February 13, 2017
Delaware News
Delaware State News
Seeking a voice for students on Delaware school boards
Letter to the Editor
A representative democracy is based upon the idea that the people who are subjected to a government can be fairly represented in it by running for and holding an elected office. While this principle has been properly implemented at the state and federal levels, it could be improved at the local level: namely school districts.
The News Journal
Autism Delaware offering college scholarships
It wasn’t until David Lee Cook Jr. graduated from the Delaware Autism Program after sixth grade that he felt confident to go to college someday. Years later, a scholarship from Autism Delaware reassured him again.
Delaware student growth means more modular classrooms
Appoquinimink School District residents may have passed a $268 million capital referendum allowing the district to build three new schools, but that doesn’t mean the space issues are over.Superintendent Matthew Burrows said Appoquinimink will be adding several new modular classrooms or trailers at two of its sites this summer to handle overcrowding. The first of its three buildings won’t be done until 2019, and the district’s new middle school and high school won’t be done until 2020.
Rodel Blog
Remember ESSA? Work still underway on state plan
Blog post by Liz Hoyt, research associate at the Rodel Foundation of Delaware
The confirmation of Betsy DeVos (and surrounding controversies) as U.S. Secretary of Education dominated news headlines and social media over the last few weeks. However, this national headline may be drowning out what’s happening locally, as Delaware continues to develop its state plan for implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)—a plan that will shape the framework of our school system for years to come.
Liberty within limits: personalized learning in the Montessori classroom
Blog post by Cheryl Lynn Jones, Montessori elementary teacher at First State Montessori Academy
I am a second and third grade teacher at First State Montessori Academy in Wilmington. This is my 12th year in a Montessori classroom environment and my first year on the Rodel Teacher Council (RTC). When I first joined the RTC, I learned all about their Blueprint for Personalized Learning in Delaware and was amazed to see the extensiveness and thoughtfulness of the plan. I was also encouraged to see that Montessori education fits right into personalized learning.
UDaily
Computer science education
Partner4CS and the Delaware Department of Education will jointly host a Summit for Computer Science Education on March 23 at the University of Delaware’s Clayton Hall Conference Center. The summit is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Delaware Office of Economic Development.
National News
NPR
Did Betsy DeVos make you want to run for school board?
Early one morning, the week before Betsy DeVos’ confirmation as education secretary, 23-year-old Allison Kruk was dropping her boyfriend off at the Philadelphia airport when she decided to swing by the office of her U.S. senator and give him a piece of her mind. Kruk was a Hillary Clinton supporter, and the nomination of DeVos “just felt like a low blow,” she says.
EdSource
Loss of federal program could more than triple AP exam fee for some students
Some low-income students in California could face a steep fee increase for Advanced Placement exams this spring following the elimination of a federal subsidy. The cost for each AP exam for these students could climb from $5 or $15 to $53 because of a provision in the federal Every Student Succeeds Act that eliminated the Advanced Placement Test Fee Program.
The Tennessean
Tennessee charter school bill sets funds aside for facilities
Tennessee plans to better define the rules of authorizing charter schools with a bill introduced on behalf of the state’s education department. House Bill 310, introduced by Rep. David Hawk, R-Greeneville, sets forth the rules and also includes money for charter school facilities in the state.
Chalkbeat
Colorado educators will soon be required to take training for teaching English learners
Aspiring and existing Colorado educators soon will be required to get additional training in an effort to better teach the state’s growing English language learner population. The State Board of Education on Wednesday directed the education department to begin drafting new guidelines that will lay out what sort of new training will be required.
Education Week
Governors, state lawmakers roll out school choice proposals
As the Trump administration appears poised to make school choice the centerpiece of its education agenda, Republican-led legislatures in Arkansas, Arizona, Kentucky, Missouri, Texas, and elsewhere are rolling out charter school and voucher bills in what could be a more receptive environment.