June 20, 2016

Delaware

Coastal Point
‘She made us feel happy when we came to school’
Surrounded by small desks and chairs, Amanda Miller lights up when she talks about teaching. Her joy and professionalism combined to make her Lord Baltimore Elementary School’s Teacher of the Year for 2016-2017. “You only need to spend a short time with Mrs. Miller to learn that she cares very deeply about being an educator and strives to give her very best to her students each and every day,” according to Principal Pam Webb.

Delaware Public Media
Head of state’s largest teacher’s union talks education issues
The ongoing battle over redistricting Wilmington schools has dominated the headlines this year, but other education issues continue to percolate. On the latest edition of The Green, Delaware State Education Association president Frederika Jenner addressed a number of those issues –as well as the Wilmington Education Improvement Commission’s plan to move city students in the Christina School District into the Red Clay School District.

Enlighten Me: Generation Voice students examine IEPs
As required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, student with special needs receive special attention, but are also integrated into classrooms with other students. All special education students also have an IEP, or an Individualized Education Program, as required by law. In this week’s Enlighten Me – a group of our Generation Voice students at Mount Pleasant High School – all of whom have IEPs themselves – decided to look into the history of IEPs, how they’ve changed over the years and unique IEP-related laws in the First State – all through the lens of a classmate who also has an IEP.

Delaware State News
A call to invest wisely in Delaware’s future
Commentary by Renee Smith, self-esteem and branding expert
In recent years, our state has invested wisely in quality early learning. But as our FY17 state budget is being finalized, $4.3 million in proposed cuts to early learning program funds threatens to jeopardize services to children of low-income working families. We can only provide a great start for all Delaware children with fully funded programs that cultivate successful future citizens in the crucial developmental years — from birth to age 5.

Technical.ly Delaware
Delaware STEM Academy charter school gets shut down before it even opens
The decision is in: Delaware STEM Academy (DSA) won’t ever get to open its doors. Yesterday, at the Delaware State Board of Education monthly meeting, Secretary of Education Steven Godowsky announced his decision to close the New Castle charter school before its first semester this fall.

The News Journal
Markell salutes first college prep graduates
Gov. Jack Markell on Saturday honored the first 35 high school students to complete the Delaware College Scholars program, an initiative preparing teens for college success. “When you take the innate talent you already have and what you’ve experienced at St. Andrew’s, you will be able to take it to the next level,” Markell told the students and their families at Saturday’s graduation ceremony at St. Andrew’s School in Middletown.

Rodel Blog
Busting the ed tech myths with Tara Saladyga
Blog post by Tara Saladyga, science teacher at Delcastle Technical High School and Rodel Teacher Council member
Tara Saladyga is an early adopter and expert in Schoology, the state’s digital Learning Management System. She coordinates Schoology professional development for teachers in her district and beyond. Still, she hears the doubters when it comes to incorporating technology in the classroom. Below, she busts five pervasive ed tech myths.

WDEL
Delaware STEM Academy charter revoked; school won’t open
Delaware STEM Academy will not open in New Castle this fall after its charter was revoked Thursday. The Delaware Department of Education’s Charter School Accountability Committee recommended the revocation in light of the failure by the school board to “provide sufficient information to address the committee’s concerns about its financial viability and programming.”

National

Education Week
Trends in professional development for globally minded educators
Guest Blog post by Jennifer Williams, literacy specialist at Calliope Global
Inspirational. Empowering. Relevant. Customized. Collaborative. Supercharged. Fun! All words used by educators when asked to describe their ideal type of professional development. Many of today’s educators are seeking alternatives to traditional forms of professional learning in an effort to enrich their practice and support student success in the classroom.

The Hechinger Report
Louisiana Teachers to swap their classrooms for factory floors and office cubicles this summer
With schools out for the summer across Louisiana, some teachers in the Bayou State are trading their classrooms for factory floors and office cubicles. With assignments ranging from one or two-day stints to as much as two-week placements, both general education and career-and-technical-education instructors will be spending part of the summer in their communities’ offices and factories, under a state initiative.

The Washington Post
Second graders imagine their dream school. It isn’t what you might think.
Lily Holland teaches second grade in the Boston Public Schools. She wrote the following post as part of a coordinated event last week sponsored by the Massachusetts Teachers Association in which educators, parents and others took actions to show support for traditional public schools and opposition to expanding charter schools in the state.

U.S. Department of Education
Secretary King Announces recipients of the 2016 President’s Education Awards Program
The U.S. Department of Education today announced the 2016 President’s Education Awards Program (PEAP) recipients, honoring nearly 3 million students from more than 30,000 public, private and military schools from all 50 states. Each year K-12 students from across the country are eligible to receive individual recognition from the President and the U.S. Secretary of Education for their educational excellence and academic growth in the classroom.

U.S. News & World Report
New data show where students are applying for federal aid
Federal student aid application completion rates are considered a barometer for college enrollment – or at least a good sign that students are thinking about applying for college. And that’s something the Obama administration has been trying to boost, both as a way to increase upward mobility and to fill the current workforce skills gaps plaguing parts of the country.