A substantial and persistent achievement gap exists in pass rates among students in Newark traditional public schools and charter schools. For example, while 71 percent of charter school students in Newark passed third-grade language arts tests in 2013-14—higher than the state average of 66 percent—only 41 percent of students in Newark traditional public schools passed those tests. Similarly, just 42 percent of traditional school students passed eighth-grade math tests, compared to 75 percent for charter school students. Comparable trends can be seen throughout other grades and tests.While Anderson was never anyone’s best buddy—in fact, current Mayor Ras Baraka, Booker’s replacement, ran his campaign as a referendum against Anderson—traditional schools did improve under her watch. In 2014, four years into her tenure, the graduation rate was up to 68 percent, from 54 percent in 2009.
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