April 24, 2017
Delaware News
Delaware Public Media
Future of ESSA uncertain, even after Delaware submits plan
Delaware submitted its Every Student Succeeds Act plan to the federal government this month, but how strongly it will be enforced it is unclear after Congress voted to overturn ESSA accountability regulations. For education advocates like Delaware Teach for America Executive Director Laurisa Schutt – accountability is important, especially when it comes to decreasing the achievement gap.
Newsworks
Delaware high school engineering team wins national award
Concord High School’s engineering team has done it again. For the second year in a row, Concord students have won the Source America Design Challenge, a national engineering competition for high school and college students to create innovative technology for people with disabilities. The 11-member team beat out 160 competitors from 26 states to become national champions.
Rodel Blog
The link between career/technical education and student success
Blog by Jenna Bucsak, senior program officer at the Rodel Foundation of Delaware
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.
The Harrington Journal
Meet the Lake Forest School Board Candidate: Phillip Thomas
Phillip Thomas is running for the At-Large seat on the Lake Forest School District’s School Board. Tell us about your involvement in the community? “Through my current position as a police sergeant, I do multiple community activities most recently being a meet and greet with the Bear Den of Cub Scout Pack 141 in March.”
Meet the Lake Forest School Board Candidate: Austin Auen
Austin Auen is running for the At-Large seat on the Lake Forest School District’s School Board. Tell us about your involvement in the community? “I pride myself on being involved in my community not only through my vocation, but through my position as Treasurer for the W. T. Chipman PTO. I’ve headed several fundraisers for the PTO, as well as been a judge for the 2017 Mr. & Mrs. Irresistible Pageant at Lake Forest High School which raised money for the Make A Wish organization and the local food bank.”
Meet the Lake Forest School Board Candidate: Stephanie Justiniano Johnson
Stephanie Justiniano Johnson is running for the At-Large seat on the Lake Forest School District’s School Board. Tell us about your involvement in the community? “Within the district, I served as a community member on the Lake Forest Superintendent Interview panel in 2015. I also was part of the Families, Communities & Businesses subcommittee that contributed to the Lake Forest School District Strategic Plan for 2016-2017.”
The News Journal
Delaware students pass on importance of Earth Day
Karen Barker remembers the very first Earth Day — April 22, 1970. The event fell on a Wednesday when Barker was still in high school. Nearly 50 years later, she’ll witness the first “March for Science,” also held on April 22 and meant to celebrate not only environmental conservation efforts but the role of science in everyday society.
National News
CT Post
‘Chronic’ school absenteeism on wane in state’s schools
As chronic absenteeism slips statewide below the 10 percent mark for the first time in five years, the state is releasing guidelines to keep the momentum going. Whether the guidelines can counteract sharp budget cuts that lengthen walking distances and eliminate attendance monitors in urban districts like Bridgeport remains to be seen. In the 2015-16 school year, 9.6 percent of students across the state were absent 10 percent of the time or more for any reason, which is the state’s definition of someone who is chronically absent.
Education Dive
Variety of approaches covered in first 12 ESSA accountability plans
States that have already submitted accountability plans to the U.S. Department of Education in accordance with the Every Student Succeeds Act are using many metrics in crafting ways to determine student performance and achievement, according to an analysis of the 12 submitted plans conducted by Education Week. The new legislation gives more authority to states and local districts, and states are charged with determining how student (and therefore school) achievement should be judged, and attendance rates have emerged as a common metric.
Education Week
How parents widen—or shrink—academic gaps
Five years ago, Mary Muñoz thought she knew what it meant to be involved in her son’s education. She brought Christian, then in 1st grade, to school every morning, made sure he did homework every afternoon, and read with him every night. Muñoz went to parent-teacher conferences, but didn’t get involved in parent-teacher organizations or school committees.
Houston Public Media
State Board of Education to consider revised science standards
Texas teachers and students could soon have new, streamlined curriculum standards for science class. The State Board of Education is expected to hold a public hearing and vote on the revised standards this week. In North Houston at Herrera Elementary, fifth grade science teacher Jessi Bautista was curious about the changes. When she looked at them, she became concerned that with the revised science standards, her students will miss out on some key concepts that will help them later in high school and life – like alternative energy resources and the carbon-dioxide cycle.
NPR
DeVos meets with a key union leader; The Supreme Court hears a voucher-related case
Greetings and welcome to NPR Ed’s weekly roundup of education news from Washington and around the country. Supreme Court hears a voucher-related case The Supreme Court heard a case this week that could have huge implications for school voucher programs. In the case, Trinity Lutheran Church v. Pauley, a church-based preschool applied for a state grant to resurface its playground and was turned down.