August 21, 2012

Local News

The News Journal
Markell, Murphy greet elementary pupils
While most of Delaware’s public school students and educators return to the classroom next week, the students at Maple Lane Elementary in Claymont have been back at it for nearly three weeks.

WDEL
Colonial S.D. holds referendum info meeting
Colonial school officials say the district is running in the red and unless a referendum is held and approved, layoffs and other cuts are inevitable.

National News

Huffington Post
Illinois Governor signs legislation to strengthen bilingual education programs  
Earlier this month, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed H.B. 3819, which requires the state’s Advisory Council to evaluate the success of bilingual programs and explore the benefits and possibilities of “parent academies,” an initiative to increase the participation of parents whose first language is not English in the lives of their students.

Hechinger Report
More states requiring students to repeat a grade: Is it the right thing to do?  
Retention policies are controversial because the research is mixed for students who are held back, but a Brookings Institution report suggests that at least for younger children who struggle with reading, repeating a grade may be beneficial. The report examined a decade-old retention policy in Florida. The use of retention, even as a last resort, is still fraught with problems, many experts say.

The New York Times
Many New York City teachers denied tenure in policy shift  
Nearly half of New York City teachers reaching the end of their probations were denied tenure this year, marking the culmination of years of efforts toward overhauling teacher tenure. Only 55% of eligible teachers, having worked for at least three years, earned tenure in 2012, compared with 97% in 2007. “There has been a sea change in what’s been happening with the teacher tenure laws,” said ECS’ Kathy Christie.

Education Week
Students with special needs staying in traditional schools
The high cost of educating students with special needs is disproportionately falling on traditional public schools as other students increasingly opt for alternatives that aren’t always readily open to those requiring special education. The issue is particularly acute in districts where enrollment has declined due to demographic changes such as low birth rates and population shifts combined with an influx of charter schools and voucher programs that have siphoned off students.

Related Topics: global competitiveness, Governor Markell, National Council on Teacher Quality, Teacher Effectiveness, Teacher Evaluation