January 12, 2016

Delaware

Delaware 105.9
Several schools receive automated bomb threats in Delaware, Maryland
Several area schools in Delaware and an elementary school in Maryland received suspicious bomb threat calls this morning (MONDAY). The Indian River School District was one of those receiving the threat via an automated call, forcing an evacuation of the high school this morning around 10:00 AM. Spokesman David Maull tells Delaware 105.9 that the school was given the all-clear after a sweep by Delaware State Police. Other schools receiving similar threats include Caesar Rodney High School, Dover High School, Lulu M. Ross Elementary in Milford; Smyrna Elementary, Seaford Middle, Parkside High School in Salisbury, Maryland; and Easton Elementary in Talbot County, Maryland.

University of Delaware School of Education
Education technology conference March 5
While blackboards and chalk are the traditional symbols of education, today’s teachers must be well versed in technology. They are expected to create lesson plans on SMART Boards, post assignments on learning management systems (LMS), build connections through social media, and conduct assessments and interventions using computer apps. The learning curve can seem daunting. To help pre-K-20 educators develop a better understanding of the alternatives now available, the University of Delaware will host its third annual UD Educational Technology Conference (UDETC). This full-day conference on Saturday, March 5, will introduce teachers with little technology experience to the realm of possibilities and provide the more technology-savvy users opportunities to explore newer, cutting edge technologies.

WDEL 101.7
Education, budget, city crime top priorities in upcoming legislative session
Education and budgetary issues will be at the forefront of the legislative session that begins Tuesday. Education will also be at the forefront of several discussions. Democratic state Rep. John Kowalko (D-Newark South) plans to suspend the rules Thursday in an attempt to override the governor’s veto of the controversial opt-out bill. Longhurst wouldn’t say where she stood in terms of the opt-out bill, but said she supported a recent decision by the Delaware Department of Education to have the SAT take the place of the Smarter Balanced Assessment for 11th graders.

National

NewsWorks
New Jersey education panel: Keep using Common Core- aligned test
A panel appointed by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has recommended that the state continue using exams aligned with Common Core standards. The study commission’s recommendations were released publicly on Monday. Christie established the board made up of teachers, administrators and a parent representative to review the nationwide Common Core curriculum standards after saying they are not working. He said he was ordering the state to back away from them. Its final report notes the concern over too much time spent on standardized tests, but recommends requiring the PARCC test be required for students to graduate starting in 2021.

NPR
A ‘No-Nonsense’ classroom where teachers don’t say ‘please’
Any classroom can get out of control from time to time. But one unique teaching method empowers teachers to stop behavior problems before they begin. You can see No-Nonsense Nurturing, as it’s called, firsthand at Druid Hills Academy in Charlotte, N.C. Math teacher Jonnecia Alford has it down pat. In “no-nonsense nurturing,” directions are often scripted in advance, and praise is kept to a minimum. The method is, in part, the brainchild of former school Principal Kristyn Klei Borrero. She’s now CEO of the Center for Transformative Teacher Training, an education consulting company based in San Francisco.

The Hechinger Report
Teachers take a case to the Supreme Court that labor advocates say could devastate unions
A Supreme Court case argued Monday could significantly weaken government unions across the country. If the justices rule in favor of the plaintiffs in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, every state in the country will essentially become a “right-to-work” state, where employees who choose not to belong to a public union won’t have to give it fees of any kind. California is one of the 25 states that collects fees from nonunion members. Known as an “agency shop” system, in these states individual employees decide whether to be a part of the union, but if they choose not to become a member, they still must pay the portion of dues that goes to collective bargaining because they are still covered by that contract.

The Philadelphia Tribune
Robeson partnership with Philadelphia Education Fund provides students with tools to succeed
There is no better demonstration of commitment to the values of civic engagement, service learning and leadership than community partnerships that work with schools. Through local partnerships, Paul Robeson High School provides academic support and college readiness for its students. The Philadelphia Education Fund has two programs at Robeson, including the Philadelphia Post-Secondary Success Program (PPSP) and the College Access program. The PPSP of the Philadelphia Education Fund is a collaborative initiative designed to increase the number of low-income and first-generation public high school students who enroll and succeed in post-secondary education.

The Washington Post
This teacher is running for office, and his former student is running the campaign
Tanner Glenn was a student in Rich Nixon’s history class at Corinth Holders High School in Clayton, N.C., just three years ago. Now Nixon is running for a seat in the North Carolina legislature, where he hopes to push for a renewed investment in public education. And Glenn — who is a 20-year-old sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — is running his campaign. It’s a rare alliance for politics, and one that both hope will lead to a victory in November.