January 31, 2013
Local News
WDEL
New report shows how Del. charter school law could be improved
Delaware moved up a spot, ranking 21st, but Kendall Massett, Executive Director of the Delaware Charter Schools Network, explains the jump isn’t due to progress. “We didn’t go up for necessarily doing anything different with our law. We went up because the methodology changed and how they were ranking the different parts of the law,” says Massett.
The News Journal
Families, children benefit from school choice
An opinion by Kendall Massett, Executive Director of the Delaware Charter Schools Network
School choice is important. It’s important because it can literally change the trajectory of a child’s life. Where one child flourishes, another will fall behind. Each child is different, with unique strengths and needs. How well a child performs in a school depends on how well that child’s learning needs are met by the school.
The Dover Post
Delaware to host online conference for Digital Learning Day
Delaware will celebrate national Digital Learning Day Feb. 6 with four days of afternoon and evening online conferences that will be free and open to the public.
WDDE
Language immersion program in Delaware schools to expand
Delaware’s language immersion program that debuted last September at three schools will nearly triple in size by next fall. As part Governor Jack Markell’s World Language Immersion Expansion Initiative program, seven additional schools will begin offering Mandarin and Spanish immersion classes to kindergarten and first grade students next school year.
National News
Education Week
States soon to weigh science-standards adoption
With common standards in science set to be finalized in March, states will soon face the dilemma of embracing them as their own or going their own way, raising the question of how common the Next Generation Science Standards will ultimately prove to be. The 26 “lead state partners” helping to develop the K-12 standards have agreed to “give serious consideration” to adopting them. Recent interviews with officials in a number of those states, such as California, Delaware, Kansas, and Maryland, reveal a generally positive reaction to the second and final public draft, issued this month for comment.
The New York Times
Governor issues ultimatum in teacher-evaluation fight
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo urged the Bloomberg administration and the New York City teachers’ union to come to a settlement quickly, or he would move to impose one upon them
The Tennessean
Haslam touts education initiatives
In his State of the State address, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam called for spending increases for higher education and buying more computers and technology for K-12 schools. The governor also endorsed a “limited” school voucher program. Haslam announced a plan to partner with Western Governors University to establish an online university to increase degree attainment rates.
Related Topics: Common Core, DDOE, digital learning day, Higher Education, Online Learning, Teacher Evaluation