Amongst the historic cabinet nominations made by New Jersey’s new governor Phil Murphy this week is Asbury Park Superintendent Lamont Repollet Education Commissioner. Repollet is an innovative school leader who presented his district’s inspiring story at the December Tech & Learning Leadership Summit. Under his leadership, the district realized a 24 percent increase in graduation rates since 2014, and 68 percent of students exceeded one-year growth targets through their hip-hop literacy intervention program. “Being a digital leader is about building a positive brand for our schools and extending our audience,” Repollet said at the conference. “Social media has allowed us to reach beyond the parents of our students and engage the greater community. Now when we celebrate student success, the community celebrates student success.” In addition to helping Murphy work toward his promise of eliminating PARCC state testing, Repollet would help Murphy shape school choice in the state, revise graduation requirements, and establish a universal pre-kindergarten program. We look forward to watching Repollet take his vision to the state level. – Christine Weiser, Executive Editor
