December 15, 2016

 Delaware News

Cape Gazette
Exelon and Delmarva Power Partner with Delaware Tech to support energy education
Exelon and Delmarva Power announced a $720,000 contribution to Delaware Technical Community College to develop an energy pathway for high school students and enhance educational opportunities for Delaware Tech energy students. The funding, to be contributed over a four-year period, will establish education programs that deliver a pipeline of qualified graduates to meet the energy efficiency workforce demand in Delaware.

Delaware Public Media
First Book partnership brings 40,000 books to underserved First State kids
Delaware is teaming up with nonprofit First Book to bring 40,000 free books to kids in need this month. The partnership kicks off Saturday, with family events at Brandywine High School and North Georgetown Elementary School. There’s a limit of 50 books per classroom, and 10 books per kid. Teachers from Title I or Title-I eligible schools and others who serve children in need can register to attend at firstbook.org/firststate.

Middletown Transcript
Referendum Dec. 20 on plan for new schools and renovations
The Appoquinimink School District is holding a property tax referendum vote on a proposal to build three new schools, renovate two schools and increase funding for operational expenses on Tuesday, Dec. 20 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The plans include a new high school and a new middle school on the district’s Fairview Campus between Odessa and Townsend, and a new 840-student elementary school on property in the Town of White Hall development.

Newsworks
Delaware’s Christina School District names interim superintendent
Until a new superintendent is hired, Christina school board members have named Noreen LaSorsa to fill that role on an interim basis. Effective in the new year, LaSorsa replaces current Acting Superintendent Dr. Robert Andrzejewski. Andrzejewski announced he was ending his contract with the district on Dec. 31, 2016. LaSorsa has a total of 25 years of experience with the Christina School District, serving as a teacher, assistant principal and principal.

Smyrna – Clayton Sun-Times
Newcomer Polytech wins state Raider Challenge
A lack of experience wasn’t enough to stop the JROTC students at Polytech from winning at this year’s Raider Challenge. The statewide challenge puts their skills to the test in areas ranging from endurance to knot tying. Polytech took first place among 12 teams Nov. 18 at Smyrna High School. To claim victory teams accumulate points in a series of events: a physical fitness test, where they complete as many sit-ups and pushups as possible in a minute; complete a 5k run; a rope tying relay; litter carrying, which simulates carrying an injured person; rope bridge building and a vehicle pull.

National News

89.3 KPCC
LA Unified schools: hubs for education — and social services?
Los Angeles schools shouldn’t only be places where students go to learn; they should also be community centers, after-school gathering spots and hubs for social services. That principle is better known nationally as the “community schools” model — and it’s about to get the endorsement of a newly-formed, powerhouse coalition of labor unions, faith-based groups and social justice organizations who see it as a new organizing principle for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Boston Herald
Principal: Recovery school students need transport money
A principal at one of the Bay State’s five recovery high schools — which serve students battling addiction issues — is calling for more funds and a plan to address a lack of transportation as the region continues to combat an out-of-control opioid epidemic. ABCD William J. Ostiguy High School Principal Roger Oser says state funding for recovery high school students isn’t “sufficient to cover the cost.”

Fox News
Polish parliament votes for controversial education overhaul
Poland’s lower house of parliament has voted to eliminate middle schools and return to an earlier system in which children attended eight years of primary school followed by high school or vocational school. The law, written by the ruling Law and Justice party, was passed by the Sejm, or lower house, late Wednesday. It goes next to the Senate, which could request some changes.

The Atlantic
Mentoring’s promise and limits
When Leo Hall was 8 years old, his mother sent him to a tutoring program that served the African American and low-income neighborhood of the Cabrini-Green public-housing projects where they lived in Chicago. There, he met a volunteer tutor, Daniel Bassill, who helped him with homework, played chess and backgammon with him, and talked about growing up.

The New York Times
New York changes the way it keeps tabs on school violence
New York State education officials voted Tuesday to change the way the state tracks school violence, hoping to improve a system that has been called confusing and inaccurate. But because the system will continue to rely on schools to report data, it may not offer a clearer picture of how dangerous the schools might be. The old Violent and Disruptive Incident Reporting system, or Vadir, tracked offenses across 20 categories, including homicide, kidnapping, bomb threat and riot. Schools reported episodes based on guidelines from the state.