March 17, 2017

Delaware News

The News Journal
Sussex Academy student among best Hispanic and Latino PSAT takers
Sussex Academy junior Hector Herrara recently scored in the top 2.5 percent on the PSAT/NMSQT among all of the Hispanic and Latino test-takers in the region. As a result, he has been invited to participate in the National Hispanic Recognition Program (NHRP). The College Board’s NHRP is an academic honor that can be included on college applications. While not a scholarship, colleges do use this program to identify academically exceptional Hispanic and Latino students.

Educator, band director Lenny Knight dies
When Lenny Knight, former director of Dover High School’s marching band, died Tuesday, waves of grief quickly spread through the community. Knight, who worked at the high school for 15 years, was known not only for directing its Rolling Thunder drumline but for inspiring students to study music. He was hired to work with the band’s drum section in 2000, after graduating from Delaware State University, and was named band director in 2007.

Can’t import your taxes? File your FAFSA forms anyway
A tool that lets you automatically transfer your federal tax information into financial aid documents may not be working this week, but the Delaware Department of Education says high school seniors and their families should still complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA). IRS officials are working to fix the data retrieval tool on fafsa.gov and StudentLoans.gov but anticipate it will be unavailable for several weeks, according to DOE.

Office of the Governor
Press release
Governor Carney announces Kimberly Krzanowski as executive director of office of Early Learning
Governor John Carney announced today Kimberly Krzanowski, a long-time leader and advocate for early learning in the state, as the new executive director of the Delaware Department of Education’s Office of Early Learning. Krzanowski has more than 16 years of experience in early learning as a former early childhood teacher, center administrator and higher education faculty member, most recently as instructional director/Education Department chair at Delaware Technical Community College.

Delaware State News
BEST BETS: Delaware Symphony partners with Dover High for concerts, education
An evening of world-class operatic and classical music will usher in a collaboration between the Delaware Symphony Orchestra and Dover High School. Internationally renowned mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves will be the guest artist with the orchestra Sunday, March 26, at 7:30 p.m. at the high school off Del. 8.

Rodel Blog
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.

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.

National News

The Washington Post
Trump seeks to slash Education Department but make big push for school choice
The Trump administration is seeking to cut $9.2 billion — or 13.5 percent — from the Education Department’s budget, a dramatic downsizing that would reduce or eliminate grants for teacher training, after-school programs and aid to ­low-income and first-generation college students.

USA Today
Charter schools’ ‘thorny’ problem: Few students go on to earn college degrees
Like many charter school networks, the Los Angeles-based Alliance College-Ready Public Schools boast eye-popping statistics: 95% of their low-income students graduate from high school and go on to college. Virtually all qualify to attend California state universities.

The State
New Mexico Legislature curbs physical restraint of students
The New Mexico Legislature has approved a bill that sets new limits and guidelines for physically restraining school students or placing them in seclusion. The state Senate voted 30-4 on Monday to send the measure to Gov. Susana Martinez, who is likely to sign the bill. The proposed legislation would clarify that restraint and seclusion techniques can only be applied when a student’s behavior physically endangers other students and other types of responses are insufficient.

Tuscaloosanews.com
Gov. Robert Bentley announces education initiative
Gov. Robert Bentley wants to nearly double Alabama’s college-educated population by 2025. The governor announced the “65 by 2025” initiative on Tuesday. The effort aims to get 65 percent of Alabamans degrees, credentials or certificates by 2025. He says having post-secondary education will help people in the state stay competitive in the workforce.

NPR
Try this one trick to improve student outcomes
“Millions of poor, disadvantaged students are trapped in failing schools.” So said President Trump at the White House recently. It’s a familiar lament across the political spectrum, so much so that you could almost give it its own acronym : PKTIFS (Poor Kids Trapped In Failing Schools). Where there’s no consensus, however, is on the proper remedy for PKTIFS.