February 1, 2017
Delaware News
Delaware 105.9
Indian River School District celebrates Special Education Week Feb. 17th – Mar. 3rd
The Indian River School District will devote a week to recognizing the importance of special education. Teachers, students and specialists will be celebrated during the district’s first Special Education Week February 27th through March 3rd. Special Education Ambassadors will be chosen from each school in the district.
Delaware Public Media
School dropout age could rise to 18 under new bill
State lawmakers are trying to curb Delaware’s dropout rate even further by making it illegal for minors to quit school. The proposal from Rep. Debra Heffernan (D-Bellefonte) would raise the legal dropout age to 18 by September of 2019. Those who are 16 or 17 would still be able to leave school – but he or she need to have an approved plan in place.
Education Week
Delaware high schools could be required to offer computer science course
Lawmakers in Delaware are considering a bill that would require all public high schools in the state to offer at least one computer science course. The state house unanimously approved the legislation last week, and now it’s under consideration in the senate. The bill, which was sponsored by Democratic Rep. Debra Heffernan, would require computer science instruction in all public high schools by the 2020-21 school year.
The 74
In Delaware, critics worry that ESSA plans will give low-performing schools too much wiggle room
The Delaware Department of Education is working on an implementation plan for the new federal Every Student Succeeds Act that gives districts more wiggle room in improving their schools. Instead of forcing districts with schools in the bottom 5 percent of academic performance to replace their staffs or extend their school days, a blueprint released earlier this month allows districts to determine their own reform plans.
The Dover Post
Michael Noel named CR assistant superintendent
Caesar Rodney School District Director of Human Resources Michael Noel has been appointed to the position of assistant superintendent by Superintendent Kevin Fitzgerald and the CRSD Board of Education. The decision was announced during the Jan. 25 board meeting at J. Ralph McIlvaine Early Childhood Center.
The News Journal
Smyrna district’s Debbie Wicks retiring after 40 years
Smyrna Superintendent Debbie Wicks will retire June 30 after serving the district for four full decades. Wicks announced her retirement in December and has said she will continue to live in Smyrna, of which she is a lifelong resident. She will step away from one of the fastest growing school districts in the state.
Hundreds of eighth-graders get free ‘Hidden Figures’ tickets
When an anonymous donor gave 835 movie tickets to Brandywine School District last week, the focus wasn’t so much on “the arts” or theater appreciation as it was on inspiring an entire class of students. The donation allowed eighth-graders from all three of the districts’ middle schools to see the movie “Hidden Figures” for free, Brandywine spokesperson Alexis Andrianopoulos said Tuesday.
WDEL
Delaware lawmakers again eye controversial ‘opt-out’ bill
State lawmakers are trying again to pass a law allowing Delaware school students to opt out of standardized tests. Bipartisan legislation allowing students to opt out of tests was introduced last week and will be considered by the House Education Committee after lawmakers return in March following a seven-week break for budget committee hearings.
National News
Boston Herald
Boston schools look for $1M more to help homeless kids
Boston schools could get a $1 million boost next year to create new food pantries, clothing closets and other support to help thousands of homeless students under the budget proposed for next year, officials announced. BPS also created a new department, Opportunity Youth Department, overseen by Brian Marques, under the Office of Social Emotional Learning, to coordinate with schools in determining how they will invest the extra cash.
Deseret News
Teachers would have to demonstrate ability to teach under bill headed to Utah Senate
The state of Utah would require educators who seek teaching licenses to pass a teacher pedagogical assessment under a bill unanimously approved Friday by the Utah Legislature’s Senate Education Committee. SB78, sponsored by Sen. Ann Millner, R-Ogden, would require the Utah State Board of Education to establish a performance-based assessment to determine whether an educator knows how to teach.
NPR
Not all fun and games: New guidelines urge schools to rethink recess
What’s the best time for students to have recess? Before lunch, or after? What happens if it rains? If students are misbehaving, is it a good idea to punish them by making them sit out recess? Those are just a few of the issues in new guidelines designed to help schools have good recess. The recommendations come from a group called SHAPE America and from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Washington Post
Path to a new life takes these minority high school graduates back to preschool
Sekani Malcolm was serving coffee and pastries at Dunkin’ Donuts last month, a 20-year-old high school graduate with no plans to go to college and few aspirations for a solid career. He had struggled in school, where he sometimes found trouble, and he was working the part-time job to help support his 3-month-old daughter. Like many D.C. Public Schools alumni who don’t consider college an option, he didn’t have clear ideas for his future.
USA Today
Betsy DeVos nomination for Education secretary clears Senate committee vote
President Trump’s nomination of Michigan’s Betsy DeVos to become his education secretary was sent Tuesday morning to the full U.S. Senate for confirmation on a tight 12-11 party line vote in committee after a fractious debate over her qualifications. The vote on the nomination of DeVos, a controversial figure in Michigan political and education circles, raised hackles among Democrats, who argued at a contentious hearing two weeks ago and today’s voting session that she knows too little about education policy and would undermine public schools.