This is an article from the Asbury Park Press, here is a link to the article:

New Jersey’s chief of schools says the state should be quicker to reconfigure or close failing institutions.

Acting Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf tells The Associated Press that would be one of his top priorities if he had free rein to modify the state’s education system.

Cerf says data show that New Jersey has one of the nation’s top public school systems — but that low-income students do relatively poorly. And he says the gap is bigger than in most states.

He says the New Jersey Education Association does not seem serious enough about addressing that gap. That’s the state’s main teachers union.

Cerf says the goal of the education system should be to give every student an equal opportunity “regardless of birth circumstances.”

One in a periodic series on efforts to remake New Jersey’s education system.

This is an article from the Asbury Park Press, here is a link to the article:

EWING — Corey Goodson had been getting by in his classes at Asbury Park High School, but barely.

Now he’s trying much harder, which started happening when Goodson, getting ready for the football season a year ago, was told he couldn’t play.

“I didn’t have the credits,’’ he said.

Goodson fixed his GPA, something he talked about with pride on Saturday after Asbury Park defeated Florence, 42-18, in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group I championship game at The College of New Jersey.

Goodson said he regrets missing his junior year of football, especially after being part of the school’s 2009 title team.

“We didn’t have a good season last year and I felt like I owed my team because I wasn’t there,’’ he said.

When turnovers and special teams benefited Florence in the first half, the Flash had three possessions that moved into the red zone, only to be turned away each time, with stops made by Goodwin, defensive back Armond Conover and linebacker Tajier Hammary proving especially significant.

Somehow Asbury Park led 12-0 at halftime. Once at that point, the rest was easy.

“Corey is a beast on defense,’’ said Asbury Park coach Matt Ardizzone. “He gives us full effort on every single play and it‘s going to be real sad to see him go.’’

Asbury Park finished its season at 10-2, rebounding from a less-than-stellar 2010.

This is an article from the Asbury Park Press, here is a link to the article:

JACKSON — The mother of two girls who became separated from them in Tunisia in a marital struggle in August was reunited with them and is back home in New Jersey.

Suzanne Feimster returned with one daughter on Nov. 15. Her husband, Walid Bensayeh, returned on Nov. 23 with their younger daughter and Suzanne’s mother, indicating that, at the very least, the couple had made some progress in attempting to work through their parenting difficulties. They have been separated for two years.

Now, they have begun proceedings to divorce and a hearing is scheduled soon in Ocean County, said Christine Hayes, a spokesperson for Feimster. Hayes is a teacher at Asbury Park Middle School, where Feimster also was employed before going to Tunisia with Bensayeh and the girls, Sumyra, then 4, and Rayhana, 3, for a visit with his parents.

“Now she’s in a secure, safe location with the kids,” Hayes said. “She has no idea where he (husband) is and he has no idea where she is.”

Feimster said in an email this week that she cannot comment at this time because of pending court cases, but added that “Sumyra, Rayhana and I are safe on American soil.”

Walid could not be reached for comment. Before the trip to Tunisia, he was living in the couple’s house that they owned in Pine Hill, Camden County. Feimster and the girls lived with her parents in Jackson.