And both Monmouth and Ocean counties are rich in examples of how education works and how it can be better. Students at Holmdel High School, for example, scored the fifth-highest SAT average in the state last year. The district is also home to one of the 39 students in the state to earn a top score of 1,600 on the test. This project also will show you how a district like Asbury Park, one of the state's lowest-income school districts, is working to turn its schools around after decades of tumultuous failure. In other districts throughout the state, the influence of violence is hav-ing an impact in the classroom.
Educators say their craft is undergo-ing a transformation as well.
Their teaching tools are no longer simply the chalkboard and the textbook, or even the computer. The video camera on the school grounds and the safety officers in the hallways will be matched with what they can humanly bring to the classroom. Teachers are going to have to work harder to make that connection with the child. It's the only way to reach them. Indeed, schools are taking on more responsibility in shaping attitudes as well as intellect.