About
The Stronger Connections Technical Assistance Grant
The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) has been awarded the Stronger Connections Technical Assistance Grant. This funding has allowed the NJDOE to create PD4Me New Jersey, a Virtual Technical Assistance Center designed to provide targeted professional development and capacity-building support to high-need local education agencies (LEAs) through it’s K-12 teachers and staff. The primary objectives are to reduce chronic absenteeism, enhance student engagement, and promote inclusive practices.
This initiative employs evidence-based strategies to establish a centralized resource hub that improves efficiency, consistency, and accessibility for educators throughout the state. The Rutgers University Center for Comprehensive School Mental Health is partnering with the NJDOE to implement this professional development initiative through self-paced courses, virtual communities of practice, and technical support.
Our Vision
Our vision is to empower New Jersey’s K–12 educators and school staff through free, high-quality professional learning that is practical, research-informed, and immediately applicable to the classroom and school environment. Through engaging online courses, collaborative virtual communities, and meaningful synchronous learning opportunities, we aim to elevate best practices, foster continuous improvement, and support educators in implementing effective, real-world solutions that enhance teaching, learning, and student success across the state.
Our Mission
We are committed to deliver the highest quality of accessible, professional learning opportunities to strengthen the capacity of New Jersey’s K–12 educators and school staff in areas of school mental health for students and staff. By offering applied online coursework, facilitated peer learning communities, and live interactive sessions, we enable educators to translate evidence-based strategies into daily practice, address real-world challenges in their own classroom and school to enhance instructional effectiveness and student success throughout the state.
Our Team
Our Commitment
The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) and Rutgers University are committed to ensuring that all professional development opportunities are accessible, equitable, and inclusive for every educator and school staff member.
Our initiative provides a range of learning opportunities—including online courses, virtual communities of practice, and personalized technical assistance—designed to meet the diverse needs of New Jersey’s education professionals. We strive to make all digital and in-person experiences accessible in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standards.
We continuously review and improve our platforms, materials, and facilitation practices to remove barriers and enhance participation for individuals with disabilities.
If you experience any accessibility challenges or require accommodations to fully engage in our programs, please contact us.
For more information regarding the grant please contact:
Ann A. Murphy, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Director
Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions
Center for Comprehensive School Mental Health
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
675 Hoes Lane, West, 8th Floor
Piscataway, NJ 08854
murphyaa@shp.rutgers.edu
support hours
Monday through Friday
9am – 4:30pm
(Eastern Time)
Address
Rutgers University
PD4Me New Jersey
Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation & Counseling Professions
675 Hoes Lane West, 8th Floor
Piscataway, NJ 08854
Funding
This project is funded by the New Jersey Department of Education under grant #xxxxxxxx.
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