September 2, 2016
Delaware News
Coastal Point
Asking the right questions: IRSD parents learn together in special-ed group
This year, hundreds of Indian River School District parents will begin navigating a new pathway they didn’t expect: special education services for their kids. It’s a tricky road to follow. Families try advocate for their children, sometimes not even fully understanding the educational process and their rights. That’s why school districts statewide are forming parent groups, such as the IRSD Special Education Parent Council.
Department of Education
ESSA state plan survey
State Secretary of Education Steven H. Godowsky is inviting stakeholders from across the state to discuss ESSA implementation and provide us with input on issues such as how the state uses federal education dollars to help ensure that all students have equitable access to a high-quality education. These forms are one way in which we are soliciting feedback to inform our state plan.
The News Journal
Choice and charter funding formula still uncertain
The adjustments to a charter school funding formula that touched off a furor last weekend aren’t changing – for now. Since the Department of Education sent bills last month to school districts based on the modified formula – which would mean a swing of millions of dollars more going to charter and choice schools in some cases – it has changed course on sticking to the changes more than once.
National News
Education Week
U.S. State Department tackles gender gap in STEM participation
They have traveled from Tunisia and Algeria, from Lebanon and Palestine. One teenage girl wants to be an engineer, another to work in astrophysics. They are “TechGirls,” participants in a summer program that brought them to the nation’s capital this summer to nurture their passion for leadership and sharpen their technology skills.
The Hechinger Report
The number of grandparents raising grandchildren is up, thanks in part to the opioid epidemic
Robin Eschman has raised or helped raise two biological children, seven children who came to her through long-term relationships, and 11 grandchildren. She’s 55 and lives with her partner, Debra Weathers, in the Atlanta metro area. At one point, there were 10 kids in the house at the same time.
The Tennessean
Nashville schools survey eyes testing in a hope to guide changes
The types of tests Metro Nashville Public Schools teachers use to assess student learning are likely to soon change with Director of Schools Shawn Joseph asking for feedback from teachers on how they view district testing. Joseph and his head office team are sending a questionnaire to teachers polling which tests are useful, how they use the data and how much time is spent on testing overall.