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Delaware Public Media
State budget shortfall grows larger according to latest revenue estimate
Delaware’s budget shortfall continues to grow, now hovering just below $400 million for fiscal year 2018. The additional bad news comes just weeks after Gov. Carney unveiled his $4.1 billion budget plan that seeks to address the deficit with an equal mix of tax hikes and spending cuts. His plan includes $37 million in education cuts, cutting 200 vacant jobs and trimming a property tax credit for seniors.
Education Week
First wave of ESSA plans gives early look at state priorities
One of the biggest changes from the No Child Left Behind Act to ESSA is that states will no longer have to demonstrate adequate yearly progress on state exams or show that all students are proficient on those tests by a certain year. Instead, they’ll get to set their own goals for student achievement. Not all the states’ goals have a single specific number in mind. Delaware, for example, wants to cut in half the share of students who are not proficient on state exams in English/language arts and math by 2030.
Middletown Transcript
Girl Scout Allyson Wills goes for the Gold with history project
Girl Scout member Allyson Willis, the girl who spearheaded the movement to make the Channeled Whelk Delaware’s state seashell, now has her sights set on achieving the Girl Scout Gold Award.To obtain the award, Willis must commit 80 hours to a “take action project” that will benefit the community, while also having a sustainable impact. Willis plans to collaborate with Townsend Mayor Rudy Sutton to help unlock the community’s past.
The News Journal
New program connects young adults without degrees to jobs
Year Up itself is a national nonprofit that focuses on empowering young adults by offering them education and professional development. Its mission is to close the “opportunity divide” by teaching them valuable job skills, helping them get college credit and connecting them with paid internships at large firms such as JPMorgan Chase. It has been serving students in Philadelphia for several years, but just this spring was extended to Wilmington.
This Rudolph’s nose isn’t so bright any more
“It’s a part of life,” 10th-grader Jason Nolasco said sagely, commenting on the badly decomposed deer carcass kept behind the high school for study. Nolasco’s a student in Frank Lusch’s forensics class, which provides an overview of criminal forensics studies and evidence as it applies to the criminal justice system. The class evaluates, in part, how biology, chemistry and physics tie into the field and how trace evidence is used in court cases.
Rodel Blog
The link between career/technical education and student success
Blog by Jenna Bucsak
Just one career and technical education course above the average can boost a student’s odds of graduating high school and enrolling in a two-year college, according to a study by the Fordham Institute. It can also lead to a higher likelihood of college enrollment, employment, and better wages.
Seaford Star
Seaford school board to hold election in May
Seaford School board elections will be held Tuesday, May 9. Incumbent board member Mike Kraft is being challenged by former board member John Hanenfeld. Both candidates, who are vying for a five year term, have answered questions given to them about their thoughts and reasons for running for the school board position.
Sussex County Post
Anchors Aweigh! Best friends set to sail as Naval Academy appointees
Longtime best-of-best friends George Martin and Jared Arlett will not go their separate ways after graduating in late May. It’s “Anchors Aweigh” for the two 18-year-old Indian River High School seniors, who leave in late June for the United States Naval Academy. At Annapolis, they plan to tackle academics, athletics and prepare for a subsequent four-year military service commitment.
National News
The 74
3 ways to think about school choice through the lens of equity and diversity
Commentary by Valerie Braimah
The question is not whether choice is a good thing. The question we should all be asking is, under what circumstances is choice a good thing? Simply put, choice is only a good policy when it advances equity. Public money to unaccountable private schools that can select only the best and most qualified? Bad. Money to public schools of choice that are closing the achievement gap for all kids? Good.
Education Week
Can requiring a post-graduation plan motivate students? Chicago thinks so.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has proposed requiring students to report more formally on their post-graduation plans in order to get their diplomas. Emanuel has proposed a new graduation requirement for the city’s high school students: a letter of acceptance to a college or university or proof of employment, military enlistment, or participation in a gap-year program. If the nation’s third-largest school system implements the plan, it would be breaking new ground. While many districts work to educate students about post-graduation options and to track their experiences, no major school system asks students for tangible proof of their future plans.
Providence Journal
Raimondo seeks permanent funds for English language learners
Elizabeth Burke Bryant, executive director of Rhode Island Kids Count, supports the governor’s request, saying, “Without those targeted resources, we are really putting the employment prospects of a growing number of our students at risk and we’re holding back our overall educational outcomes.”
U.S. News & World Report
High school isn’t enough: States need to start thinking about metrics other than graduation rates.
By Ryan Reyna, a senior associate at Education Strategy Group
The increased focus on postsecondary credential attainment creates a perfect opportunity for state K-12 leaders to move beyond graduation as their driving goal for high schools and set their sights on postsecondary readiness, transitions and success. States should take advantage of the Every Student Succeeds Act to align long-term K-12 and postsecondary goals to close the country’s economic and equity gaps. As a new brief by Higher Ed for Higher Standards – a project of Education Strategy Group – lays out, this can be accomplished in the following ways. |
