October 9, 2012
Local News
Delaware Department of Education
Federal funds available for meals served in day care settings
Federal funds are available to help child and adult day care providers in Delaware serve nutritious, healthy meals to children and adults in their facilities. Started in 1968, the Child and Adult Care Food Program provided reimbursement for more than 16 million meals and snacks served to Delaware residents in fiscal year 2012.
National News
Hechinger Report
A solution to lost early childhood opportunities in Mississippi?
Mississippi is the only state in the South that doesn’t fund pre-kindergarten. Recognizing the need for early education, the private sector started raising money for Building Block’s pilot program, hoping it might provide a partial solution. Over 500 early childhood programs in 31 counties have benefitted from free equipment, a research-based curriculum, training for teachers and parents, and business advice.
USA Today
Rethinking what leads to success in education
After decades of failed education policies, scientists, economists, and educators are beginning to rethink their basic ideas about what it takes to succeed in school. They’re beginning to look at so-called “non-cognitive skills” — grit, perseverance, conscientiousness, and optimism, for instance — and wondering if they might be as important as cognitive skills.
Education Week
California program takes aim at ‘teacher-diversity gap’
Teach Tomorrow in Oakland, begun in 2008, guides adults from the city as they fulfill credential requirements, pass their licensing tests, navigate the hiring process, and—crucially—negotiate the tumultuous first few years in the classroom. Its manager, Rachelle Rogers-Ard, calls TTO a teacher-development program—a distinction underscoring that the initiative is not focused only, or even primarily, on recruiting teachers. In fact, the program requires recruits to commit to teaching in the district for at least five years.
Common Core catches on with private schools
With all but four states having adopted them since 2010, districts have little choice but to implement the Common Core State Standards. But many private schools are also making the transition. More than 100 Roman Catholic dioceses spanning the nation from Los Angeles to Philadelphia, have decided to adopt the standards, according to a recent survey from the National Catholic Educational Association. Even the El Paso Diocese in Texas, a state that wanted no part of the common standards, signaled last spring that it was signing on.
Related Topics: Common Core, professional development, Teacher Effectiveness, teacher pathways