August 17, 2012
Local News
The News Journal
Pencader in compliance
After a tumultuous year at Pencader Charter Business and Finance High School, a state education administrator said Thursday that the institution is in compliance with all applicable regulations and ready for students to return next month. However, Cruce also said the Department of Education is paying close attention to other problems related to Pencader’s leadership, particularly regarding its director, Ann Lewis.
WDEL
Red Clay teacher extends National Hope Street Fellowship
Red Clay special education diagnostician Laura Thompson begins her second year as a Hope Street Group National Teacher Fellow. She’s one of six educators who advocate for positive education policy changes, focusing specifically on teacher evaluation and Race to the Top implementation.
CR Superintendent named tops in Delaware
The head of the Caesar Rodney School District has been named Delaware’s 2013 Superintendent of the Year. Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald received the honor from the Delaware Association of School Administrators, making him automatically eligible for the National Superintendent of the Year honor.
National News
Education Week
Early-college model brings lessons, results in N.C.
Students’ odds of success are high if they are enrolled at an early-college program in Guilford County, N.C. Four of the schools, which allow students to earn college credits while in high school, boasted 100% graduation rates this past year, and another three had rates higher than 90%. It’s been more than a decade since the 73,500-student district opened its first early-college high school, giving it one of the longer track records for the model.
With NCLB waiver, N.J. lays out turnaround plans
As many states embark on implementing their No Child Left Behind waivers, New Jersey is taking an approach centered on the creation of seven Regional Achievement Centers that will monitor and intervene in the state’s lowest-performing schools, which ultimately could be subject to closure by the state. The plan revolves around the use of advanced interventions at the individual school level.
Los Angeles Times
Teacher evaluation changes threatened by California bill
A long-dormant bill that could significantly impede efforts in Los Angeles and elsewhere to use student test scores to evaluate teachers has been revived and faces a key legislative vote. If passed, A.B. 5 would impose a new requirement that all aspects of teacher evaluation systems be collectively bargained, changing current law that districts believe empowers them to design performance reviews on their own.
Related Topics: Achievement Gap, NCLB, Teacher Evaluation