December 2, 2014
Delaware News
Dover Post
DOE’s accountability framework group
The Delaware Department of Education’s is in the process of forming a new accountability system for schools. The group responsible for reviewing those surveys and helping create the new system is a group known as the Accountability Framework Group, which includes Ted Boyer, Ed Emmett, Sharon Digirolamo, Jay Owens (replacing Sandy Smith who retired), David Ring, Mark Holodick, Heath Chasanov, Kevin Fitgerald, Ken Hutchins, Gerri Marshall, Joe Jones, Jeff Klein, Sally Maldonado, and Donna Johnson.
Aspen Institute
Inspiring a pipeline of engineering talent
A guest blog entry by Karen A. Fletcher, Vice President and Chief Engineer, DuPont Engineering
Experts say that almost all of the 30 fastest-growing occupations in the next decade will require at least some background in STEM — science, technology, engineering, and math. As chief engineer at DuPont, I see all four of those disciplines working tightly together to translate cutting-edge science into innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. So it is concerning to me that the percentage of US university graduates who earn engineering degrees — both men and women — is just 4.5 percent compared with 12.5 percent in Europe and 21 percent in Asia.
National News
Education Week
Kindergarteners benefit from early-years program, study finds
A new randomized, controlled evaluation published in the November issue of the journal PLOS-One suggests the early-childhood curriculum gave a significant boost for kindergartners in a slew of areas, including higher reasoning, attention control, and reading, vocabulary, and mathematics performance.
Education, economic commissioners to be named soon
Gov. Bill Haslam says he plans to name new commissioners for economic development and education by the first of the year. Haslam announced last month that Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty and Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman are leaving for the private sector.
Reeves want Miss. to shelve Common Core standards
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves says Mississippi should stop using the Common Core State Standards to guide its public school curriculum and should instead create its own higher standards.
Huffington Post
Republicans push to update the No Child Left Behind education law
The No Child Left Behind education law could be making a political comeback. Sen. Lamar Alexander, the Tennessee Republican who is the incoming chairman of the Senate committee overseeing education, says his top education priority is fixing the landmark Bush-era law. His goal? Get a bill signed by President Barack Obama early next year.
Real Clear Education
What it takes to fix American education
A commentary by Jonah Edelman, Co-Founder and CEO, Stand for Children
As a parent, a mentor, the son of a civil rights leader turned child advocate and a former aide to Robert F. Kennedy, and an advocate for children for nearly twenty years, I can tell you this with confidence: when it comes to helping underserved students succeed, there’s no silver bullet or quick fix.