January 10, 2017
Delaware News
Delaware State News
Time to get to work to build Delaware’s economy
Commentary by Robert Perkins, executive director of the Delaware Business Roundtable
The Delaware Business Roundtable welcomes the General Assembly back to Dover, and we are looking forward to working with lawmakers and the incoming administration to strengthen Delaware’s economy for today’s workers and for generations to come. Delaware must take significant steps to improve its business climate. That includes ensuring that Delaware’s infrastructure meets the needs of a 21st Century economy; improving the state’s public education system by implementing the strategic recommendations contained in the “Student Success 2025” report published by the Vision Coalition of Delaware; and taking a leadership role in helping to facilitate more efficient development and permitting processes at the local and county levels.
Rodel Blog
Ten ways coaching helps in the classroom
Blog post by Jared Lelito, middle school math/special education teacher at Fred Fifer III Middle School
Rodel Teacher Council member Jared Lelito teaches math in an inclusion classroom at Fred Fifer III Middle School in the Caesar Rodney School District. In addition to teaching, Jared coaches football, basketball, and baseball for the Caesar Rodney High School Riders. During his time in the Caesar Rodney School District, Lelito discovered a few ways coaching has helped improve his teaching in the classroom. Here are just a few.
Delaware, the U.S., and the global report card: What it means
Blog post by Liz Hoyt, research associate at the Rodel Foundation of Delaware
An often-unpredictable 2016 came to a close with some status-quo scores and glimmers of promise in science for U.S. students on the Program for International Assessment (PISA), a “global report card” of student achievement. The PISA is administered every three years to 15-year-old students around the world, assessing their knowledge and ability to think critically in math, reading and science.
Digging Deeper: Does teacher diversity matter?
Blog post by Shyanne Miller, policy fellow at the Rodel Foundation of Delaware
There is a growing body of research suggesting that a more diverse teacher workforce increases student wellbeing and academic success. However, in Delaware—and the nation—the teacher workforce is far less racially diverse than the student populations they serve.
The News Journal
3 things to know about the Christina superintendent search
The third and final candidate for superintendent of the Christina School District is touring two district schools on Monday, and later this week the public will have an opportunity to hear from all three finalists in person. Since Friday, Kirk Middle School and Bancroft Elementary School have played host to three men seeking to fill a vacancy at top of the district’s employment ladder.
National News
ABC
Philadelphia launches pre-k program funded by soda tax
Thousands of Philadelphia toddlers have started 2017 in a citywide pre-kindergarten program as a new sugary beverage tax created to fund it hit store shelves. The city launched the pre-K program this week with more than 2,000 children enrolled at 90 locations. The 3- and 4-year-olds don’t have to come from families of certain income levels, but the free program targets high-need neighborhoods. During the enrollment period this fall, officials received more than 3,700 calls.
Education Week
How Obama wielded the presidential megaphone
At certain moments during his presidency, Barack Obama used the stature of the office to champion young people’s education and well-being — often in starkly personal terms. My Brother’s Keeper. Obama launched the My Brother’s Keeper initiative in 2014 to help improve the lives of boys and young men of color and close achievement gaps. It was begun in conjunction with $200 million in private investments from foundations to boost 3rd grade literacy, school discipline reform, and parent engagement, among other policies.
Tampa Bay Times
Senate looking for ways to streamline Florida school testing
Two years have passed since Florida lawmakers acknowledged, under mounting pressure from parents and teachers, that public school children might be overtested. Two years have passed since Florida lawmakers acknowledged, under mounting pressure from parents and teachers, that public school children might be overtested.
The Atlantic
How teachers learn to discuss racism
After a rash of police killings last summer, H. Richard Milner, a professor of urban education at the University of Pittsburgh, set out to answer a question that had been gnawing at him for some time. As a noted expert on race in education, he frequently received calls from journalists seeking comment on how to help teachers talk about race in the classroom, typically following the fatal police shooting of a black victim. And he always thought the questioning was misguided and inadequate.
The Washington Post
Senate postpones confirmation hearing for Betsy DeVos, Trump’s education pick
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions has postponed the confirmation hearing for Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for education secretary. DeVos’s hearing, originally scheduled to take place on Wednesday morning, has been rescheduled for Jan. 17 at 5 p.m., according to a joint statement from the HELP committee chairman, Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), and ranking member, Patty Murray (D-Wash).