“Amid all the bad news in the post-pandemic public education sphere, there is a bright spot in a surprising city, Camden, New Jersey. There, students, while suffering steep learning losses so common in low-income districts, are finding their way forward through the collaboration of three different public school sectors: district, charter, and an unusual hybrid called “renaissance schools.” These renaissance schools, authorized by a law that let Camden approve partnerships with high-performing, nonprofit charter school networks willing to take on the lowest-performing schools, are driving the city’s learning gains. As such, the story of Camden’s “comeback,” described in a new report by Camden Education Fund, provides a blueprint for an innovative model of public education, not just in New Jersey but throughout the country.”
