten through twelfth-grade public schools in New Jersey, is voluntary, but achieving certification takes commitment and collaborative effort. “Participation in Sustainable Jersey for Schools demonstrates a commitment to sustainability. Becoming certified is a significant achievement,” explained Randall Solomon, executive director of Sustainable Jersey. “Thank you to the teachers, administrators, staff, parents and students who are doing the hard work every day to make a sustainable future.”
Each Howell school that is certified at the more advanced silver-level submitted documentation to show it has completed a balanced portfolio of the program’s sustainability actions, attaining a minimum of 350 points of sustainability actions. To see each school’s complete certification report, visit: Participating Districts and Schools. Currently, 1,025 schools and 373 school districts are participating in the Sustainable Jersey for Schools program overall, and 335 of these schools have unexpired certifications. Once a school is certified, the certification is good for three program years.
About Sustainable Jersey for Schools
Sustainable Jersey for Schools is a certification program for public schools in New Jersey. It was launched by Sustainable Jersey, an organization that provides tools, training and financial incentives to support and reward municipalities and schools as they pursue sustainability programs. To date, 373 school districts and 1,025 schools are participating in the program. Sustainable Jersey for Schools has awarded over $2.4 million in grants to schools and school districts.
Sustainable Jersey for Schools is underwritten by the New Jersey School Boards Association, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Clean Energy Program, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the PSEG Foundation and the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA). The 2021 Sustainable Jersey for Schools Grants Program is underwritten by the PSEG Foundation, NJEA and the Gardinier Environmental Fund. Platinum and founding sponsors are South Jersey Gas and New Jersey Natural Gas. The gold and founding sponsor is NJM Insurance Group. The silver sponsors are Solar Landscape and Investors Bank. The bronze sponsors are Gabel Associates, the ECG Group and Maschio’s Food Service Inc.
The Digital Schools partners are the New Jersey Department of Education and the New Jersey Schools Boards Association. Digital Schools is underwritten by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. The U.S. Army is a silver sponsor. Bronze sponsors are edWeb.net, ClassLink, NJM Insurance Group and South Jersey Gas.
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