December 8, 2014

Delaware News

WDDE
Christina School District continues work on Priority Schools plan
Current and former Christina School District teachers, principals, and representatives from the State Department of Education met late last week to check-in about their three Priority Schools. While the Christina District recently received high marks on their comprehensive success reviews, a DOE spokesperson said that the Department would like to see “a lot more quantifiable data” to show that Christina is improving.

Colonial School District gets USDA grant for historic Penn Farm partnership
Delaware’s Congressional Delegation has announced that Colonial School District has been awarded a $100,000 grant by the USDA. The award will allow students at William Penn High School to partner with Historic Penn Farm in New Castle. The food cultivated on the farm will reach approximately 10,000 students in the Colonial School District’s breakfast and lunch program.

White House recognizes First State foster program
A Delaware foster care initiative takes the national stage Monday at the White House. The Delaware Center for Justice’s Delaware Youth Opportunities Initiative is touting its “Ready by 21” program as a model for foster care programs around the country.

The News Journal
Delaware special-needs school facing possible closure
Parents and staff of Gateway Lab School say their children won’t get the special services they need if the state decides to shut down the charter school for students with special needs at the end of the year. “If this school closes, we’re going to have to move out of state,” said Robin Zizmont, whose son is a fourth-grader at the school.

Opportunity is the answer and charter schools offer it
An op-ed by Kendall Massett, Executive Director, Delaware Charter Schools Network
Opportunity… every child deserves an opportunity for an excellent education. Unfortunately, every child does not have this. Not every school works for every child. Each child may not “fit” the model or mission of all schools. And that is okay. School choice, and whether or not you have it and exercise it, can make the difference between a child succeeding at school or failing.

Stubbs show import of public schools
A letter to the editor by Richard Gackenbach, Co-Chair Tree Committee Member, Claymont Lions Club
Being a school board member opened another perspective to me; however, observing an inner city school, Stubbs Elementary, disclosed the real importance of public schools. We cannot base all success on a test score. It is time to stand up for public schools where everyone can be treated equally. Hats off to Stubbs Elementary.

Smyrna-Clayton Sun-Times
Providence Creek Academy board approves class size waiver
The Providence Creek Academy Board of Directors voted Nov. 24 to approve the school’s class size waiver. Principal Audrey Erschen said technically the school doesn’t have to do the waiver, but it has the past few years. The state stipulates the student-to-teacher ratio can’t exceed 22 students for each teacher in kindergarten through third grade. If a classroom in a district exceeds that maximum, the district must seek a waiver from the state.

National News

Inside Higher Ed
The second summit
The Obama administration is once again gathering hundreds of college presidents for a second White House-run summit that will promote new commitments to help low-income students.

The Pew Charitable Trusts
‘Invisible’ homeless kids challenge states
A reported all-time high of 2.5 million of American children are homeless. But these kids are often invisible, crashing with their families on friends’ couches, sleeping in all-night diners or hopping from motel to motel from week to week.

The Atlantic
Is the U.S. focusing too much on STEM?
Some critics say the recent obsession with science and tech compromises other parts of kids’ education.

KSAT
New study shows impact of early childhood education
The San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce released new findings Thursday showing how big of an impact early childhood education has on the economy.

EdSource
State rethinks how to report test scores
California policymakers say they intend to create a different system for reporting results of the upcoming tests on the Common Core standards than parents and schools have become used to in the era of the No Child Left Behind Act.