January 28, 2016
Delaware
Cape Gazette
Cape theater students raise $11,000 for Broadway Cares
Cape Henlopen High School theater students traveled to New York City Jan. 20 with a big check in hand. Since 2010, the group has raised money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. This year’s total was $11,000. In return, the Cape theater group received complimentary tickets for the Broadway show “Something Rotten.” Following the show, Cape Henlopen High School Theatre Academy students met with cast members. “Nothing could possibly compare to the honor of being recognized by the people we respect the most, the people we aspire to be,” said Martha Pfeiffer, director of the Cape Henlopen High School Theatre Academy.
Delaware State News
Delaware Tech kicks off 50 years of education
Delaware Technical Community College kicked off a celebration of its 50th anniversary on Wednesday with events across the state.“This year will give us an opportunity to showcase our history, our students and our accomplishments from the past 50 years,” said June Turansky, director of DTCC’s Terry Campus, at the Dover celebration. DTCC was established June 9, 1966, as the Delaware Institute of Technology through House Bill 529. To this day it remains the only community college in the state. After starting with 367 students in 1966, DTCC currently has more than 20,000 students enrolled in all three counties.
NewsWorks
Delaware delegation wants FBI info on school threats
After dozens of threats phoned into Delaware schools this month, Delaware’s Congressional Delegation wants more information from the FBI about the incidents. Schools throughout Delaware have been evacuated, some multiple times, as police join educators to check out the threats. Most of the threats have been phoned in using some time of recorded or computer-generated voice. “When a bomb threat seemingly replicates itself across multiple schools, school districts and states- as the Delaware threats did- it may be appropriate to bring federal resources to bear,” wrote Senators Tom Carper, Chris Coons and Congressman John Carney in a letter to FIB Director James Comey.
Rodel Blog
Decoding Gov. Markell’s final State of the State address
In his final State of the State address (titled “Expecting More”) as leader of the First State, Governor Jack Markell devoted significant airtime to public education. Touching on everything from career training, to early learning, to teacher prep, Gov. Markell made it clear that the path to a better Delaware cuts directly through its classrooms. The Rodel policy team tuned in throughout the address and compiled some expanded thoughts on a few of the governor’s most noteworthy moments.
Sussex Countian
Mentors in short supply in Capital School District
Emily Cunningham is a model mentor at Central Middle School. For the past five years she’s been giving her time and on Feb. 3 she’ll be recognized for her dedication at a ceremony in the Modern Maturity Center. Emily Cunningham is a model mentor at Central Middle School. For the past five years she’s been giving her time and on Feb. 3 she’ll be recognized for her dedication at a ceremony in the Modern Maturity Center. But Cunningham is a rare breed. There are a limited number of mentors in Capital School District and the state.
The Milford Beacon
Lulu Ross librarian receives STEM grant
Michelle Harris, librarian at Lulu Ross Elementary School, recently received a STEM Grant in the amount of $500 for her Incubation and Embryology Project from the Delaware Retired School Personnel Association. Harris attended the STEM Conference and Awards Ceremony at the Chase Center in Wilmington on Jan. 26 where she found out that she was one of the runner-ups and the only elementary applicant to make it that far.
The News Journal
Audit finds Providence Creek School leaders misused funds
School leaders at Providence Creek Academy Charter School in Clayton misused thousands of dollars in school funds for things like beach admission, comedy club tickets and employee compensation, according to a report released Wednesday by the state auditor. “Our inspection identified over $247,000 in various personal purchases, unsupported transactions, and non-compliance from July 1, 2011, through Dec. 31, 2014,” said State Auditor Tom Wagner Jr., in a statement. The charter school’s “deficient fiscal operations and close network of personnel” led to the misuse of funds, according to the report.
WDEL
Red Clay residents ‘confused’ by Wilmington redistricting plan
As the Wilmington Education Improvement Commission works to revise their redistricting plan, more concerns are raised by residents of the Red Clay Consolidated School District. Despite hundreds of pages of public information and months of outreach, House Minority Whip Rep. Deborah Hudson (R-Fairthorne), said many of her constituents in Red Clay remain confused about the Wilmington redistricting plan. “We are the Red Clay district–we are the ones who are going to be affected the most–and the parents don’t know what the plan is, and they don’t know how it’s going to effect the existing students, so there’s a lot of anxiety,” she said.
National
Education Week
Bernie Sanders and education: Five facts to know before the Iowa Caucuses
If the polls are right, only two Democratic presidential candidates stand a shot at winning the Iowa caucuses next week: former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. A self-described socialist, Sanders is largely seen as the scrappy, lefty foil to the pragmatic Clinton. He’s put out a sweeping college access proposal and been skeptical of standardized testing and competitive grants, especially Race to the Top. Here’s what you need to know about him.
The Atlantic
The man who tried to kill math in America
The Common Core math standards have been contentious since they were launched several years ago, with many parents taking to social media to complain about their kids getting incomprehensible homework. Kids are now expected, for example, to explain how multiplication works using the “box” and “lattice” methods. These methods take longer, and are harder to master at first, but have been shown by some research to be more effective than the multiply-and-carry method, particularly for kids who have trouble memorizing things.
Tampa Bay Times
Florida parents aren’t playing in their demand for recess
Thousands of parents will be keenly awaiting the outcome of the Florida House K-12 Subcommittee’s meeting Tuesday, where the panel will take up a measure that would mandate 20 minutes of daily recess in elementary schools. That would come beyond their already required daily physical education instruction. Frustrated by their own schools’ lack of action on providing free time, groups have coalesced to push the issue through state law. Some school boards including Pinellas have looked into local recess rules, but have come up short in many parents’ minds.
The Washington Post
Three predictions about the future of higher education
Several new ratings reports from Moody’s Investor Service that landed in my e-mail inbox this week give plenty of clues about where higher education is headed in the United States. Moody’s examines the finances of more than 500 colleges and universities that issue debt through the public markets. While some might place little trust in the analyses of Moody’s or the other major bond-rating agencies after they were so wrong about the 2008 housing crisis, in higher education the ratings still provide a good indicator of the strengths and weaknesses of colleges and universities.
WBOC
Md. to provide scholarships to early high school graduates
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan says the state will provide scholarships to students who finish high school in three years or less. The governor signed an executive order on Wednesday creating the $6,000 scholarships. Hogan says it’s a smart use of tax dollars. That’s because the state can reallocate money it would have spent on the student’s last year in public high school to help with the first year of college instead. Last year, 1,065 students across Maryland graduated before the start of their senior year.