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“Abbott” is the short-hand description of a series of New Jersey Supreme Court decisions growing out of litigation filed in 1981 in behalf of children residing in New Jersey’s most economically disadvantaged municipalities. “Abbott” is the first-named plaintiff, but the name is now used to distinguish the 31 school districts selected by the Court and the Legislature to benefit from state financial assistance and to implement specific remedies mandated by the Court.

Objective. The New Jersey Supreme Court in 1998 established a single criterion for determining whether a constitutionally guaranteed education is being provided to students in the poorest schools in the state. Do they master the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards with the same proficiency as students in more affluent districts? Prior to 2002, most attention was given to specific remedies and services that were mandated or authorized by the New Jersey Supreme Court in 1998. Subsequently, priority attention has been given to academic achievement with particular focus on early literacy and numeracy.

Resources. Under the Abbott decisions, Abbott districts receive state aid that is calculated to provide them with the same per-pupil operating budget as would be found in New Jersey’s wealthiest school districts. Called “Abbott parity aid,” this funding is adjusted annually to reflect spending and enrollment in wealthy districts. In FY2006, it equals about $1 billion. Districts that demonstrate educational needs for its students that cannot be financed with state formula aid and parity may apply to the Commissioner of Education for “supplemental aid” (also called Discretionary Education Opportunity Aid). In FY2006, this aid equals about $500 million. The state is financially responsible for the creation of high-quality preschool programs for all three and four year-old children residing in Abbott districts. Currently, 70 percent of approximately 55,000 eligible children are enrolled in Abbott preschools, supported by $500 million in state funds. Finally, the state is financially responsible for providing adequate facilities with priority given to health and safety projects, creation of preschool facilities, and reduction in overcrowding. As of 2005, the state has committed $6 billion for school construction.

Priorities. The Abbott division has given relentless and consistent focus to increasing early literacy for the obvious reason that a fourth grader who cannot read and write the English language will have great difficulty learning science, history, and mathematics required to graduate from high school. To this has been added an equally strong push on early mathematics mastery. Each Abbott district is expected support schools and teachers with a district curriculum that is fully aligned to the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards, with instructional materials and software that are consistent with the district curriculum, and with professional development that is tailored to the content and pedagogical needs of its teachers and administrators.