February 13, 2013
Local News
The Middletown Transcript
Real Men Read returns for a fifth year
Real Men Read is a district-wide effort to get male students more excited about reading. Boys should come to Real Men Read because it totally rocks!” Payne, the Appoquinimink High School librarian said. “We know that boys are still behind when it comes to reading,” she said, “and we also know that reading for pleasure is a really good predictor of academic success.”
WDDE
Governor Jack Markell weekly address: Education initiatives
Governor Jack Markell used his weekly message to highlight new or expanding education initiatives in Delaware. Markell touted plans to expand the state’s Language Immersion program that debuted in three Delaware schools last September Markell also noted a new effort to recruit and keep teachers by seeking feedback on their work environment. “As I said in my State of the State Address, it takes great teachers to keep up with our young learners. Our teachers know what they need to succeed.
National News
Education Week
Obama urges big preschool expansion in State of the Union Speech
President Barack Obama called on Congress in his State of the Union address to significantly expand access to preschool to all 4-year-olds from moderate- and low-income families, and to create a new spin-off of his Race to the Top program aimed at pushing high schools to adopt curricula that better prepare students for the jobs of the future.
The New York Times
The secret to fixing bad schools
Op-Ed by David L. Kirp
What would it really take to give students a first-rate education? Some argue that our schools are irremediably broken and that charter schools offer the only solution. The striking achievement of Union City, N.J. — bringing poor, mostly immigrant kids into the educational mainstream — argues for reinventing the public schools we have.
The Washington Post
Maryland to counties: increase weight of state standardized test in teacher evals
The Maryland State Department of Education has told nine counties to increase the use of standardized tests in its teacher and principal evaluation models after rejecting plans the school systems submitted for approval. The state has specifically told the counties to make scores from the Maryland School Assessment at least 20 percent of the measure schools use to calculate how well students are learning as a variable judging educator performance.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia studentsstruggle on test tied to Common Core math course
Judging from students’ initial experience in a new math course, Georgia’s move to a Common Core won’t be painless. Less than 59% of students did not meet the standard set for an end-of-course test after they took a new algebra course tied to the Common Core. The test was the first student-performance measure since the state moved to Common Core curriculum.
Sioux Falls Argus Leader
School reform shifts to students
The South Dakota education department has outlined the primary focus areas for its reform agenda: ensuring reading proficiency by grade 4 and math by grade 9, improving college and career readiness for high schoolers, and closing the Native American achievement gap. The state also is pursuing ways to tie together teacher quality and student data. Meanwhile, the state is implementing the Common Core Standards, along with new computer-based tests.
Related Topics: Common Core, Governor Markell, Teacher Evaluation