April 30, 2014
Local News
The News Journal
If schools fail, so do we fail our children
An op-ed by James Baker, former mayor of Wilmington
Legislators should be focusing on creating more high-quality education options, not limiting the growth of charter schools. The numbers tell the story – charter schools are making a difference for at-risk students in the city and district schools are not.
Ammons steps down as Widener Law dean
Widener University School of Law Dean Linda L. Ammons is retiring at the end of the school year. She is both the first female and first African American dean of the law school with campuses in Brandywine Hundred and Harrisburg, Pa. After eight years, Ammons, 60, told The News Journal Tuesday night, “It’s just time and I’d like to pursue some other interests.”
Content Delaware
John Taylor interview U.S. Rep. John Carney
In Part 1 of 2, John Taylor sits down with U.S. Congressman John Carney to talk about a variety of topics impacting our state and our country. Jobs, education and gridlock in Congress are discussed in this first of two installments.
National News
Education Week
States are approving policies at a rapid clip
States are approving policies to promote career and technical education at a rapid pace, often encouraging businesses and industries to help shape programs or provide internships, according to a recent report.
Associated Press
Californians support Common Core Standards, survey says
A survey by the Public Policy Institute of California found that the public’s awareness of the Common Core State Standards is still sketchy, with just 19 percent of those questioned saying they had heard a lot about the benchmarks that made their debut in classrooms this year, 37 percent saying they had heard a little, and 43 percent answering they had heard nothing at all.
The Hechinger Report
Business leaders unimpressed with college grads’ skills
Nearly 90 percent of 500 executives polled said college graduates lack the necessary skills to succeed. And more than half said the United States is lagging behind its economic rivals in this measure.
Education Week
White House: Draft teacher prep regs out in summer
The Obama Administration will release draft accountability rules for the nation’s teacher-preparation programs this summer. Among other things, they would require states to improve their procedures for identifying strong and weak teacher-preparation programs, and would likely bar the worst from offering federal TEACH financial-aid grants. “This is something that the president has a real sense of urgency about,” said Cecilia Muñoz, White House director of the Domestic Policy Council.
The Los Angeles Times
Report: Reform California’s higher education master plan
California’s Master Plan for Higher Education is inadequate in meeting the needs of students and employers in the state, according to a report from educational researchers.
Chalkbeat New York
New York delays new test after union lobbying
Aspiring New York State teachers won’t have to pass a new, tougher certification test this year or next year, thanks to a Board of Regents vote that resulted from last-minute negotiations with the state teachers union.