April 17, 2015

Delaware News

The News Journal
3 Delaware charter schools short on enrollment
Three New Castle County charter schools are having trouble finding enough students, raising questions about whether too many charter schools are competing against each other and traditional schools for students.

Reach Academy lawsuit rejected; closure imminent
A Chancery Court judge rejected the Reach Academy for Girls charter school’s last-ditch legal attempt to stave off closure after the Department of Education revoked its charter last year.

Newsworks
Trio of Delaware charters face enrollment woes
The Delaware State Board of Education placed three charter schools under formal review Thursday due to low enrollment –Friere Charter, Delaware Design Lab High School, and Prestige Academy.

Judge dismisses lawsuit filed by Delaware charter
Reach Academy for Girls in New Castle, Delaware has fought a long and winding legal battle to keep its charter. That possibility looks increasingly slim after a court decision rendered Thursday.

Delaware Public Media
New bill mandates suicide prevention training in schools
After a rash of youth suicides in Kent and Sussex Counties in 2012, state lawmakers are looking to mandate prevention education for all public school workers. Everyone would be required to have no less than 90 minutes of training annually. Additionally, each school would allow students to report at-risk kids anonymously.

Four First State charter schools placed on formal review
Three of the schools, including two high schools scheduled to welcome their first students in August, are currently far short of their enrollment targets for the coming school year. The fourth, the Academy of Dover, is under investigation for issues related to financial management and oversight as well as academic performance.

WDEL
Bill would mandate suicide prevention programs in Delaware public schools
If passed, schools would be required to establish suicide prevention programming and training for public school employees. House Bill 90 would also mandate that schools develop school response plans and district-wide policies.

Delaware State News
‘Vision to Learn’ puts students’ lessons into focus
Vision to Learn, a nonprofit that recently moved to Delaware, offers free eye examinations and glasses to children in low-income communities. After launching in New Castle County last October, the organization teamed up with Capital School District and Academy of Dover to move downstate this spring.

Delaware Department of Education
Twenty high school students selected for summer Chinese study abroad initiative
A press release
Twenty Delaware high school students have been chosen by the Delaware Department of Education to study in China expense-free this summer, thanks to a partnership agreement announced earlier this year by Gov. Jack Markell with the Wanxiang Group, China’s largest auto parts manufacturer.

National News

Education Week
Universities in six states agree to Smarter Balanced definition of ‘college ready’
Blog post by Catherine Gewertz
Both consortia, SBAC and PARCC, are hoping that a widespread higher-education embrace of their college-readiness scores will produce a key benefit for students: being able to better plan and use their senior year. The thinking goes like this: If students fall short of the college-readiness level on the 11th grade consortium test, they can take the necessary coursework to meet muster during 12th grade. Those whose 11th grade scores show they’re ready for more challenging work can opt for higher-level classes, Advanced Placement courses, or dual-enrollment programs.

Senate Education committee unanimously passes bipartisan ESEA rewrite
Blog by Lauren Camera
In a calculated and largely fireworks-free markup of a bipartisan Elementary and Secondary Education Act rewrite, members of the U.S. Senate education committee approved the measure 22-0 Thursday amid much back-slapping and promises to continue working across the aisle.

Associated Press
Common Core tests halted in 3 states because of server issue
A problem with a computer server is stopping Common Core testing in Nevada, Montana and North Dakota after a previous technical issue delayed it last month, officials said.

The New York Times
Questions of bias are raised about a teachers’ exam in New York
A federal judge is questioning whether a new exam for aspiring teachers in New York is discriminatory against minorities, a case that could derail the state’s efforts to create a more rigorous set of tests for entry into the profession.

The Texas Tribune
“Parent trigger” school bill clears Texas Senate
A controversial policy known as a “parent trigger” law — which supporters say prompts parent involvement and quicker turnarounds at struggling schools — cleared its first major legislative hurdle Wednesday.