District’s Top Data Administrator Joins MIT School Access and Quality Fellowship

NEWARK, N.J. – Newark Public Schools celebrates Rochanda Jackson, Executive Director of Policy, Planning, Evaluation & Testing, who has joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s School Access and Quality (SAQ) Fellowship, providing an opportunity to share Newark Public Schools’ work to improve school accessibility and equity with education professionals from across the country.

The fellowship brings together professionals working to sustain, refine, and expand equitable enrollment and school performance systems in their communities. Jackson will contribute lessons from Newark Public Schools’ experience while learning from colleagues developing and implementing similar strategies in other regions.

“Newark Public Schools has spent years building systems that expand opportunities for students and families, while using data to measure whether those systems are producing the results we expect,” Superintendent León said. “Ms. Jackson has been an essential part of that work. This fellowship provides an opportunity for Newark Public Schools to share what we have learned nationally and, just as importantly, bring back new ideas that can make our work even stronger.”

Jackson brings to the fellowship the experience of a school district that has undergone significant growth and transformation. Newark Public Schools has opened 12 new schools since 2018, creating new academic programs and career pathways designed to give students and families greater access to educational opportunities aligned with their interests and aspirations.

At the same time, the District has strengthened Newark Enrolls, its districtwide enrollment system, which provides families with a centralized process for exploring and applying to schools. The District’s work on enrollment, school choice, program expansion and long-term planning has occurred as Newark Public Schools has experienced significant enrollment growth.

The District has also increasingly used data to identify barriers that can prevent students from fully accessing educational opportunities. That approach has been central to Newark’s work to reduce chronic absenteeism. Through robust data collection and analysis, targeted strategies, family engagement and relationship-building, the District has reduced chronic absenteeism, continuing a four-year trend in which Newark’s rate has remained below the state average.

Those efforts are part of the District’s broader strategic plan, The Next Decade: 2020-30, which has guided the expansion of academic opportunities, new schools and programs while establishing measurable goals for student achievement and District performance.

“As a Board, we want every family in Newark to have access to excellent schools and opportunities for their children,” Board of Education President Hasani K. Council said. “Ms. Jackson’s participation in this fellowship gives Newark an opportunity to contribute what we have learned while continuing to strengthen the systems that help our families navigate their educational choices and help our students succeed.”

As Executive Director of the Office of Policy, Planning, Evaluation & Testing, Jackson helps lead District efforts that use data and research to evaluate student outcomes, inform policy, guide strategic planning, and strengthen programs and systems.

“I am excited to share Newark Public Schools’ experience with colleagues from across the country and to learn from the work taking place in their communities,” Jackson said. “We have seen how thoughtful planning, strong data systems and a commitment to equity can expand opportunities for students. The fellowship will allow us to examine our work through a national lens, learn from other approaches and bring ideas back to Newark that can help us continue improving the experience of our students and families.”

Jackson’s participation in the SAQ Fellowship comes as Newark Public Schools enters the seventh year of The Next Decade: 2020-30, continuing its focus on expanding access, strengthening academic opportunities and using measurable results to guide the District’s transformation.