December 28, 2012
Local News
New monthly e-publication by Office of Early Learning
The Office of Early Learning has launched a monthly, new e-publication to support the early learning initiative. See the December 2012 newsletter here.
The News Journal
3 charter schools won’t open in 2013
Three new charter schools have opted not to begin classes next year, citing challenges related to finances, finding a suitable location and a school leader. The schools that will not open in the 2013-2014 academic year as planned are: Early College High School in Dover along with Academia Antonia Alonso and First State Montessori Academy, both in Wilmington.
Class notes: Howard assistant principal wins state accolade
The Delaware Association of Secondary School Principals named a Howard High School of Technology educator as the 2013 Delaware Secondary Assistant Principal of the Year. Assistant principal Clifton Hayes has worked at Howard since 2006. As the Delaware representative, Hayes will compete for the National Assistant Principal of the Year competition in Washington in March.
National News
The Wall Street Journal
Schools test personalized math program
The School of One program was started in New York City three years ago and was named one of the 50 best inventions of 2009 by Time Magazine. In its application for $40 million from the Obama administration’s Race to the Top education grant program, the city pledged to make a “systemic shift in which schools adopt a student-centered approach” through programs like School of One. New York City was named one of 61 finalists last month.
Education Week
International tests spark questions on Finland’s standing
Finland’s score of 514 on TIMSS for 8th grade math was not statistically different from the U.S. average of 509, the data show. Massachusetts, meanwhile, posted a score of 561, placing the Bay State below just four nations in the TIMSS rankings. (The TIMSS scale runs from 0 to 1,000, with 500 being the average of participating nations.) Finland trailed South Korea, the top performer on TIMSS in 8th grade math, by nearly 100 points. “That’s a full standard deviation. That is massive,” Loveless said. “On PISA, they’re only five points apart.”
The Chief State School Officers weigh in on teacher quality
The Council of Chief State School Officers ‘s outgoing Executive Director, Gene Wilhoit, made it clear that its recently released report was focused on those things related to teacher quality that the states are directly responsible for: licensure, ‘program quality’ in their schools of education, and the data collected by the state that can be used to improve both. And Wilhoit expressed a strong determination on the part of the chiefs to do whatever is necessary to make sure that teacher education programs reflect the spirit of the Common Core State Standards and raise the quality of incoming teachers even if that means closing down significant numbers of education schools or alternative programs that train our new teachers.
Educators tout IB’s links to Common Core
While the common core—so far adopted by 46 states and the District of Columbia—is intended to bring a universal rigor to high school diplomas nationwide, the IB has been an established international benchmark of college readiness for more than a half century and is in more than 3,500 schools worldwide.
Los Angeles Times
Schools face more penalties as feds reject California waiver
Federal officials have rejected California’s request for exemption from rules that penalize low-performing schools and school districts, state officials announced. The state’s failure to win a “waiver” from the No Child Left Behind law was not entirely a surprise, but was still unwelcome news to officials.
Related Topics: Common Core, ESEA