August 17, 2015
Delaware News
The News Journal
Delaware education prepares for a new leader
The News Journal editorial
Working in education is a thankless job. Think about it, no matter the position, at one point, someone had to teach you how to do it. And when you are over the educational system for a state, things can really get tricky.
Young Delaware musicians bond with German counterparts
Students in Wilmington Children’s Chorus, a music education and performance program comprised of about 150 children from across 60 area schools, say they are an example of how a love for music can build lasting bonds across different cultures.
School bus contractors face driver shortage
The companies that operate school buses in Delaware say they are facing a driver shortage and problems covering growing costs, causing fears that parents might face a frustrating first few days of school.
Delaware group ensures students have supplies
As schools gear up to start the new academic year, they are trying to make sure students in poverty have all the necessary supplies, clothes and other materials.
At places like Stubbs Elementary School in Wilmington, that can be a big task. More than 85 percent of Stubbs students come from low-income families.
Newsworks
Delaware Secretary of Education to step down
Delaware Secretary of Education Mark Murphy will step down this fall, ending a turbulent, three-year tenure in the First State. He will be replaced by Steven Godowsky, a former superintendent with the New Castle County Vo-Tech District.
Delaware Public Media
Murphy steps down as head of Delaware Ed. Dept.
State Education Secretary Mark Murphy will soon resign his post according to state officials. Gov. Jack Markell (D) will nominate Steven Godowsky, former superintendent of New Castle County Vo-Tech School District to replace him later this fall. The state Senate will consider Godowsky’s nomination during an Oct. 28 special session.
Enlighten Me: The migrant children summer camp
Parents often struggle to find things to do with their children over the summer. Kids get a break, but most of the time, parents are still working. What would you do with your children if you were a migrant farmworker – at work from 5am til sundown? Every summer, migrant kids from Florida, Georgia and Texas, living here in Delaware for the summer, go to the Seaford Boys and Girls club for a special camp. In this week’s Enlighten Me, Delaware Public Media’s Anne Hoffman visits their camp and checks out their annual culinary challenge.
Cape Gazette
Education Secretary Mark Murphy to leave post
“I’m grateful to Governor Markell for this opportunity to serve the children of our state,” said Murphy in a press release. “We should all applaud the efforts of our educators as they improve the lives of our young people each and every day. In many schools, we see students making incredible strides forward. To achieve the promise of great educational opportunities for all children in the coming years, continued courage and leadership will be needed by all.”
WDEL
Delaware Education Secretary says his resignation has ‘nothing to do with no confidence votes’
Murphy, whose 3.5-year tenure has been embroiled in controversy from state testing to teacher evaluations, insisted his departure had nothing to do with three “no confidence” votes he received from the Delaware State Education Association (DSEA) and the Red Clay and Christina school associations.
Delaware State News
Delaware education secretary to step down
Delaware Education Secretary Mark Murphy will soon step down, and a longtime school district superintendent has been named as his replacement. Mr. Murphy announced Friday his plans to pursue other opportunities.
Sussex County Post
Indian River PRIDE supports graduates’ college education
The Indian River High School Alumni Association is helping four graduates – three from Indian River’s Class of 2015 and another from 2006 – continue their educations with scholarships.
Coastal Point
Statler appointed to school board, brings special-ed experience
Once again, all 10 chairs on the Board of Education dais for the Indian River School District will be filled. At a special meeting on Aug. 10, the board voted to appoint Heather L. Statler, Ed.D., to the lone empty seat on the board. Statler will be sworn in at the regular school board meeting on Aug. 24, representing IRSD’s District 3 (south Millsboro and northern Dagsboro).
National News
The Hechinger Report
The surprising initial results from a new Common Core exam
The results have started to come in from some of the new Common Core-aligned exams given this spring. And the news is good. Surprisingly good. With all the tests scored, policymakers are grappling with what Common Core test results mean gathering in cavernous meeting rooms in the basement of a Denver hotel, over 100 educators from 10 states and the District of Columbia met in late July to figure out what determines a passing grade on tough, new Common Core-aligned tests.
The New York Times
Editorial
Opting out of standardized tests isn’t the answer
This ill-conceived boycott could damage educational reform — desperately needed in poor and rural communities — and undermine the Common Core standards adopted by New York and many other states. The standards offer the best hope for holding school districts accountable for educating all students, regardless of race or income.
Education Week
Wash. St. Supreme Court levies $100,000 daily fine on state over K-12 spending
Declaring that state lawmakers have failed to fix the state’s unconstitutional system for funding public schools, the Washington State Supreme Court imposed a daily $100,000 penalty on the legislature until it makes firmer commitments to increasing teacher salaries and reducing class sizes.
PBS
PBS NewsHour examines ‘The Graduation Gap’
Every night next week the PBS NewsHour will take a look at efforts on campuses across the country — from the University of Texas at Austin to Valencia College in Orlando, Florida — focused not just getting more low-income, first-generation students into college, but through college to a useful credential.