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The News Journal
Helping Delaware kids read with 59,000 free books
If a kid can’t read, a kid can’t learn. That’s the simple theory behind early literacy programs springing up all over Delaware. Children who live in families battling poverty are at a disadvantage when it comes to learning how to read. One big reason is they seldom have much to read at home.
Christina board will discuss pulling settlement endorsement
Christina school board’s meeting agenda for next week includes a call to rescind its agreement to the settlement of a lawsuit over charter school funding. That lawsuit, filed against Christina and the Department of Education by 15 charter schools in October, officially was settled Monday when all parties signed onto the agreement. It’s unclear even to the board member who introduced the item whether rescinding support would change anything.
Cape Gazette
H.O. Brittingham recycling program lauded
H.O. Brittingham fifth-grader Carlos Lessner puts it simply when it comes to recycling. “If we didn’t recycle, the world would be trash,” he said. Mariner sixth-grader Makayla Pierce has a similar world view. “It’s really important to recycle, and if we didn’t, the world would be pretty dirty,” she said. Makayla and her former class of fifth-graders at HOB were honored Nov. 29 when state dignitaries converged at the Milton school to celebrate its recycling success.
NewsWorks
Delaware elementary school kids to receive 59,000 free books
Delaware public elementary school students will receive 59,000 books over the school year. Clifford the Big Red Dog greeted cheering children at Harlan (David W.) Elementary School in Wilmington Tuesday to kick off a nationwide reading event. The excited students lined up and made their way to the library, where they chose three free books of their choice.
Delaware Public Media
Settlement dollars flowing to charters still being calculated, $1.5 million estimated
The Christina School District expects only $1.5 million of the $5.5 million dollars in revenue raised in its 2003 referendum will make its way to charters as part of the recently settled lawsuit. The lawsuit settlement hinged mainly on funds associated with the district’s two-part 2003 referendum, according to Christina School District Chief Financial Officer Robert Silber.
Sussex Countian
Newsmaker: Jennifer Hallman
There was a time Jennifer Hallman dreamed of becoming an astronaut. Instead, she chose education and is now principal at Morris Early Childhood Center in the Milford School District. It took her ten years to obtain her bachelor’s degree after starting a family early in life. She worked full time and went to school part time. Graduating in 2003, she was in the Milford district for ten years, starting as an English Language Arts and special education teacher at the former Milford Middle School.
Delaware Department of Education
Federal funds available for meals served in day care settings
Federal funds are available to help child and adult day care providers in Delaware serve nutritious, healthy meals to children and adults in their facilities. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulates the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Sponsors in CACFP can receive cash reimbursement for meals served. Participant eligibility is tied to income eligibility guidelines that are adjusted annually by the USDA.
National News
Bloomberg
Rich-Poor Achievement Gap Is Narrowing in American Education
The link between socio-economic status and school performance is weakening for U.S. students, a sign of improving equity in American education even as U.S. teens continue to lag behind their international counterparts in math, reading and science, according to a study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Education Week
U.S. Treads Water in PISA Results for Science, Math, Reading
U.S. teenagers seem to have internalized the national push to expand science and math fields, but that doesn’t mean they are as prepared for STEM jobs as students in other countries, according to results from the latest Program for International Student Assessment.
The Hechinger Report
U.S. now ranks near the bottom among 35 industrialized nations in math
The math achievement of American high school students in 2015 fell for the second time in a row on a major international benchmark, pushing the United States down to the bottom half of 72 nations and regions around the world who participate in the international test, known as the Program for International Student Assessment or PISA. Among the 35 industrialized nations that are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the U.S. now ranks 31st.
Opinion: Why America should care about its students’ lackluster performance on the global PISA tests
Once again, results from an international test show that U.S. students perform relatively poorly, and once again, critics say the results don’t matter and should be ignored. This would be a mistake. The results do matter, and American educators will lose out if they dismiss the findings so easily.
By taking the results seriously, educators can examine the practices and policies of countries that do well on the test and see what they can do to improve practice in this country. |
