December 22, 2015
Delaware
The News Journal
Panel: Changes needed for school choice applications
School choice should be easy, consistent and nondiscriminatory, but some application requirements have to go in order to achieve this, members of the state Enrollment Preferences Task Force said in a report released Monday. The task force, established by Gov. Jack Markell in June 2013, aimed to review current requirements by traditional, charter, magnet and vocational-technical schools, specifically in the supplemental application often required by families interested in enrolling their students.
Hockessin Community News
Advice from the president on college admissions
Opinion by Rick Holmes
Malia Obama has several advantages in the college admissions sweepstakes. She’s an Ivy League legacy, with parents holding degrees from Columbia, Princeton and Harvard. She’s black, if affirmative action comes into play. And there’s the daughter-of-a-president thing. But the Obamas are asking themselves questions that will be familiar to all of us who have been through this process: Where should I apply? Where can I get in? What’s really the best school for me.
Technical.ly Delaware
DCAD seeks business partners for new internship program
Launching next fall, the co-operative education program aims to line up two paid internships for graphic and interior design majors between their first and second years at the school. Students who land internships in Wilmington will be offered discounted housing at DCAD’s residence halls, along with a meal plan.
National
Education Week
Illinois chooses SAT over ACT for statewide college-readiness testing
Blog post by Catherine Gewertz, associate editor for Education Week
The latest chapter in the rivalry between the College Board and ACT Inc., brings this: Illinois has thrown over its longstanding statewide contract with ACT and decided to give the SAT to its 11th grade students instead. The awarding of the three-year, $14.3-million contract has prompted a formal protest from ACT, according to the Chicago Tribune. That protest must be resolved before Illinois’ college-readiness testing can be finalized.
Huffington Post
Schools are incredibly segregated, but teaching kids in two languages could help
A walk through Heritage Elementary School in Woodburn, Oregon, can make you feel like you’re touring Europe. In one classroom, a group of third-graders learn to read in Spanish. In another, students recite multiplication tables in Russian. In other parts of the school, students are receiving instruction in English. Heritage Elementary School isn’t a fancy private school, or even a public school nestled in an affluent suburb where parents pay high property taxes to give their kids a good education.
North Jersey.com
Bill passes requiring recess for kindergarten to 5th grade in N.J. public schools
New Jersey public schools would be required to offer some students a 20-minute recess under a bill passed by the Legislature. Recess allows younger students time to cultivate social skills and could help combat inactivity that leads to unhealthy lifestyles later in life, lawmakers said.
Politico New York
City enrolls 68k in pre-K, with big growth in poorest neighborhoods
New York City has enrolled 68,547 four-year-olds in the second year of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s universal pre-Kindergarten program, city officials announced Friday. The new data confirms widespread interest in one of the mayor’s signature initiatives and establishes the program’s wide reach into the city’s poorest neighborhoods. The new number is an increase of over 15,000 seats from last year.
TES Global
Survey highlights American teacher demand for bigger role in ed-tech decision making
A new survey of over 4,300 American teachers reveals a desire to disrupt the status quo by moving ed tech decision-making closer to the classroom. Conducted by leading digital education company TES Global, in partnership with the Jefferson Education Accelerator, which was founded by the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education, the survey findings suggest teachers want to play a more active role in dictating what technology and materials are used in their classrooms.