August 2, 2017

Delaware News

Cape Gazette
TCC and Verizon stores donate backpacks for school
It’s almost back to school time, and nearly 1,000 TCC and Wireless Zone stores donated 172,00 backpacks filled with school supplies to prepare school children from across the nation for the fall term in the School Rocks Backpack Giveaway. The local Verizon Wireless store at 37156 Rehoboth Ave. on Coastal Highway welcomed children to the store July 23 where they received a free backpack.

Education Dive
Ed Dept. facing pressure to modify ESSA feedback
ESSA plans have generally been seen as an opportunity for states to have more autonomy over the trajectories of their education systems. However, it’s become clear that the Department of Education, while ultimately wanting to hand the oversight authority back to the states, is taking significant measures to ensure that the plans being approved are meeting certain standards –– a reality which appears to have snuck up state officials. Already, the department has requested more information from ESSA decision makers in Delaware, Nevada, and New Mexico before approving their plans.

Education Week
Betsy DeVos approves Delaware’s ESSA plan, after blowback
After some serious drama, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos on Tuesday gave Delaware the green light for its Every Student Succeeds Act plan. You read that right. Delaware, aka the state whose Feedback Shook the World, is the first state to get the all-clear to proceed on ESSA. What drama are we talking about? Here’s some quick background.

The Dover Post
Governor releases statement on Smarter Balanced assessment results
Gov. John Carney released a statement on the preliminary results of the 2017 administration of the Smarter Balanced assessment announced July 27 by the Delaware Department of Education. “With the help of educators across our state, more Delaware students are making real progress and are on the path to long-term success,” Carney said.

National News

BBC News
How Canada became an education superpower
When there are debates about the world’s top performing education systems, the names that usually get mentioned are the Asian powerhouses such as Singapore and South Korea or the Nordic know-alls, such as Finland or Norway. But with much less recognition, Canada has climbed into the top tier of international rankings. In the most recent round of international Pisa tests, Canada was one of a handful of countries to appear in the top 10 for math, science, and reading.

Governing
How to beat teacher burnout: With more education
When mathematician John Ewing started lobbying state governments to adopt a new model for keeping top teachers in the classroom, he anticipated all the usual pushback over funding and resources. One thing he didn’t anticipate was a resistance to the idea in general. In education right now, “the focus is on everything that’s not working,” he says.

NPR
Illinois Governor vetoes education funding plan
State money to public schools across Illinois could be cut off due to yet another budget impasse between lawmakers and Gov. Bruce Rauner. On Tuesday, Rauner, a Republican, partially vetoed a bill to overhaul the state’s school funding formula, denouncing it a “bailout” of Chicago Public Schools. “With my changes, Illinois can achieve historic education funding reform that is fair and equitable to all Illinois children,” Rauner said from the state Capitol in announcing his veto.

The Hechinger Report
Will a one-year residency better prepare aspiring educators for a new style of teaching?
A California-born charter school network is starting a new program to home-grow teachers rooted in their approach to education. Summit Public Schools – widely known for its partnership with Facebook to develop a flexible academic program that allows teachers and students to work on custom-fit lessons at their own pace – will soon begin certifying teachers.

The New York Times
6 things parents should know about sending kids back to school
Surely there are some kids who are eager for school to start, but I have not met them. My 9-year-old and 5-year-old daughters have little interest now in trading day trips to the beach and family movie nights for an unfamiliar classroom and nightly homework. Still, a mental shift occurs as the season starts to change.