February 11, 2014

Local News

News Journal
All students deserving of federal and state aid
An editorial
A U.S. Department of Education grant is allowing Delaware to focus on turning around our lowest performing schools. As result, $1.45 million from a $38 million federal pot will be used to make a difference in persistently low-achieving districts as part of the federal School Improvement Grant program.

Delaware high school juniors can register for free SAT
High school juniors can now register to take the SAT college readiness exam for free during the school day.

Delaware State News
Ending UD’s ag education program concerns lawmakers
The University of Delaware’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget proposal was clouded by concerns from lawmakers on the future of the university’s agriculture education program. The university is seeking to discontinue the education program in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources due to high personnel costs and low enrollment. There are currently 11 students enrolled in various stages of the agriculture education major, but UD President Patrick Harker said only two students will graduate this year.

WDDE
Christina and Colonial Schools Districts receive grants for accelerated learning programs
The Department of Education has announced two more recipients of funds from the state’s Accelerated Academic Grant Program. In the second round of funding – Christina School District will receive $18,963 to teach selected fifth through eight grade students debating fundamentals in preparation for future intra-district debates. $34,501 is headed to the Colonial School District to prepare middle school students for advanced coursework via the College Board’s SpringBoard program language arts program.

Middletown Transcript
Nine M.O.T.-area students earn nominations to U.S. service academies
Nine high school seniors from the Middletown-Odessa-Townsend area received nominations last week from Delaware’s Congressional delegation to attend one or more of the nation’s U.S. service academies. Nominations from members of the U.S. Senate, U.S. House, the vice president or the Secretaries of the Air Force, Army and Navy are prerequisites for attending the academies, but do not guarantee admittance.

National News

NEA Today
Educators being heard on Common Core implementation
In January, New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) rebuked the state’s deeply flawed Common Core implementation by voting to withdraw its support of the standards as implemented. NYSUT’s dramatic decision reverberated across the nation. State officials have been put on notice: Implementation must be done with us, not to us. Without a strong educator voice in the process, the Common Core State Standards cannot succeed.

New York Times
Philadelphia school chief faces down budget cuts and crises
William R. Hite Jr., superintendent of schools here in one of the nation’s poorest cities, is known as a man who prefers collaboration to confrontation, but he has spent the academic year taking no prisoners. He laid off almost 4,000 workers to close a $304 million budget gap and threatened to keep school doors locked until officials found stopgap money to ensure what he considered a basic level of security for students. He says he was just warming up.