The School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) at Rutgers University in Newark announced the consolidation of two of its units focused on education – the Institute on Education Law and Policy (IELP) and the Newark Schools Research Collaborative (NSRC) – with the Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies (Cornwall Center).

As SPAA Dean Marc Holzer said, “This is a natural progression. The Cornwall Center was conceived of as an umbrella institution that would help increase the impact of research centers such as IELP and NSRC.  With new leadership at the Cornwall Center, the time is right to commit to making a larger regional impact on public policies important to residents and their institutions.”

Prof. Paul Tractenberg, Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor and Alfred C. Clapp Distinguished Public Service Professor of Law and founding director of IELP, emphasized the potential increase in the impact of IELP’s work by saying, “While we have experienced a great deal of success in linking law and public policy to the promotion of quality primary and secondary education, this new relationship allows us to connect our work to the Cornwall Center’s other major fields of activity such as community and economic development, neighborhood security and health. So much of the emerging thinking and policy in education reform focuses on the nexus of communities and schools, and I look forward to working with Roland Anglin, director of the Cornwall Center, to execute new research projects that build on our collective strengths.”

Alan Sadovnik, Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor, and co-director of NSRC, noted that Roland Anglin, who took over leadership of the Cornwall Center in 2012, is “well-respected nationally and in Newark. His passion for evidence-based analysis of and solutions to urban and metropolitan challenges fits well with NSRC’s operating principles of using applied research to develop the knowledge necessary to improve school and student success, and to work with stakeholders to enhance the capacity for education reform in the City of Newark.”

Finally, Roland Anglin commented on the consolidation, “I could not be more thrilled. Paul Tractenberg is an icon and someone that I have greatly respected over the years. Alan Sadovnik’s commitment to quality urban education is second to none. This new relationship will greatly add to the capacity of the Cornwall Center. Specifically, IELP and NSRC give us extensive reach not only in our host city, but also throughout New Jersey and the nation where the Cornwall Center can assist school districts to improve all facets of the educational experience. Most important, though, is that both centers bring core values of rigorous analysis coupled with the goal of promoting access and opportunity for all citizens. Truly, this is a solid base to work from.”

The reorganization of IELP, NSRC and Cornwall Center will help to bolster the Cornwall Center’s efforts with New Jersey’s YouthBuild Replication program. Targeted at disadvantaged, out-of-school youth between the ages of 16 and 24, YouthBuild is a comprehensive program that uses the creation of affordable housing as the vehicle  for providing leadership training, education that leads to a high school diploma or GED, and job training and skills acquisition through tactile and applied learning of the mechanics of building construction. Moreover, the merger will facilitate research being conducted by IELP and NSRC, and supported by a $200,000 grant from the Ford Foundation, on extended learning times in Newark and other school districts.

ABOUT THE JOSEPH C. CORNWALL CENTER FOR METROPOLITAN STUDIES

Established in July 2000, the Cornwall Center is an integral part of the Rutgers-Newark campus that brings together faculty, staff and students from Rutgers-Newark and allied institutions of higher education. The center provides a distinctive environment in which to promote research and interchange among scholars of urban and metropolitan life, government leaders, businesses, community-based organizations, and private citizens. The center is named after the late Joseph C. Cornwall, the founding chair of The Fund for New Jersey and a widely respected civic leader. To learn more about the center, visit www.cornwall.rutgers.edu.

ABOUT THE INSTITUTE ON EDUCATION LAW AND POLICY

The IELP is New Jersey's premier center for interdisciplinary research and innovative thinking on education policy. Founded in 2000 by Professor Paul Tractenberg of Rutgers School of Law-Newark as the capstone to his career in education reform, IELP's mission is four-fold: to promote education reform and improvement through research, policy analysis and public discussion; to mobilize lawyers, scholars and education practitioners to address complex and controversial issues in education law and policy in a comprehensive, in-depth manner; to improve public understanding of these issues; and to serve as a center for learning and innovative thinking about legal and public policy issues relating to education. More information about IELP can be found at http://ielp.rutgers.edu/about/.

ABOUT THE NEWARK SCHOOLS RESEARCH COLLABORATIVE

NSRC is a collaborative project of the Newark Public Schools and Rutgers University-Newark. NSRC draws upon the interdisciplinary expertise of social scientists, educators and education lawyers to provide a comprehensive approach to urban school reform and improvement. Rather than viewing itself as the scientifically detached expert, NSRC functions in the traditions of “action” and applied research to work collaboratively with stakeholders to use research-based knowledge to improve school and student success, and to work with stakeholders to enhance the capacity for educational reform in the city of Newark. Visit http://nsrc.newark.rutgers.edu/, for more information.

ABOUT THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND ADMINISTRATION

Founded in 2006, SPAA is the first new school established at Rutgers University in more than 20 years. SPAA’s mission encompasses competence, diversity, knowledge and service, and the school faculty members equip future leaders and educators with the tools necessary to efficiently and effectively deliver government services. It is the only such school at a public university in New Jersey. SPAA enhances New Jersey’s capacity to develop more effective government at all levels, offering degree and non-degree programs, research and technical assistance to make government more transparent to citizens. The school’s most recent initiatives include a national network on performance measurement and reporting, a municipal public performance measurement system, the development of the E-Governance Institute, and an undergraduate major in public service. For more information about the school, visit http://spaa.newark.rutgers.edu.