April 2, 2014
Local News
Delaware Today
Kuumba charter school embraces Wilmington as its campus
In so many ways, Kuumba is anything but another elementary school. With no library in their building, the students walk up the street to Wilmington Public Library. They march to the Walnut Street YMCA for gym class and swimming. They stroll two blocks up Market Street for dance class at Christina Cultural Arts Center and cross the street to study at the Delaware History Center. With the city as its campus, elementary school feels, in one sense, more like college.
WDDE
Cyber Aces program continues to cultivate cybersecurity talent
The Governor’s Cyber Aces State Championship over the weekend capped a six-month search to discover and develop new cybersecurity experts. 33 of the over 500 total registered participants who showed the highest aptitude during free online courses and competitive events were invited to Saturday’s state finals at Delaware Tech’s Terry Campus in Dover.
Cape Gazette
‘Brave New World’ gets brand new criticism
A 1932 classic that foreshadows a dystopic future society has drawn sharp criticism from Cape Henlopen School District parents who say the book is too sexual. School board member Sandi Minard said parents complained to her about two music videos that students in the AP class were asked to watch – “Blurred Lines” and “Hard out Here.” The videos were part of an assignment showing how women are portrayed in today’s society, Minard said.
Rezone before schools spend more money
A letter to the editor by Roxanne Swift
It has been over 30 years since the school districts have been rezoned to accommodate growth in Sussex County. In the last 10 years, population has grown approximately 40 percent and is forecasted to grow an estimated 40 percent in the next 10 years. Why would the state of Delaware make no effort to accommodate the growth and distribute the population more equally among the districts of the county, or even create a new school district?
Delaware State News
Indian River incumbent Hudson wants to stay the course
The Indian River School District continues to experience growth and related growing pains. And huge challenges lie ahead. Doug Hudson wants to continue to be part of the decision-making process as a member of the Indian River board of education.
National News
The Tennessean
Group wants ‘hold harmless’ year on Common Core test
Movement in the Tennessee legislature to halt the state’s shift to a new test aligned with Common Core education standards has Jesse Register worried. Nashville’s superintendent is a big backer of the standards and their computerized test, and says he doesn’t want Metro students to fall behind.
Education Week
Accountability and the modern teachers’ union
A blog post by Marc Tucker, president of the National Center on Education and the Economy
The high status professions long ago championed very high standards for entering their professions because they understood that by raising standards, they would choke off supply, and with a much smaller supply, they could charge much more for their services. It would not cost the country any more to do that, because the very costly attrition rates for teachers would fall dramatically as quality rises.
Chronicle of Higher Education
Pay increases for academic professionals outpace inflation
The median base salary of professional staff members on college campuses rose by 2.1 percent this academic year, outpacing the 1.5-percent rate of inflation, according to an annual report being released this week by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources.
The Detroit News
Report: Homework not much of a burden
A report from the Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., shows that homework load has been mostly stable over the past two or three decades, but those who complain about too much homework get most of the attention.
Stateline
Teacher tenure, dismissal on trial in California
A lawsuit filed by a nonprofit advocacy group on behalf of nine public school students followed unsuccessful attempts in contract negotiations and the legislature to give school districts more freedom to hire and fire teachers.
State Impact
Will Ohio join Indiana in leaving the Common Core?
Last year, Republican State Rep. Andy Thompson of Marietta introduced House Bill 237 that would stop Ohio from implementing the new set of learning expectations for K-12 students in math and English known as the Common Core. And after learning of Indiana’s decision to drop the standards, Thompson questions whether the move goes far enough, especially with critics saying the state’s future standards may end up being too similar to the current Common Core plans.