March 26, 2015

Delaware News

The News Journal
Delaware PTA: Parents should have say in standardized test
The Delaware Parent Teacher Association is joining teacher unions and several school boards in saying parents should have a right to opt their children out of taking the state standardized test.

Business Wire
Schoology selected by State of Delaware to power blended learning initiative
Delaware’s goal for deploying a learning management system (LMS) to schools is to shift education from being teacher-driven to student-centered, making active, engaged learners with access to the best, most effective education technology. Schoology will also power professional development, empowering teachers with skills to successfully implement online and blended learning.

National News

The State
Report suggests how to boost number of S.C. college grads
A new report suggests increasing the number of college graduates in South Carolina by boosting financial aid for lower- and middle-class students, offering rebates for graduates in high-demand fields and raising state funding to schools that hold down tuition.

The Hechinger Report
As market surges, schools struggle to find the best tech products
And as school leaders buy new technology — devices and curricular programs alike — they’re seeking to do more than just replace paper with laptops. They want products designed to be part of a philosophical shift in education, one that enables students to direct their own learning and teachers to engage and encourage them in doing that.

The New York Times
Grading teachers by the test
The question is, what will happen when teachers are systematically rewarded, or punished, based to some extent on standardized tests? If we really want our children to learn more, the design of any system must be carefully thought through, to avoid sending incentives astray.

Governing
Kansas overhauls school funding formula
SB 7 replaces the state’s 23-year-old school funding formula, which allocated money based on districts’ specific needs, with flexible block grants. The bill reduces funding that districts had expected for the current school year. But supporters say the greater flexibility will ensure that no districts have to make cuts.

The New York Times
Yale researchers to study learning game apps
A three-year-old learning games company wants to raise the bar on how education technology start-ups measure and market the effectiveness of their products. Yogome, an educational games developer with offices in San Francisco and Mexico City, on Tuesday announced a partnership with play2Prevent, a lab at Yale University where researchers develop and evaluate video games designed to improve education, health and social intelligence.