New Jersey has made substantial gains in closing the achievement gap between minority and white students by fourth grade, according to a national report. [The Press of Atlantic City, July 14]

New Jersey schools are getting even better. The number of school districts designated "Districts in Need of Improvement" under the No Child Left Behind Act fell from 53 in 2008 to 39 in 2009. [Star-Ledger, July 2, 2009]

New Jersey has been named as one of the four "smartest states" in the country based on the quality of its public elementary and secondary schools. [Education State Rankings 2007-2008]

New Jersey is first in the nation for postsecondary and workforce readiness and fifth for academic achievement, [U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 2007]

New Jersey is first in the nation in the average Advanced Placement (AP) score for public school students this year. [College Board]

New Jersey public school students score among the very best in the nation in math on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). [National Center for Education Statistics]

Regardless of what some say, manufacturing in New Jersey has stayed resilient: the making of high value-added products, “or specialty manufacturing,” excels in New Jersey.
[New Jersey Newsroom]

New Jersey is one of only 5 states in the US that is leading the way in a knowledge-based and innovation-based New Economy.
[2008 State New Economy Index]

Real estate and development experts have hailed the expansion of the Urban Transit Hub investment program, as a “significant change that will make more projects financially” viable, and encourage “investment in urban areas." [NJ Biz]