Laura Waters

»Opinion: A Tale of Two Cities: Charter Schools in Philadelphia, Camden

By Laura Waters, April 27, 2012 in Opinion |

The key to successful charters: keep the focus on the kids, keep the unions happy.

»Opinion: One-Size-Fits-All Legislation Won't Solve Separate But Unequal

By Laura Waters, March 19, 2012 in Opinion |

With its tiered approach to education inequities, the Christie administration may be on the right track.

»Opinion: The Charter School Controversy -- Much Ado About Nothing

By Laura Waters, January 27, 2012 in Opinion |

It's time for NJ to catch up with the rest of the country and recognize charters as the natural ally to traditional school districts.

»Opinion: Life in the Democratic Lane

By Laura Waters, December 7, 2011 in Opinion |

Thanks to education reform, the familiar, well-traveled thoroughfare is a thing of the past.

»Opinion: The Balance of Power -- How Much Government is Good for Education?

By Laura Waters, October 21, 2011 in Opinion |

Melding local governance and state authority in the service of disadvantaged kids.

»Opinion: NJ School Choice -- Protect the Students, Not the System

By Laura Waters, September 14, 2011 in Opinion |

Surely, the state's school system is robust enough to serve all of its students -- rich and poor.

»Opinion: Gov. Big Stick, Meet the Velvet Glove

By Laura Waters, July 18, 2011 in Education |

New Jersey's preferred mode of "negotiation" has already cost us the Race to the Top.

»Opinion: Saving the NJEA from Itself

By Laura Waters, June 15, 2011 in Opinion |

These days, Democrats are all about education reform. The teachers union needs to get with the program.

»Opinion: Education Is the Problem, Access Is the Solution

By Laura Waters, May 10, 2011 in Opinion |

Money alone has yet to solve our chronic educational inequalities. Why believe it will this time?

»Opinion: Stay the Course on Education Reform? Fuggedaboutit

By Laura Waters, April 8, 2011 in Opinion |

Between extreme and incremental, there is a way to help poor students in troubled schools.

»Opinion: Tenure Reform, the Administration Gets It Right

By Laura Waters, March 4, 2011 in Education |

LIFO, or quality-blind layoffs, don't help teachers, they hurt our kids.

»Opinion: NJ's 'Fatally Flawed' Merit Pay Program

By Laura Waters, January 14, 2011 in Opinion |

Our problem in New Jersey is not the lack of a merit system. Our problem is how we’ve chosen to measure merit.

»Opinion: Break Up School District Monopolies

By Laura Waters, November 29, 2010 in Opinion |

Free market competition is the best way to ensure that kids have real school choices.

»Opinion: Separate And Unequal, Bringing All the Kids Under the Tent

By Laura Waters, October 25, 2010 in Opinion |

It's time to match school reform efforts to the districts that truly need help.

»Opinion: A Sure-Fire Way to Put School Choice Into Practice

By Laura Waters, September 17, 2010 in Opinion |

Relying on the kindness of wealthy districts isn’t going to help students from poor districts get a better education, but cash would.

»Opinion: Getting Beyond the Race to the Top

By Laura Waters, September 2, 2010 in Opinion |

New Jersey can attain the advantages of RTTT, one failing school district at a time.

»Opinion: Segregation Survives in New Jersey

By Laura Waters, July 22, 2010 in Opinion |

Examining the parallels between education of children of color and education of children with disabilities.

»Opinion: End the Education Circus Act

By Laura Waters, June 21, 2010 in Opinion |

No more gasp-inducing theatrics; let’s just hire (and keep) the most effective teachers.

»Opinion: New Math Standards Mark Just the Start of the Next Educational Drama

By Laura Waters, May 26, 2010 in Opinion |

Adoption of CCSS doesn't rescue New Jersey's troubled math curriculum; it only sets the stage for the next battle.

»Opinion: Time for Governor and Teachers to Find Common Ground

By Laura Waters, May 12, 2010 in Opinion |

Only through execution of long overdue reforms can New Jersey bring equitable educational opportunity to all children in the state.