Dr. Jeremy Cohen

Dr. Jeremy Cohen is the Superintendent of Maurice River Township School District. A former special education teacher, he has served as Director of Child Study and Related Services and principal. His leadership focuses on student support, educator collaboration, and community partnerships that expand learning opportunities.

For Dr. Jeremy Cohen, understanding a student comes before deciding how to teach one. That principle, shaped by his career as a special education teacher and experience as Director of Child Study and Related Services and principal, has become the thread running through his leadership of Maurice River Township School District.

“Each child is unique, and each child’s needs are different,” says Dr. Cohen.

Dr. Cohen carried that lesson into the superintendent’s office, where he has worked to make individualized support part of everyday instruction across the district. His focus remains on understanding student needs early, addressing learning gaps before they grow and equipping teachers with the tools to differentiate instruction so every student can stay on track and continue progressing. For Dr. Cohen, special education is not a separate philosophy but a way to better understand how each student learns.

Turning Understanding into Action

That perspective has shaped one of Dr. Cohen’s most consequential decisions at Maurice River. When he arrived, the district relied on a shared special education service. He brought the department under district leadership and used the savings to establish an in-house child study team, including an LD specialist, school psychologist, social worker, behaviorist, RBT and therapy services. The change redirected resources toward direct support for students.

“ Each child is unique, and each child’s needs are different. “

Dr. Cohen’s approach is equally evident in how he leads the adults responsible for carrying out that work. He favors distributed leadership, giving educators with expertise opportunities to lead professional development and support colleagues rather than relying solely on outside voices. Professional learning communities and grade-level meetings provide another structure for teachers and school leadership to review student data, identify trends and gaps and adjust instructional approaches. The result is not collaboration for its own sake, but a more responsive way of working.

When Leadership Shows in the Data

There is measurable evidence behind that model. Over the last couple of years, Maurice River has seen the most academic growth in Cumberland County. Dr. Cohen attributes that progress to the principal and teachers continually reviewing data and remaining willing to change programs and approaches when evidence shows that students need something different. What works for one grade or one child may not work for another. That flexibility is central to Dr. Cohen’s leadership.

A Small District, a Broad Mandate

Leading a small township district also means that Dr. Cohen’s responsibilities reach beyond conventional superintendent duties. He has served at different points as superintendent and principal and as superintendent and director of special education, while also maintaining a hand in transportation, facilities and food services. The breadth of the role has reinforced his reliance on people he trusts and staff members willing to take ownership.

Bringing Learning into the Wider Community

That same people-centered philosophy shapes the district’s connection with the community. Under Dr. Cohen, Maurice River has expanded learning through an e-sports program that won state championships in two of the last four years, a partnership with Stockton University that exposed students to computer building, an agriculture and farm-to-table program and an Earth Day event involving more than 30 community partners. For Dr. Cohen, these initiatives are ways of connecting students with resources and experiences the school cannot provide alone.

Technology has followed the same principle. The district invested nearly half a million dollars in classroom technology and introduced Swivel AI, which provides teachers with immediate feedback during lessons. Dr. Cohen is careful not to confuse modernization with replacing teaching. Technology, he argues, should remain a tool for learning, not become the entire educational experience.

Dr. Cohen’s leadership has also reached outside Maurice River through state-level governance committee involvement and professional relationships developed through mentorship. At home, however, he remains focused on sustaining the people doing the work. He encourages staff to protect work-life balance and prioritize family and health, viewing that support as part of preventing burnout.

A Culture Built around People

Perhaps the clearest reflection of Dr. Cohen’s connection to Maurice River is the community itself. When Dr. Cohen arrived, 75 percent of the staff lived in town, had attended school there and continued to raise their children there. That family atmosphere, Dr. Cohen says, is part of what makes the district special and helps explain the leadership he has built around understanding students, trusting educators and creating the conditions for people to grow.