Two more charter schools could open in Newark next year, providing more than 760 additional public classroom seats for children seeking an alternative to struggling city schools.

The state Department of Education on January 20 announced the approval of eight public charter schools for the 2012-13 school year from among a pool of 42 applicants. The schools must clear one last hurdle, a "readiness review" before they are allowed to open in September.

In its first year, the Newark Trust for Education (newarktrust.org) has raised more than $2 million for Newark Public Schools and implemented four major initiatives, directly impacting 24 Newark schools, more than 300 principals and teachers and more than 6,400 students.

The Trust enters 2012 as an established, independent, and strategic partner in the citywide effort to ensure a quality public education for all Newark’s children, said Ross Danis, the Trust’s executive director.

“The past year been a remarkable year for education reform in Newark,” Danis said. “Helping to ensure a quality public education for all children is why we exist, why we will continue to expand, strengthen our capacity to create and manage change, and lock arms with our partners as we step forward together in 2012.”

The Trust launched one year ago as the city’s Local Education Fund (LEF); the only permanent fund for public education in Newark. Under the umbrella of the Public Education Network, LEFs work toward accountability and achievement of high standards by all involved with public education. Virtually every major U.S. city that has made significant improvements in closing the achievement gap has a strong LEF working in partnership with the school district.

The number of students attending public charter schools in New Jersey surpassed 25,000 for the first time, according to figures released today by the New Jersey Charter Schools Association.

New Jersey has 80 charter schools with 26,730 students, according to the Association, which based its figures on 2011-12 enrollment data submitted on Oct. 15 to the state Department of Education.

Student enrollment in public charter schools increased by 16.7 percent from the 2010-11 school year to the 2011-12 school year, marking the largest single-year increase ever recorded in terms of new students attending charters.

Many have complained about the charter schools and yes, sometimes privatized charter school can be criticized by the word “private”. However, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, who visited the People’s Preparatory School for a second time, cut the ribbon to officially open the school with dignitaries, teachers and students.

They have called the students the class of 2019. The pupils are all in the ninth grade, and they will be graduating from the schools in 2015. So why do they call them the class of 2019? Because their goal is not to leave the students after high school, but to guide them if necessary during their college years, and the students in ninth grade will be graduating from college in the year 2019.

They don’t want their students to just only graduate from high school, but to continue their studies and finish college as planned at the beginning of the school. It’s a great challenge, and it requires the support of students, parents and teachers with a long commitment.