June 22, 2016

Delaware

Delaware Public Media
Delaware’s growing child poverty numbers reflect national trends
The Annie E Casey Foundation released its 27th annual Kids Count Data book Tuesday, with national and state-specific data about child poverty levels, economic instability, education and health. Delaware maintained its overall ranking of 25th in the nation for overall child well-being in this year’s report. But she says there are a couple of areas where Delaware is lagging behind the national average are in the education arena: specifically the number of eighth graders not proficient in math and the number of high school students who don’t graduate on time.

Dover Post
High school seniors prepped for renewable energy careers
As renewable forms of energy become increasingly commercialized, educators are finding ways to prepare the next generation of students. A statewide partnership between Milford, Smyrna and Christina School Districts and Delaware Technical Community College will start offering courses in the fields of energy management, renewable energy and building maintenance.

The News Journal
State budget cuts to nonprofits, capital projects loom
Nonprofit leaders are bracing for cuts in government funding, and state agencies are preparing to get much less money than expected for construction and infrastructure improvements. Over the past several months, the Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Council has repeatedly lowered projections for how much the state will take in from taxes, particularly personal and corporate income taxes.

National

Chalkbeat
Only 8 percent of NYC teachers are men of color. Here’s how the city is trying to change that
Last year, Mayor Bill De Blasio announced a $16 million program to add 1,000 new teachers of color by 2018. Called NYC Men Teach, the recruitment and training program kicked off this spring and includes a series of workshops such as the one that drew the prospective teachers to a Lower Manhattan office building last week.

Education Week
What it takes to move from ‘passive’ to ‘active’ tech use in K-12 schools
Just providing students with access to classroom technology is no longer enough. Increasingly, schools are expected to make sure that teachers and students are using devices, software, apps, and other digital tools in “active” ways.

Governing
Record number of charter schools could close in Ohio
In the wake of a new state law designed to shut down failing schools, several charter-school sponsors are severing ties with schools they agreed to oversee. Charter schools — privately run with public dollars — can’t operate without a sponsor.

The New York Times
Students look to loan alternatives to simplify process and ease burden
Plan sponsors — including private I.S.A. providers, crowdfunding proponents and even private lenders — say these alternatives are intended to supplement federal below-market student loans, not replace them, because federal below-market loans tend to be cheaper and come with more consumer protections, including a provision tying payments to a borrower’s income.

NPR
The problem with teaching preschool teachers
The U.S. spends a lot of money on preschool — billions of dollars each year. When invested wisely, research suggests the costs are justified by significant returns to society, including savings from crimes not committed, welfare dollars not distributed, and taxes on higher earnings. But a new report suggests many preschool programs aren’t as good as they could (or should) be — because their teachers arrived on the job poorly trained.