February 16, 2017

Delaware News

Delaware 105.9
IRSD residents are warming up to the idea of passing expense referendum
Residents in the Indian River School District are beginning to warm up to the idea of passing the district’s current expense referendum. District officials made their case Wednesday evening at Lord Baltimore Elementary, as to why residents should vote for the referendum. The majority was supportive.

Georgetown Middle School’s Erin Crooks is Del. Middle School Counselor of the Year
The honor makes her eligible for overall Delaware Counselor of the Year, which will be presented by the Delaware School Counselor Association in March. Crooks arrived at Georgetown Middle School in 2009 after two years as a counselor at Georgetown Elementary School.

Rodel Blog
Introducing the Legislative Hall Pass: Crunching the numbers on Delaware’s education budget
Blog post by Melissa Hopkins, director of external affairs and Neil Kirschling, program officer at the Rodel Foundation of Delaware
The Legislative Hall Pass is a new series at the Rodel blog. Our team of experts will examine the most pressing education bills and issues emerging from the 149th Delaware General Assembly, and weigh in with commentary, context, and data. With elections far off in the rearview mirror, inaugurations wrapped, and cabinet members trickling their way into position, the real work is set to begin in earnest for elected officials, and especially the 149th Delaware General Assembly.

Digging Deeper: Are Delaware students safe and engaged?
Blog post by Shyanne Miller, policy associate at the Rodel Foundation of Delaware
“Digging Deeper” is a recurring feature at the Rodel blog where we take some data on Delaware public schools—and put it under the microscope. In the spirit of our Public Education at a Glance, we’ll present a straightforward look at the numbers, and search for some deeper meaning. Academic achievement is but one aspect of student success.

A wholehearted approach to learning
Blog post by Paul Herdman, president and ceo at the Rodel Foundation of Delaware
A few years ago, my fellow members of the Vision Coalition and I began reaching out to Delawareans. We wanted to hear what they thought a well-educated young person would need to know and be able to do in the year 2025. What we heard from more than 4,000 people was not surprising. People told us that better academics and improved test scores are important—being able to read and understand math would still be foundational. But they wanted more than that.

The importance of employability skills
Blog post by Jermaine Williams, cooperative employment coordinator at St. Georges Technical High School and Rodel Teacher Council member
As the cooperative employment coordinator at St. Georges Technical High School, my job, in conjunction with our career and technical instructors, is to usher our senior students out into the working world as employed adults. It’s a tough job, especially considering that we have 254 seniors spread across 15 different career programs, which span from construction to automotive to business to early childhood to food service and nursing.

Techincal.ly Delaware
These Delaware teachers are all about digital learning
Delaware has been gradually gaining recognition for its status as a haven for innovation and technology. Now more than ever, developing digitally-savvy students is of growing importance for the state. For educators like Linden Hill Elementary fifth-grade math, science and social studies teacher Kristen Palma, implementing digital learning has become one of the most important ways to engage with the students at the school.

The Milford Beacon
A senior with education on the brain
When Milford High School senior Summer Arthurs learned they didn’t have Advanced Placement chemistry she decided to teach herself. Arthurs, who is determined to become a neuroscientist, plans on taking the AP chemistry exam. She spends her free time browsing the internet, looking for tutorials and other online resources.

The News Journal
Christina school board vote does a disservice to students
Editorial
We’re going to assume that some of the Christina School Board members didn’t do too well in social studies or U.S. history when they were students. Because if they did, they would have remembered these words: “Give me your tired, your poor. Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

National News

EdSurge
Can blended learning improve equity in one of nation’s most diverse districts?
New Jersey’s Morris School District is no stranger to change. Following a 1971 court-mandated merger designed to address racial segregation, the district has been forced to adapt. Today, Morris is one of the most diverse districts in the nation, serving a student population that is 52% white, 11% African American, 32% Latino, and 5% Asian, with 35% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch.

NPR
5 ways teachers are fighting fake news
As the national attention to fake news and the debate over what to do about it continue, one place many are looking for solutions is in the classroom. Since a recent Stanford study showed that students at practically all grade levels can’t determine fake news from the real stuff, the push to teach media literacy has gained new momentum.

The Atlantic
The school-voucher paradox
School choice aids and abets segregation—or so goes the logic of many of the policy’s loudest critics. But a study recently published in Education and Urban Society provides evidence to the contrary: A voucher program actually reduced racial stratification in the public schools that families decided to leave. The focus of the study, titled “The Impact of Targeted School Vouchers on Racial Stratification in Louisiana Schools,” is the Louisiana Scholarship Program (LSP), which provides state money for students to attend private schools.

Times Recorder
Kasich: Teachers should job shadow with businesses to renew licenses
Teachers would have to complete “externships” – essentially, a high-level job shadow – with a local business to renew their licenses under a provision in Gov. John Kasich’s budget proposal. Kasich wants to involve businesses more in education, believing schools need their input to help turn out students who are prepared for 21st Century careers.