Westfield High School Principal and Students to Participate at Education Roundtable October 26

Peter Renwick, Principal of will be a panelist on an education roundtable sponsored by NJ Spotlight on Friday, October 26, from 11 a.m.– 2 p.m. at the Masonic Temple in Trenton. The panelists will include Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf and other representatives of business and education who will be moderated by John Mooney of NJ Spotlight. Two Westfield High School seniors, Jennifer Mandelblatt and Ben Schwartz, have been invited as high school representatives, who may comment and ask questions.

The topic under discussion will be, “New Jersey’s High School Diploma Under Debate.” The timely event is a consequence of the transition from the single HSPA (High School Proficiency Assessment) – a required test for graduation -- to PARCC (The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers), which are end-of-the-year course assessments most states are adopting to align with Common Core Curriculum Standards.

Mr. Renwick is not new to lending his voice to educational issues. He has represented Westfield High School and the State of New Jersey on regional panels aimed at improving the financial literacy of today’s youth. In June, he joined editors, economists, educators, and government officials from around the country in a roundtable held in Washington, D.C. He was involved in discussions on how the new financial literacy curricula is progressing and the need for teaching training, resources and partnering with business.  Westfield High School was selected as one of nine high schools in the State in 2010 to participate in a three-year personal financial literacy course pilot program overseen by the Department of Education. “Westfield High School is experiencing great success in providing meaningful instruction to improve understanding by today’s youth of complex financial issues,” commented Renwick.

Mr. Renwick was invited by Governor Christie in September to meet with him in a small group setting along with other educators from around the state to discuss current education reforms in New Jersey and to get feedback from those in the field.  One of the topics discussed was the new transition all New Jersey high schools are currently experiencing regarding high school diploma requirements.  Last year Mr. Renwick had served on the New Jersey Department of Education College and Career Readiness Task Force with Commissioner Cerf that created the recommendations for these education reforms.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to have a voice in educational reform at this high level and look forward to continuing this good work with Commissioner Cerf in the future.”

Superintendent of Schools, Margaret Dolan, who has served as President of the Union County Superintendent’s Roundtable, stated, “I am pleased that Mr. Renwick has been involved in conveying Westfield’s voice to Trenton and beyond, and that Westfield High School is looked upon as a model of excellence.”