O.C. Chosen as Lighthouse School District

OCNJ Daily

Ocean City School District administrators and staff accept the Lighthouse District designation at the N.J. Department of Education conference. (Photo courtesy of JASM Consulting)

The Ocean City School District has been chosen as a Lighthouse District by the New Jersey Department of Education, it was announced Wednesday. The Lighthouse District Initiative was created by the New Jersey Department of Education to recognize districts that have demonstrated measurable progress across diverse groups of learners. Lighthouse Districts show strong improvement because they use data to individualize support for their students and school communities. The Lighthouse District Initiative also helps to elevate and empower voices of experts in the field to strengthen teaching, leading and learning in all classrooms across New Jersey, according to a press release. The Ocean City School District was chosen as a Lighthouse District based on its development and institution of diverse programs, districtwide, that focus on infusing equity and addressing the achievement/opportunity gap, for its creation of initiatives relating to student mental health and wellness, for building foundational academic skills for equitable access to coursework, and for its ability to tell students stories through data, the release said. “We are thrilled to have been selected as a Lighthouse District in the State of New Jersey,” said Dr. Kathleen Taylor, Superintendent of the Ocean City School District. “I am proud to celebrate the work of the community of educators who support students each day. I am most fortunate to be working with such an outstanding leadership team and faculty, who strive every day to ensure that we scaffold our work to best address the needs of our students in meeting and exceeding our high expectations for them.” For being chosen a Lighthouse District the program offers structured professional learning experiences for Lighthouse Districts to further the district’s quest for continuous improvement. These experiences will include Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training. This will give OCSD the opportunity to participate in mentoring opportunities with staff from other districts, to participate in policy advisory, as well as the chance to share instructional practices with other Lighthouse Districts, according to the release.