July 18, 2013
Local News
The News Journal
Report card on schools released
Parents and students will get their first look at the results of state standardized tests for the past year when officials release the data this afternoon. Statewide results on the Delaware Comprehensive Assessment, or DCAS, will be made public during the State Board of Education meeting.
Delaware Department of Education
Delaware takes the lead in tackling college readiness and retention
Delaware took a major step today toward improving low college graduation rates that are holding back the capabilities of our workforce nationwide. Governor Jack Markell and Secretary of Education Mark Murphy joined researchers from the Strategic Data Project (SDP), a program of the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University, to release findings on Delaware students’ college readiness, enrollment and retention, presenting one of the first thorough analyses done for any state by SDP.
National News
National Public Radio
Why poor students’ college plans ‘melt’ over the summer
A large number of poor high school students who say they are continuing on to college fail to show up in the fall. The reason is referred to as the “summer melt.” Students face many hurdles, including lack of resources and mentors. A Harvard study found that upward of 20% of recent high school graduates who indicate that they will continue on to college do not show up in the fall.
Governing
Prince George’s County tests new school governance structure
Prince George’s County in Maryland became the first county in the nation to provide the chief executive authority to appoint a superintendent, power that was approved by the state legislature with the intent of better aligning the work of the district and the county. The county council also was given authority to appoint one school board member.
Education Week
Common science standards get thumbs up from Wash. State Board
The Washington state board of education voted to recommend adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards. The final decision rests with state Superintendent Randy Dorn, who has signaled strong support for the standards but has yet to take formal action. Five other states have adopted the standards, including Rhode Island, Kansas, Kentucky, and Maryland.
Seattle Times
Report critical of Gates Foundation’s higher-ed impact
A well-respected national newspaper that covers higher education has published a package of stories that describes the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as having an outsized influence on higher-education policy, one that narrowly focuses on programs that lead to short-term employability. The Gates Foundation pushed back. “The alternative — graduating fewer students at a higher cost over a longer period of time — is not serving the needs of most students,” Daniel Greenstein, director of postsecondary success for the foundation, said in an email.
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