a. The State of New Jersey has invested more resources than virtually any other state in the nation in its students, teachers and schools, yet parents and other interested members of the community have a difficult time determining the educational results of the expenditure of their tax dollars;

b. Obtaining complete and accurate information on the performance of local schools can be a difficult and confusing task and concerned individuals have no place to turn to get an objective and authoritative evaluation of their local schools;

c. The establishment of school report cards would provide a simple and uniform mechanism for measuring the return on the investment which the people of this State are making in the education of their children;

d. Nationally, a school report card program is recognized as an important component of the current educational reform effort; and

e. The Commissioner of Education is encouraged to seek continued financial and technical support from the business and nonprofit communities for the preparation and dissemination of the report cards.

L.1995,c.235,s.1.