February 5, 2013
Local News
The News Journal
Wilmington Charter wins WorldQuest competition
A team of four Charter School of Wilmington students beat out more than 160 students from 10 local high schools Saturday to claim victory in this year’s Academic WorldQuest. The annual contest is sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Wilmington, which provides forums for people to discuss international affairs. The WorldQuest event is the council’s main outreach to younger people.
National News
Education Week
Report: 2012 brought political victories; new laws for charters
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools’ latest report ranking states against the organization’s model charter law found the top-rated states were Minnesota, Maine, Washington, Colorado, and Florida. Overall, 2012 will be remembered by charter advocates for having brought political victories, in some cases after years of setbacks, said NAPCS’ president.
Mich. school chief focuses on STEM learning
Veteran educator Linda S. Hicks arrived in 2010 to lead the city school district in Battle Creek, Mich. Capitalizing on its multinational food manufacturers and nearby research and training facilities, she immediately decided to tap the area’s potential as a source of future STEM-focused jobs for many of her students. And so she began taking steps to enhance the 5,300-student district’s STEM offerings, including revamping an elementary school and a middle school to bring a STEM focus.
States lack data on principals, study says
While principals increasingly are moving to center stage in national debates over school improvement, a new study finds most states have little or no information about how their principals are prepared, licensed, supported, and evaluated.
New York Times
The philosophy of data
An op-ed by David Brooks
We now have the ability to gather huge amounts of data. This ability seems to carry with it certain cultural assumptions — that everything that can be measured should be measured; that data is a transparent and reliable lens that allows us to filter out emotionalism and ideology; that data will help us do remarkable things — like foretell the future.
Related Topics: Data Systems, School Leadership, STEM