NEWARK, N.J. – Newark Public Schools brought together school leaders, educators, higher education partners, and industry professionals on Thursday for its Fall Convene Meeting, to continue and advance the District’s high school redesign strategy to connect students with college and career opportunities.

Led by Superintendent León, the meeting featured updates on partnerships supporting public safety programs, teacher preparation, fashion design, and college access, as well as discussions about developing pathways into maritime careers. Participants also explored how partners can help strengthen instruction and professional development for teachers.

“The Fall Convene brings our high school partners together to turn ideas into opportunities for our students,” said Superintendent León. “Our college partners help strengthen academic rigor, and our industry partners help ensure that what we teach prepares students for their chosen careers. Together, we are building pathways that allow Newark students to earn college credits, develop professional skills, and discover possibilities they may never have imagined.”

Progress on the Police & Fire Career Pathways

Among the initiatives discussed were the police and fire career academies at Barringer and Malcolm X Shabazz high schools. Newark Police Academy Director Captain James George reported progress in staffing and preparing the programs, which give students opportunities to explore careers in law enforcement and firefighting.

Elizabeth Aranjo, District Director of Health and Physical Education, described plans to change physical education instruction across the District’s high schools to help students prepare for the physical demands of public safety careers.

“We are underway in developing a physical education curriculum that is robust and prepares our students for the public safety academies’ physical challenges,” said Aranjo. “We plan on using every resource that we have to make sure that once they graduate and they’re ready for the academies, they are physically fit.”

Expanding Partnerships With Universities

Higher education partners shared efforts to expand students’ access to college and strengthen the connections between high school coursework and future professions.

Dr. Tonya Smith-Jackson, Chancellor of Rutgers University – Newark, discussed the university’s increased outreach to Newark students. She and university admissions staff personally visited all of the district’s high schools already this year. Dr. Smith-Jackson emphasized the importance of building a stronger pathway from the District to the university’s Newark campus, which is ranked sixth in the nation for social mobility.

“It is an opportunity for all of us to be able to work together to get our students from Newark Public Schools into that next pathway,” said Dr. Smith-Jackson.

The District’s Rutgers partnerships connect Barringer High School with the law school, Weequahic High School with the nursing school, and West Side High School with the business school.

Margaret Renn, Director of William Paterson University’s Office of Field Experiences and Partnerships, highlighted a summer teacher-preparation initiative involving 16 students from Barringer and American History High Schools. Students took dual enrollment courses at the university and gained paid classroom experience working alongside certified teachers in Newark’s extended school year program.

“They’re actually gaining teaching experience, and they’re working with certified teachers,” said Renn. “They got college credit. They’re taking prerequisites to the education program.”

Renn reported that students’ interest in teaching increased during the program and expressed interest in expanding the initiative.

Tisan Rasool Dawud, who represented Kean University President Dr. Lamont O. Repollet, highlighted the university’s partnerships with the Newark School of Global Studies and American History High School.

“We have students that are starting as early as the ninth grade with either our High School Partnerships Program or a Kean Scholars Academy program, coming to our campus and taking college courses and getting college credits,” Dawud said.

Superintendent León expressed his enthusiasm for future opportunities involving Kean University’s campus in China, explaining that its international presence was a key reason for the District’s partnership with Kean at the Newark School of Global Studies.

Also discussed at the meeting was the M²C Middle Grades to College partnership with Essex County College offering college-level coursework to students in the middle grades.

Trade Programs Reimagined

Superintendent León described the District’s “Trades Programs Reimagined” initiative as a strategy to strengthen career pathways in its comprehensive high schools, drawing on the approach used to design Newark’s newer specialized schools.

He emphasized that higher education partners guide academic rigor, while industry professionals ensure students learn the skills needed for employment. School leaders and teachers translate that guidance into classroom instruction, supported by professional development developed with our partners.

The possibility of a new trade program arose when David Muhammad, Administrator of the Newark Office of Airport and Seaport Administration, spoke about the range of high-paying careers available at nearby Port Newark, including logistics, maritime operations, automotive services, and culinary work.

The district’s strategic plan and the work underway with the high school redesign strategy is creating an entirely new professional development strategy that Superintendent León outlined for the group – redefining professional development in Newark for years to come.

Ivy Hill Student Sparks Collaboration with the Newark School of Fashion & Design

Brooke Sumpter, an 11-year-old Ivy Hill Elementary School student, has made history this year as the first child and the first Black child to work on a collection with American Girl, a popular line of historically themed dolls. Sumpter has been working with the guidance of Harlem's Fashion Row, an agency dedicated to representing designers of color.

“We’re extremely proud of this collaboration with American Girl and Harlem’s Fashion Row,” said Newark School of Fashion and Design Principal Sakina Pitts. “We’re already really collaborating, and we’re really proud of her work.”

“Our students deserve opportunities to discover their talents and see how those talents can shape their futures,” said Board of Education President Hasani K. Council. “The Fall Convene Meeting brings educators, college leaders, and industry professionals together to build those opportunities. I thank Superintendent León, our staff, and our partners for connecting classroom learning with meaningful pathways to college and careers.”

Participants concluded the session with discussions among educators and partners about programming in individual schools, and the profile of a graduate for each high school. Superintendent León urged those conversations to continue throughout the school year, with students expected to join the next convene meeting on May 6.