November 10, 2015
Delaware News
The Brookings Institution
How Delaware is creating a pipeline of skilled workers in manufacturing
Blog post by Dr. Mark T. Brainard, President of Delaware Technical Community College
Last year, in response to a need expressed by the Delaware Manufacturing Association for a pipeline of skilled workers to help the industry thrive in this new era, leaders from across the state came together to create a dual enrollment program for Delaware high school juniors and seniors. The two-year program kicked off in the fall of 2014 in two of our state’s school districts and provides students the opportunity to finish high school with real world experience, college credits, and industry credentials that provide a jump start on a career in manufacturing. It is the first career and technical education pathway in Governor Jack Markell’s Pathways to Prosperity initiative, focused on ensuring that more young people complete high school and attain postsecondary credentials that lead to jobs.
The New York Times
Conference seeks to prompt candidates to discuss education
Gov. Terry E. Branstad, Republican of Iowa, and Gov. Jack Markell, Democrat of Delaware, will bring a bipartisan focus to education on Tuesday in the hopes of urging the presidential candidates to focus more closely on developing strong teachers nationally. The “Teach Strong” conference will take place in Washington and aims to bring together different sides of the debate over education and “to make modernizing and elevating the teaching profession the top education policy priority in 2016 and beyond.”
Hockessin Community Times
St. Elizabeth named as ‘Apple Distinguished School’
Last month, it was announced that St. Elizabeth High School, in Pike Creek, has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished School for 2015–2017 for its implementation of the 1:1 iPad Program, according to a press release. The program fosters “a learning environment that is student-centered, technology infused, and curriculum focused,” the release states.
National News
The Washington Post
How to build a better teacher: Groups push a 9-point plan called TeachStrong
A coalition of 40 education groups — including some strange bedfellows — is starting a national campaign aimed at “modernizing and elevating” the teaching profession. The groups, organized by the left-leaning Center for American Progress under the banner TeachStrong, want to make the status of teachers an issue in the 2016 presidential race and in policy discussions on the state and local levels.
The nation’s high school dropout rate has fallen, study says
The U.S. high school dropout rate has fallen in recent years, with the number of dropouts declining from 1 million in 2008 to about 750,000 in 2012, according to a new study to be released Tuesday. The number of “dropout factories” — high schools in which fewer than 60 percent of freshmen graduate in four years — declined significantly during the same period, according to the study by a coalition of education groups.
Education Week
Searching for clarity on formative assessment
If you ask five teachers what formative assessment is, you’re likely to get five different answers. Oh, one might say, that’s when I give my Friday quiz or my end-of-unit test. Another will say it’s the feedback she gets from handheld devices that record, in real time, what students have learned. Many will tell you that formative assessment is just about any tool or strategy that helps them find out what students know as they’re learning. Some teachers will say that it’s “just good teaching.”
The Christian Science Monitor
L.A. schools swapped ‘zero tolerance’ for ‘restorative justice.’ Is it working?
Staff applaud the goals of ‘restorative justice,’ a community-minded alternative to schools’ ‘zero tolerance’ policies, which have not proven to be effective, but they add that more training and resources are needed.
The Hill
Policymakers should take heed of higher education innovation
That is why policymakers must study and learn from innovations that are helping thousands of Americans access higher education to learn skills that open doors and launch new careers. Private investment in these efforts underscores the value of education that creates better learners, communicators, innovators and team players – exactly what U.S. employers want and need.