October 19, 2012
Local News
The News Journal
Charter work honored
The state’s charter school community celebrated successes at the first Innovation, Dedication, Education and Admiration awards Thursday. The ceremony, organized by the Delaware Charter School Network and held at the University of Delaware’s Clayton Hall, included a keynote motivational speech from Wilmington native Kevin Reilly. Each of the winners, which included individuals and schools, was honored at the ceremony.
Content Delaware
Content Delaware is featuring video profiles of the five iEducate Delaware honorees: Tracey Roberts, Audrey Carey, Margaret O’Dwyer, Lori Roe, and Sarah Preston.
National News
Star-Ledger
Newark teachers strike historic deal including bonuses for top educators
The Newark Teachers Union has reached a historic deal with the state that will make the district the first in New Jersey to offer bonuses based on how teachers perform in the classroom, union officials said today. Education officials will announce a deal on a three-year contract today that includes annual bonuses that range from $2,000 to $12,500 for teachers rated “effective” or “highly effective” under a new evaluation system, said Joseph Del Grosso, president of the Newark Teachers Union.
Hechinger Report
Will Mississippi jump in and provide funds for early learning?
Advocates of Building Blocks, the privately funded early education program in Mississippi, are asking the state for $5 million dollars to expand the program. The request follows increasing attention on the fact that Mississippi is the only state in the south that does not fund pre-K. Mississippi’s education department already has requested $2.5 million in the 2014 budget for an early education pilot program.
Education Week
Blended learning models win Gates funding
A new wave of school models have been awarded a total of $5.4 million in grants from Next Generation Learning Challenges, a competition funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to promote education technology and college readiness and completion. Previous waves of funding focused on innovative K-12 and higher education school models and companies, and the latest wave focuses on blended learning.
Denver Post
Cash incentives for Colorado students a study in progress
As educators continue to debate the effectiveness of using financial rewards to boost academic achievement, Colorado has moved forward, and the National Math and Science Initiative-backed program soon will operate in 30 schools. It aims to increase participation among students who traditionally don’t enroll in AP classes and already has posted big gains in some schools.
Washington Post
D.C. students test ‘Teach to One’ learning system
Pioneered in New York and expanding to other cities, “Teach to One” puts a computer algorithm in charge of figuring out what each child needs to learn and do each day, a design meant to ensure that students master one concept before moving onto another. “If it works like we think it will, it’ll be a game-changer,” said D.C. schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson of the new program at Hart Middle School in Southeast Washington, where less than 30 percent of students are proficient in math.
Related Topics: Education Technology, next generation learning, Teacher Compensation, Teacher Effectiveness, Teacher Evaluation