March 14, 2017
Delaware News
The News Journal
Working together to help students in need
Opinion by John Carney, 74th governor of Delaware
As governor, Dr. Seuss is not my normal reading material. But recently — to honor Read Across America Day – I spent part of one morning reading “Hop on Pop” to students at Eisenberg Elementary School in New Castle. The students were excited and full of energy. As I spoke with Principal Distler and his team, however, I was reminded of the challenges our students and educators face every day.
Sussex County Post
It’s a wrap: Georgetown Elementary mural project ‘steams’ to completion
It recently was full steam ahead at Georgetown Elementary School with completion of a mural project tied to STEAM: science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Local artist John Donato of Ocean View in late February was putting the finishing touches on the two-sided wraparound mural. The project enlisted artistic participation from three grades in the grade 1-5 elementary school, students from the Howard T. Ennis School along with parental, staff and community support.
Rodel Blog
Legislative hall pass: Compulsory ed law aims to curb dropouts
Blog post by Neil Kirschling, program officer at the Rodel Foundation of Delaware
Discouraging drop-outs is a hot topic in Delaware this year, and one way that policymakers are seeking to accomplish this is by amending the state’s compulsory education law—the law that defines the age range in which a student is required to attend school or some other equivalent education program.
Can personalized learning defray the cost of special education
Blog post by Rachel Wiggans Chan, senior program officer at the Rodel Foundation of Delaware
Special education costs nearly twice as much as regular classroom education, but early intervention can decrease special education costs by 40 percent. Scrapping the one-size-fits-all education system we have today and replacing it with an individualized approach may be just what’s needed to meet every students’ needs and maximize student success.
How dropping out leads to lost economic potential
Blog post by Rachel Wiggans Chan, senior program officer at the Rodel Foundation of Delaware
The lost economic potential of high school dropouts is no joke for Delaware’s economy. Typically, high school dropouts earn $8,000 less annually, compared to high school graduates. In Delaware, high school dropouts are twice as likely as high school graduates and six times as likely as college graduates to live in poverty.
National News
Detroit Free Press
Panel formed by Snyder calls for free preschool, community college
Michigan should make community college free for all and give merit-based scholarships to high school graduates who attend the state’s public universities, says a commission formed by Gov. Rick Snyder. The 21st Century Education Commission released a report today that calls for getting rid of grade levels and instead advancing students only once they master content.
Kitsap Daily News
Homeless students: 40,000 attending public schools in state
Nearly every student experiences struggles at school, but almost 40,000 students in Washington face even stiffer challenges when the school day ends. These students are homeless. Vancouver, Washington, resident James Hill spent nights with his 16-year-old daughter and her toddler moving between the homes of friends and sleeping in a vehicle. He worried about keeping his daughter and granddaughter safe and warm at night so his daughter could have a restful sleep and be prepared for school the next day.
The Sacramento Bee
Should California teachers have to pay state income tax?
A California Senate bill proposes a new way to solve the teacher shortage: Let them keep their state income tax. California is struggling to recruit and retain teachers as baby boomers retire and meager starting salaries do little to attract young people to the profession. Making matters worse, nearly one in three teachers leave the profession in the first seven years, according to the California Teachers Association.
NPR
Helping immigrant students catch up, fast — It takes a whole school
Even in a bean bag chair, 15-year-old Michelle sits up straight. With her hands on her knees, she looks down at the ground, smiling as she talks about her dreams of being a writer and a military doctor. As a high school freshman, Michelle is already accomplishing a lot: She’s president of the student government association at the International High School at Langley Park. She also writes for the school newspaper and plays basketball.
The Washington Post
DeVos tells big-city school superintendents she believes in ‘great public schools’ — but some remain skeptical
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told urban school superintendents on Monday that her agency intends to support their work and that “great public schools” should be among the education options available to families. “I trust parents, I trust teachers, and I trust school leaders to do what is right for the students they serve,” she said, emphasizing her push to shrink the federal government’s role in local schools.