February 21, 2013

Local News

The News Journal
AP test keeps upward trend line in Delaware
The number of Delaware public school students passing Advanced Placement tests has increased, but the percentage of students who passed at least one exam remains lower than the national average. Advanced Placement tests help illustrate how many students are taking and passing exams that are geared toward college-bound students. Students who score high enough on the exams can earn college credits.  Nationally, about 20 percent of high school students in the class of 2012 earned a 3 or higher, which is considered a passing score, on an AP exam. That compares with about 16 percent of Delaware students who earned at least a 3.

The Hockessin Community News
Chiquitots changes the way children are taught Spanish in Delaware
Chiquitots has launched their program for teaching Spanish to children ages 2-6 in Delaware preschools. The program was conceived by Wendy Ash, founder and director, and further developed with the help of her partner and educational coordinator, Andye Daley. The method was influenced by the linguistic teachings of Dr. Stephen Krashen and Dr. Paul Pimsleur, as well as language educator Ana Lomba. The formation of Chiquitots could not have been better timed since Governor Jack Markell’s World Language Expansion Initiative is stressing the importance of acquiring a second language. Chiquitots also believes that children who learn Spanish in their early years creates the building block for them to succeed in a future global market.

The Dover Post
Popularity, success breeds new challenges
The Caesar Rodney School District has been growing steadily over the past 10 years.  Superintendent Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald chalks the growth up to a steady climb in population within the district. However, for the past three years they have been experiencing something that could be better described as a boom. They have added roughly 100 new students to the district each year.  One of the other areas that this district anticipates expanding is in its technology. It has become more commonplace to see tablets and laptops in classrooms.

Sussex County Post
Sussex Tech, Woodbridge among three Delaware districts on Advanced Placement honor roll
More Delaware public high school students are participating — and succeeding — in college-level Advanced Placement courses and exams than ever before, according to a report released Wednesday by the College Board.  And three Delaware school districts are being honored for increasing access to AP courses for a broader number of students while also maintaining or improving the rate at which their AP students succeed on the exams.  Sussex Technical, Woodbridge and Caesar Rodney school districts were among 539 districts across the U.S. and Canada that were named to the AP’s 3rd Annual Honor Roll.

National News

Education Week
Survey finds rising job frustration among principals
A new national survey finds that three out of four K-12 public school principals, regardless of the types of schools they work in, believe the job has become “too complex,” and about a third say they are likely to go into a different occupation within next five years.  The 29th annual MetLife Survey of the American Teacher, based on telephone interviews with 1,000 K-12 public school teachers and 500 principals, tells a story of enduring budget problems in schools and declining morale among both teachers and school leaders. (The MetLife Foundation provides funding to Education Week Teacher to support its capacity to engage teachers interactively in professional community.)

The New York Times
Plan would let state take control of city’s teacher evaluation system
In announcing the proposal at a news conference in the State Capitol, the governor was following through on a warning that he issued last month after the two sides did not reach a deal for evaluating the city’s 75,000 public-school teachers. Mr. Cuomo said the authority for the state to take control of the city’s evaluation system would be written into this year’s state budget proposal, via an amendment he planned to introduce on Thursday.

Inside Higher Ed
Redefining college-ready
The growing crisis of students arriving at college unprepared to do college-level work has led to plenty of finger-pointing between high school and college educators. But two community colleges have learned that better collaboration with local high schools may be the best way to dramatically reduce the number of students who fall into the quagmire of remedial coursework.

The Washington Post
U.S. teachers’ job satisfaction craters — report
Half of America’s public school teachers say they feel great stress several days a week and are so demoralized that their level of satisfaction has dropped 23 percentage points since 2008 and is at its lowest in 25 years, according to an annual survey of educators.  The 29th annual MetLife Survey of the American Teacher, which is being released today, has more bad news about the effects of modern school reform: Only 17 percent of teachers and 22 percent of principals are very confident that the Common Core State Standards, an initiative supported by the Obama administration that is being implemented in most states, will actually improve student achievement.

Related Topics: global competitiveness, Teacher Effectiveness, Teacher Evaluation