What to Know
- New Jersey elementary school students will be able to tune in to public television to follow classroom lessons that they've been missing since the statewide closure of schools amid the coronavirus pandemic
- The initiative’s goal is to enhance the remote learning New Jersey students are already doing with their local schools
- The network is prepared to provide up to 10 weeks of remote learning programming, which will see most kids through to the end of this school year
New Jersey elementary school students will be able to tune in to public television to follow classroom lessons that they've been missing since the statewide closure of schools amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In the wake of COVID-19 restrictions that will likely keep New Jersey children out of their classrooms for weeks to come, NJTV, New Jersey’s public television network, in partnership with the New Jersey Education Association and the New Jersey Department of Education, will launch a new educational series called "NJTV Learning Live."
On weekdays, starting on April 6, children can tune in to NJTV for on-air classes, taught by some of New Jersey’s public school teachers. The on-air classes will be taught daily for grades 3 through 6 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on NJTV (click here to find your local channel).
"Starting on Monday each hour-long weekday program will offer programs for grades 3 through 6 and will cover subjects including English Language Arts, math, science, social studies and will also include art, music and physical education," Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday during his daily press briefing. "Third grade instruction will begin at 9 a.m., fourth grade at 10 a.m., fifth grade at 11 a.m. and sixth grade instruction at noon."
The initiative’s goal is to enhance the remote learning New Jersey students are already doing with their local schools.
The series will be hosted by Kimberly Dickstein Hughes, recipient of the 2019-2020 State Teacher of the Year Award.
News
“This is a great example of how New Jerseyans are coming together, from educators to broadcasters, to help improve student learning throughout the state,” Education Commissioner Lamont O. Repollet said. “This partnership demonstrates the kind of commitment and idealism we see throughout New Jersey’s school community.”
NJTV’s on-air classroom lessons will be livestreamed and archived on the network’s website, NJTVonline.org.
Dozens of teachers from across New Jersey, which Murphy has called the "best in the nation, best in the world," have been recruited to help deliver and prepare content in multiple subject areas.
The network is prepared to provide up to 10 weeks of remote learning programming, which will see most kids through to the end of this school year.
“Nothing is better than face-to-face instruction given by a teacher in the classroom, but while we are all doing our part to flatten the curve, NJEA members are also looking for every opportunity to help students keep learning,” NJEA President Marie Blistan said. “These lessons will provide valuable enrichment and supplement what students are already getting from their own teachers. They will also showcase the amazing work that our educators continue to do every day, even in the middle of a pandemic.”
