December 9, 2016
Delaware News
Delaware State News
Proposal would require high schools offer computer science
Rep. Debra Heffernan announced Thursday she plans to pre-file legislation that would require all state high schools to offer computer science courses. Rep. Heffernan, a Bellefonte Democrat, said she will introduce a bill mandating all public and charter high schools offer at least one computer science class by 2020. The class could be used to count for a math graduation credit, with the exception of algebra I and II or geometry.
Southern Delaware School of the Arts hosting ‘Tea and Tour’ Jan. 5
Southern Delaware School of the Arts in Selbyville will host a special “Tea and Tour” event on Thursday, Jan. 5 to showcase the school and its programs to parents of prospective students for 2017-2018. The event will run from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. SDSA administrators will open with a brief presentation about the school and explain the school choice application process for 2017-2018. SDSA students will then lead group tours of the school.
EIN News
Wilmington University teacher prep program goes to head of the class
Wilmington University’s bachelor of science program in elementary education ranks in the top 3% of undergraduate teacher preparation programs in the nation according to the most recent survey of the field by the National Council on Teacher Quality. The non-partisan educational research group’s ratings assessed the effectiveness of more than 800 schools’ elementary education licensure programs by examining their candidate selection processes, their methods of teaching content knowledge and the quality of their practice opportunities.
Newsworks
Secret Santa pays off meal balances at Wilmington school
An anonymous donor has made the holiday season brighter for families at Frederick Douglass Stubbs Elementary School in Wilmington. Christina School District’s Child Nutrition Services Department announced it received a check in the amount of $1,283.07 on behalf of Stubbs. That is enough money to clear all outstanding meal account balances at the school. “Our school community was thrilled to learn about this act of generosity,” Stubbs Principal Jeffers Brown said.
The Dover Post
Exelon, Delmarva Power partner with Del Tech to support energy education
Exelon and Delmarva Power recently 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.
The News Journal
Breakfast event hopes to aid school safety for kids
Community leaders near Wilmington are hoping that an early-morning presence in kids’ lives can have a long-lasting effect throughout the day. That’s the inspiration behind Corner2Corner, the brainchild of Red Clay Consolidated School District Superintendent Mervin Daugherty. The breakfast event aims to bring communities together by taking over one corner at a time, ensuring kids get to and from school safely.
Teachers weigh in on school safety report
Opinion by Lisa Mims, fifth-grade teacher at Pleasantville Elementary School, and Robyn Howton, high school English teacher at Mount Pleasant High School
Following the high-profile and tragic deaths of two Delaware high school students this year, school safety reemerged as a hot-button issue, and the legislature convened a special committee on school safety. Last month, after two committee meetings and four information gathering meetings, the group released its findings and recommendations. It contains some good ideas that almost anyone could get behind, such as increasing the number of mental health professionals in schools.
National News
EdSurge
Frederick County’s call to administrators: Focus on the “Innovator” and “Early Adopter” teachers, first
Whether a district has limited resources or in-house expertise, anyone can move toward personalizing learning by using our district’s approach as a blueprint. Why? Our approach is informed by both theory and the good work of our colleagues across the nation. If you feel you have arrived late to blended and personalized learning, relax. Everyone is figuring it out, and districts are amazingly willing to share their successes and their missteps.
Education Week
2017 sneak peek leaders to learn from
Three miles from the Pharr International Bridge in Texas—a major point of entry into the United States from Mexico—the prekindergarten students at the IDEA Pharr Academy arrive with virtually no English-language skills. By the time they graduate, though, most will be headed for a four-year college or university with at least 11 AP course credits on their transcripts.
Providence Journal
Two R.I. charter schools issue statement opposing Trump’s pick for Education secretary
Two charter schools, The Learning Community and Blackstone Academy Charter School, have come out against the nomination of Betsy DeVos as U.S. Secretary of Education. In a statement released Friday, Sarah Friedman, co-director of The Learning Community, which serves students from Central Falls and Pawtucket in grades K-8, said both schools are opposed to DeVos’ support of charter schools run by private, for-profit companies, which are not allowed in Rhode Island.
The Tennessean
Tennessee’s new education plan will bring big changes for school districts
Local school districts would have more control over issues like turning around poor-performing schools under Tennessee’s plan to comply with the federal education law President Barack Obama signed last year. Education Commissioner Candice McQueen on Tuesday released her first draft of the state’s version of the Every Student Succeeds Act, and begins a community input tour around the state this week.