July 28, 2015

Delaware News

The News Journal
Be Global: Why international students are choosing Wilmington University
Article by Eileen Smith Dallabrida, Wilmington University
Wilmington University is rapidly growing as a destination for international students who gain the education they need to thrive in a global economy — and a support system to help them navigate the complexities of studying abroad. In a single year, WilmU has more than doubled its international enrollment — without a formal marketing campaign to promote the school outside the region.

Many children left behind in economic recovery
The recession may be over, but the number of children living in poverty continues to grow. In its annual Kids Count report, the Annie E. Casey Foundation ranked Delaware squarely in the middle, 25th, in children’s overall well-being.

Cape Gazette
Lopez, legislators seek to override veto on school testing
A bill that would allow parents to excuse their children from taking statewide school tests has enough support to override Gov. Jack Markell’s veto, some legislators say. Sen. Ernie Lopez, R-Rehoboth Beach, said he believes the Senate will override the veto. On the House side, Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach, said he will not support an override attempt.

WilmU Magazine
The Reach Higher Initiative
In 2014, First Lady Michelle Obama launched the Reach Higher initiative to inspire all students in America to take charge of their futures by pursuing educational opportunities beyond high school. The initiative was triggered by research indicating that school counselors played key roles in student success rates. Their work also boosts student engagement and directly affects suspension rates, college readiness and numbers of disciplinary actions. The research prompted a national request for state proposals to increase the use and effectiveness of school counselors.

National News

Tampa Bay Times
Florida Board of Education sets new rules for many teacher evaluations
Through 2014-15, Florida school district had the ability to set teacher evaluation ratings the student performance results they received. That flexibility no longer exists for the teachers of classes that include state tests. The Florida Board of Education adopted a new rule connecting value-added model results to evaluation rankings, from highly effective through unsatisfactory, for those teachers.

Los Angeles Times
College ratings system proposed by Obama is scrapped
Nearly two years ago, President Obama proposed a federal system to rate the nation’s colleges and universities, one that would provide families with an objective and unified tool to compare schools and for taxpayers to determine whether the massive investments in scholarships and other government spending on higher education are worthwhile. The idea, however, was met with protests and concerns from college leaders who contended that it was misconceived and could unfairly pit schools against each other.

NPR
The toughest job in education? Maybe not
It’s been a theory of mine that the assistant principal has the toughest job in education. That’s my theory, anyway. But I may have it all wrong. “I’d say that’s the best job,” says Doug Anthony. He’s the associate superintendent for talent management with the Prince George’s County, Md., schools, and a former assistant principal himself.

Education Week
Quality of teacher hires improved during the recession, analysis finds
Blog by Stephen Sawchuk
Recessions are unquestionably tough on schools and on teachers—I’m thinking of the ridiculous pink-slip situation in California, for starters—but they might have a (thin) silver lining. Teachers hired during recession periods appeared to be somewhat more effective than those teachers hired in more secure times, according to a new working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research. Why? Because during recessions, districts got an influx of better-quality applicants for jobs.

The Atlantic
Why schools over-discipline children with disabilities
A quarter-century ago, on July 26, 1990, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act to give people with disabilities equal access to services like public education. But the rate at which special-needs students are disciplined raises questions about how equal that access truly is. In public schools today, children with disabilities are far more likely than their classmates to be disciplined, removed from the classroom, suspended, and even expelled.