March 10, 2016
Delaware
Delaware State News
Junie B. Jones goes by the book at Dover High School
The children’s book series “Junie B. Jones” is leaving its pages and coming to life this weekend when the familiar characters take the stage at Dover High School. The series includes 29 books and starts off with Junie in kindergarten and follows her over several years. But the musical focuses exclusively on her first-grade year. The series gained popularity in the mid-1990s after the initial book was released in 1992 –– before any of the student actors were even born.
Newark Post
Christina board considering later high school start times
With a morning bell of 7:05 a.m., high schools in the Christina School District have the earliest start times in New Castle County. However, that may soon change. The district’s board of education has begun preliminary discussions about whether to delay school start times so students can get more sleep. Though the board remains in the information-gathering stage, both school administration and board members are open to the idea.
Newsworks
Delaware Governor brokers deal for Wilmington schools
With fears of a stalemate rising, Delaware Governor Jack Markell has brokered a compromise intended to keep a Wilmington redistricting plan on track. The reworked proposal empowers the Wilmington Education Improvement Commission (WEIC) to halt any school redistricting plan if sufficient money isn’t provided. Previously the Delaware State Board of Education held that power, which had created conflict between WEIC and the state board.
Rodel Blog
Welcome to the Smarter Balanced Digital Library
Blog post by Karen Eller, teacher at Bancroft Elementary School, and member of the Rodel Teacher Council
As teachers, instructional coaches, and even professional development trainers, we sometimes spend a lot of time searching and looking for the best resources available online to help support learning. This can be a daunting task at times. The Smarter Balanced Digital Library makes it easier for educators to find resources which were submitted and created by other educators.
Recapping the 2016 personalized learning workshop
Blog post by Melissa Tracy, National Board Certified social studies teacher at Conrad Schools of Science, and a member of the Rodel Teacher Council
On Saturday, February 27th, more than a hundred educators gathered at St. Georges Technical High School to participate in a free, teacher-led workshop about personalized learning hosted by the Rodel Teacher Council. The participants included student teachers, novice teachers, and veteran teachers; district, charter, and independent school teachers; higher education faculty and staff, and representation from all grade bands, preK-12, and nearly every academic discipline!
The Middletown Transcript
Curriculum changes coming to districts two high schools
Students at the two high schools in the Appoquinimink School District should expect to see major changes to the curriculum in the upcoming 2016-2017 school year. On Tuesday, Appoquinimink Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Schools T.J. Vari along with Appoquinimink Executive Director of Pre-K to 12 and Adult Education Debbie Panchisin presented the five members of the school board with a new plan to bolster student academic preparation at Middletown and Appoquinimink high schools.
The News Journal
Markell seeks to break school redistricting stalemate
To break the stalemate over a sweeping and controversial plan to redistrict Wilmington schools, Gov. Jack Markell is calling for the State Board of Education to be cut out of a crucial decision over funding. Markell said he is recommending the bold step because he feared the Wilmington Education Improvement Commission’s plan, which would move Christina School District schools and students in the city limits to the Red Clay Consolidated School District, was on the brink of failure because of disagreements between commission members and the State Board.
National
Education Week
Who’s the best deliverer of teacher PD? Report says teachers still lack input
Blog post by Ross Brenneman, assistant editor at Education Week Teacher
A new joint report from the PD-focused company Learning Forward and the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future suggests educators continue to lack agency in choosing their own professional learning. “For many teachers, professional development has long been an empty exercise in compliance, one that falls short of its objectives and rarely improves professional practice,” writes Laurie Calvert, the author of the report and education policy adviser to Learning Forward and NCTAF.
NPR
America’s high school graduates look like other countries’ high school dropouts
A new study confirms what many Americans already knew deep in their hearts: We’re not good at math. Not only that, but when it comes to technology skills, we’re dead last compared with other developed countries. The PIAAC study — the Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies — looks at the skills adults need to do everyday tasks, whether it’s at work or in their social lives.
Orlando Sentinel
Florida senate passes competency-based education bill
A bill to promote personalized learning in the Lake and Seminole county school districts won easy approval in the Florida Senate this morning, touted as the “future of education.” Some lawmakers, as well as parents and advocates, however, fear the competency-based education bill could lead to the collection of too much student data and to students spending too much time working alone on computers. The bill, already approved by the Florida House, passed by a 31 to 6 vote.
The Atlantic
Getting rid of placement exams
Do tests or high-school grades better determine whether a student is ready for college-level math and reading? For public universities and community colleges, increasingly the answer is both—or no tests at all, reporters learned during a seminar hosted by the Education Writers Association in Los Angeles last month. Several states have undertaken a series of changes that allow students to prove they’re prepared for college courses by showcasing the work they’ve done in high school, such as grade point averages and scores on statewide standardized assessments they already take during high school.
Time
Why parents should not make kids do homework
President Obama’s pick for Education Secretary, John King, Jr., is headed for confirmation Mar. 9. King’s track record shows he loves standardized testing and quantifying learning. If he loves numbers and research, he should welcome what some teachers and families have known for years: that homework at young ages does more harm than good. We’re currently enmeshed in a high-pressure approach to learning that starts with homework being assigned in kindergarten and even preschool.