Gov. Chris Christie came to Robert Treat Academy in Newark on Jan 18, 2011 to announce that his administration approved 23 new charter schools in New Jersey, the largest number ever approved.
The governor also released a study showing that charter schools in the former Abbott districts outperformed their home districts on state assessment tests.
It was Christie's second visit to Robert Treat since he won the gubernatorial election in November 2009. He made his first public appearance at Robert Treat the day after the election.
"I want every child regardless of their zip code to have the chance to have the education that they and their parents want them to have and that is not the case now, particularly in our urban communities," Gov. Christie said during a press conference at Robert Treat.
Among the schools approved by the state Department of Education is the Forest Hill Charter School, the first charter school for children with special needs. The school is founded by The North Ward Center, which also founded Robert Treat.
"It's a fortunate day for our families in Newark who are living with autism and pervasive developmental delays," said Michele Adubato, the executive director of The North Ward Center and founder of the school. "Forest Hill Charter School will fill a void by providing a high-quality education in an economically responsible way that will serve as a model for public schools."

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Exchange students from Duksung Women's University in South Korea toured Robert Treat Academy in Newark on January 7 to gain an understanding of education practices in one of the state's top urban charter schools.
Through a partnership with Caldwell College, 26 college students from Duksung University are staying in the U.S. for 24 days.

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The North Ward Center capped its first season at the The North Ward Center Youth Development Complex at St. Lucy's Church with an awards banquet for the 240 players in North Ward Center's basketball program.

More than 370 children and their parents turned out for the Jan. 15 event at the gym. The event began with lunch and ended with the awarding of hundreds of trophies to the children ages 5 to 12 who participated in the program, which runs from September to mid December.

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