March 24, 2015

Delaware News

The News Journal
State leaders: Urgency needed in school redistricting
Key state leaders say there is more energy now than there has been in decades to simplify the school system that splits the city of Wilmington among four different districts. Gov. Jack Markell and many lawmakers want to capitalize on momentum and are pressing for quick action on redistricting.

Some steps are missing in education reform
Opinion by Donald L. Gephardt, a retired dean and professor emeritus at Rowan University who now lives in Wilmington
The two big ideas: reorganizing the school districts to eliminate Wilmington city students from the Christina district; and more state funding directed toward low-income students is important. However, these issues were already well “in the works” before the dialog took place. There are several other major issues that also must be addressed.

WDDE
Schoology learning management system to be implemented in more Delaware schools
The Schoology LMS will allow teachers to distribute documents and assignments, provide feedback to students and post grades more efficiently online. The LMS will also help teachers align their curricula more closely with the national Common Core standards.

Library advocates lobby for budget support
Delaware library officials, patrons and advocates are hosting their annual Delaware Library Legislative Action Day on Tuesday. Attendees at the Dover Public Library will learn how to advocate for First State libraries and will get tips on how to talk with their legislators about their concerns.

Delaware State News
Lawmaker seeks to remove UD and DSU from FOIA exemptions
For the third consecutive General Assembly, a bill to make the University of Delaware and Delaware State University subject to Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) requests has been introduced.

Delmarva Now
Get to know Indian River chief Dr. Susan Bunting
As the Indian River School District approaches 10,000 students, it’s the fastest growing school district in the state, according to its superintendent Dr. Susan Bunting. In this Q&A, Bunting talks about how she has seen coastal Delaware change in the last 40 years, and her love for education and working with children.

National News

The Philadelphia Inquirer
Ed Secretary Arne Duncan says Pa.’s funding gap between rich, poor schools is nation’s worst
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Pennsylvania does the worst job in the nation of funding low-income school districts. Recent Education Department figures show that the amount spent on each student in Pennsylvania’s poorest school districts is 33 percent less than the amount spent on each student in the wealthier districts.

The Tennessean
Tennessee Promise mentors lead the way
Thousands of Tennesseans are guiding the first generation of Tennessee Promise students hoping to go to community college tuition-free this year. It’s a role that experts and officials believe could be as important as the money.

Education Week
Decoding the Common Core: A teacher’s perspective
Commentary by Ariel Sacks, teacher of 8th and 9th grade English/language arts in New York City
From my perspective as an experienced English teacher in New York City, the Common Core State Standards represent neither the problem nor the solution. They have brought both positive and negative elements to my classroom and my profession.

PRI
Utah bets big on foreign language learning, but not everyone is on board
Several years ago, Utah decided to start teaching foreign languages in public schools — beginning in the first grade.

The New York Times
Cuomo fights rating system in which few teachers are bad
Around the state, administrators, teachers and parents have been protesting the governor’s proposals, which would both increase the weight of test scores, to 50 percent of a teacher’s rating, and decrease the role of their principals’ observations.

Arizona Governor seeks review of Common Core education standards
Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona, a critic of the Common Core, urged state education officials on Monday to re-evaluate those standards, adopted by the state and meant to guide what students learn from kindergarten through graduation. He said he saw them as an example of the federal government overstepping its bounds.