July 26, 2017
Delaware News
Delaware Public Media
Education advocates worry about state, federal ESSA accountability
Delaware submitted its updated Every Student Succeeds Act plan to the federal government last month. But concerns remain among some First State education advocates. Those worries center on the plan’s implementation at both the state and federal level. Atnre Alleyne is Executive Director for the Delaware Campaign for Achievement Now.
The $10 million question: Can Design-Lab keep its grant and become a “super school”?
With concerns about Delaware Design-Lab High School’s organizational structure and management team apparently resolved by a state Department of Education ruling last week, the charter school’s community is turning its focus to a more controversial issue with huge financial implications. Will Cristina Alvarez, the Design-Lab co-founder who no longer has a role in the school’s operations, retain responsibility for managing the $10 million grant the school received last August from the XQ Super School Project?
Department of Education
Governor Carney announces grant funds available to promote financial literacy education
For the seventh consecutive year, grant funds for Delaware schools and nonprofits to promote financial literacy across the state are now available through the state’s Financial Literacy Education Fund (FLEF). “Delaware continues to lead the way in making financial education available to Delawareans from all walks of life,” said Governor John Carney.
The News Journal
Christina district to vote on alternative school contract
Two weeks after allegations of child abuse postponed a vote on who will get the contract to run Christina School District’s alternative program at the Douglass School, the Board of Education is meeting to consider the issue once again. A vote is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Sarah Pyle Academy in Wilmington. It is the only thing on the agenda for the evening besides a board retreat during which elected officials will discuss the school district’s future.
Carney launches grant program to support disadvantaged students
Gov. John Carney announced Tuesday that Delaware schools will be able to apply for a shared $1 million in funding to offer additional support to low-income students, students chronically exposed to stress and trauma, and English Language Learners. The relatively small investment stands in contrast to $26 million in education cuts passed by the General Assembly earlier this month.
National News
Education Week
What has Betsy DeVos actually done after nearly six months in office?
When U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos came into office, many in the education community were terrified the billionaire school choice advocate would quickly use her new perch to privatize education and run roughshod over traditional public schools. Maybe they shouldn’t have been quite so worried. Nearly six months into her new job, a politically hamstrung DeVos is having a tough time getting her agenda off the ground.
The 74 Million
New rankings: Most & least educated cities — a tale of two Californias
An annual ranking of America’s most and least educated places reveals a true split in California when it comes to educational equity, with six of its cities scoring in the top 10 and six scoring at the very bottom. San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Santa Clara, taken together, scored third, while the area encompassing San Francisco, Oakland, and Hayward ranked as the survey’s eighth-most-educated metropolitan area. Taking up five of the seven lowest spots, however, are Salinas, Fresno, Modesto, Bakersfield, Visalia, and Porterville, all cities in California’s Central Valley.
The Hechinger Report
There are 2.4 million fewer college students than there were five years ago
The number of college and university students has dropped for five straight years, to about 18 million in the semester just ended, and no upswing is expected until 2023. What growth does lie ahead will come from places where students are most likely to need more financial aid and support. Here’s how enrollment will change, by state, through 2031.
The New York Times
Proposal would let charter schools certify their own teachers
It is usually a sleepy civic exercise: A proposed change to a specialized bit of state regulations is published in the State Register, officially marking the beginning of a public comment period. But on Wednesday, rules that would make it easier for some New York charter schools to hire teachers are scheduled for publication, and the debate is expected to be fierce.
WWAY3
NC State Board of Education approves $2.5 million budget cut
Budget cuts mandated by the General Assembly led the State Board of Education to approve $2.5 million in reductions to the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) on Tuesday. Public education advocates say the cuts will most negatively affect the state’s smaller, more rural school districts who depend on DPI to provide personnel training and support.