April 15, 2014

Local News

WDDE
Governor Markell seeks business support for Common Core and college readiness efforts
Gov. Jack Markell (D-Delaware) called on local business leaders Monday to do their part in helping Delaware students become career and college ready. Markell joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation in hosting a conference on effective workforce training in Wilmington Monday morning. Much of the discussion focused on implementation of the Common Core Standards and the role the more rigorous standards are expected to play in creating a workforce ready to fill jobs now and in the future.

DSU receives largest private grant ever
Delaware State University is receiving more than a million dollars to help nontraditional students. The Bernard Osher Foundation is awarding the school with the largest ever private grant to the university in its 123-year history. The $1,050,000 grant permanently establishes Del State’s Osher Reentry Scholarship endowment. Scholarships are awarded to students over the age of 25 who have started a degree but have been out of school for more than five years.

The News Journal
Companies sign on to career training push
Success Plans and Roads to Careers (SPaRC) is an effort by state agencies, schools and community groups to create an online network. Gov. Jack Markell announced Monday that a group of corporate heavyweights were joining SPaRC, including: Delmarva Power; Chase Bank; AstraZeneca; First State Manufacturing; DuPont; Dow Chemical; Computer Aid Inc.; PSEG Nuclear; Bank of America; and Sallie Mae Fund. By May, state education officials plan to have SPaRC active in 5 to 7 schools. By September, organizers expect to have 75 employers and 150 mentors in the system.

When it comes to schools, we need to step it up
An op-ed by Ernie Dianastasis, chair of Vision 2015
I had the pleasure of participating in the discussion with Duncan at Mount Pleasant High School in the Brandywine School District. As the Managing Director of CAI, a global IT company with a significant presence in Delaware, and the chair of Vision 2015, a coalition of public and private leaders working to improve our schools, hearing those students speak passionately about the sciences and engineering was inspiring.

Delaware State News
State’s leaders discuss workforce training
Gov. Markell joined former Maine Gov. John McKernan, who now leads the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, for a conference on workforce training initiatives and how schools and businesses can work together to ensure students are ready for college and careers. “Delaware is being looked at as a leader on how we improve education in this country,” Mr. McKernan said.

National News

Hechinger Report
Students are test-driving new Common Core exams. You can too.
Millions of American students this spring are piloting new online standardized tests linked to the Common Core State Standards. You can try out sample tests and see for yourself if they boost your critical thinking skills.

New Orleans Times-Picayune
Report: Students in impoverished schools less likely to have likely teachers
A report released Friday by the Center for American Progress relies on data from Louisiana and Massachusetts, both early adopters of teacher rating systems, to conclude poor and minority students are two to three times more likely to have ineffective teachers.

Columbus Dispatch
Ohio bill would expand access to dual enrollment, career-tech opportunities
The wide-ranging education bill focuses on reducing high school dropouts and giving more high school students the ability to earn college credit by requiring all high schools and nearly all universities to participate.

Chalkbeat Indiana
Time short for Indiana leaders on new standards
Draft standards to replace the Common Core State Standards, voided last month by Gov. Mike Pence, were released in February for public comment and have been under revision for weeks. The final revision is due Wednesday.

Education Week
In about-face, South Carolina state board votes to stick with Smarter Balanced test
State education board members voted not to adopt a motion introduced by the state education department to withdraw from Smarter Balanced.