February 19, 2016
Delaware
Cape Gazette
J.G. Townsend Jr. & Co. gives $100,000 to Cape district
It’s not every day that a school district receives a $100,000 gift from a developer. But Feb. 18 was Cape Henlopen School District’s lucky day. “There’s nothing more important to the community than the education of its students,” said Bryce Lingo, chairman of J.G. Townsend Jr. & Co., after the official announcement of the gift.
Delaware Public Media
State Board of Ed. Narrowly OKs Wilmington redistricting, with conditions
After hours of contentious discussion, the board voted 4 to 3 to send the Wilmington Education Improvement Commission’s proposal forward with two contingencies. The first is Department of Education’s approval of Christina School District Priority School plans. The second is involves keeping the plan from becoming an unfunded mandate.
Delaware State News
Capital School District resolution on state testing passes
The Capital School District Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday to formally reinstate its support of House Bill 50. HB 50, a bill passed in June 2014, protects parents’ right to opt their child out of the state’s standardized test — the Smarter Balanced assessment. Despite easily passing in the House and Senate with widespread support on both sides of the aisle, Gov. Jack Markell, a Democrat, vetoed the bill.
Newark Post
Christina School Districts kicks off referendum process
Voters in the Christina School District have not approved a tax referendum since 2010 and defeated two referendums last year alone. But this time, school district officials believe the outcome will be different. Christina residents will go to the polls once again on March 23 to vote on a tax increase of 30 cents per $100 of assessed property value or about $192 per year.
Rodel Blog
Two great events on college & career readiness
When it comes to preparing students for success after high school, Delaware is making some great strides. This time next week, a gathering of school, business, and community leaders from throughout the state will assemble for two great events focused on the efforts underway. First up is the 2nd Annual DE Pathways Conference, 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Delaware Tech Stanton Campus. The Delaware Pathways Conference will bring together local and national thought leaders to discuss the work underway across the state that’s equipping young Delawareans with the knowledge, skills, and experience to successfully transition to high-growth, high-demand occupations.
The Dover Post
Capital approves public interactions as first step in forming plan
The next step in Capital School District’s efforts to develop a new strategic plan is community involvement. In the coming weeks, district officials will hold a series of community forums, giving the public an opportunity to express their opinions. The first community forum is March 2, 7 p.m. at the Modern Maturity Center. A second forum is March 14, 6:30 p.m. at Frontline Ministries. Andrew S. Hegedus, founder and CEO of Demosophia, a Newark-based consulting firm, gave the board an overview of how it plans on helping the district, at the Feb. 17 school board meeting.
Dover High, Del Tech collaborate on engineering courses
Students interested in a career in technology-based manufacturing are getting a jump start on the competition. Dover High and Delaware Technical Community College will offer students college credits for taking courses in engineering and manufacturing at Del Tech. The new courses will be on the curriculum next year, said district officials. Gene Montano, Dover High School director of curriculum and instruction, said the objective is to enhance a student’s chance of finding employment after high school.
The News Journal
Delaware special education needs are growing sharply
Legislators peppered Secretary of Education Steven Godowsky with questions Wednesday about the rising number of students with special needs and the amount of testing and state bureaucracy. Though, they seemed to give a warm reception to a proposal to pour $11.3 million into the state’s early education programs. Godowsky and other Department of Education officials presented their proposed budget for the next fiscal year to the Joint Finance Committee, a panel of lawmakers that writes the state budget.
School emails ‘hurt feeling’ form to parents
The Brandywine School District is apologizing after a staff member inadvertently sent parents a sarcastic “Hurt Feelings Report” that makes fun of “whiners. “The one-page blank form was attached to an email sent by Lombardy Elementary for an upcoming “Exercise Your Brain Day” event at the Brandywine Hundred School. The document is structured like a bullying report “to assist whiners in documenting hurt feelings” and offers that “an EMS team will be dispatched to soak your socks in coal oil to prevent ants from crawling up your legs. “
Strengthening Wilmington education: No more excuses
Opinion by Senator Margaret Rose Henry and Representative Helene Keeley
We are failing to provide quality public education for most students in the City of Wilmington. It is a simple fact that we must admit outright so that we can begin to seriously address the problem. Segregation was ruled unconstitutional 60 years ago, but inequality of resources and poor schools are still realities for low-income Wilmington students, most of whom are black or Latino. It is our responsibility as state leaders to stop making excuses and do something. If we fail to act, the costs will continue to mount in lost lives, escalating violence and incarceration, and a failing economy in our state’s largest city.
SU discounts tuition – twice – for DTCC students
Salisbury University, hoping to coax Delaware students across the Mason-Dixon Line, will add a $1,000 scholarship for Delaware Technical Community College students to an existing out-of-state tuition discount for Delaware and Eastern Shore of Virginia residents enrolled at SU. In the fall, SU rolled out its Delmarva Partnership Scholarship, a $5,000 annual tuition credit for students who come from Delaware or Virginia’s Eastern Shore.
Wilmington redistricting plan OK’d, with conditions
The State Board of Education signed off on a plan to redistrict Wilmington schools Thursday after several furious rounds of back-and-forth negotiating in front of a fired-up, standing-room-only crowd of community leaders, parents and advocates. But the approval came with two conditions, one of which, leaders of the Wilmington Education Improvement Commission say, could lead school districts to withdraw their support. It all unfolded in a chaotic, extraordinary meeting that started with a flurry of impassioned pleas from city residents and leaders who support the commission’s proposal.
UDaily
Partnership for public education
With funds donated by two alumni and a commitment of support from University leaders, the University of Delaware is launching the UD Partnership for Public Education. The new partnership is a multidisciplinary effort to mobilize the University’s research, educational and public service capacities to provide sustained assistance to Delaware schools with low-income and other at-risk students, focusing initially on schools in the city of Wilmington.
WHYY
Video: First extra: Education
A look at education issues in the first state, including an interview with the new secretary of education in Delaware, Dr. Steven Godwosky.
National
Desert News
More time, funding for teacher training gets early Senate approval
An effort to give educators more time out of class to improve teaching practices is getting closer to gaining approval from the Utah Legislature. Lawmakers hope that the added focus on teacher professional learning will give educators more chances to learn from each other and find ways to better help students struggling in specific subjects. “I do realize that while we hate to take time away from students, sometimes it’s probably more effectively used in professional development if it really helps the teacher become more effective in the classroom,” said bill sponsor Rep. Brad Last, R-Hurricane.
Education Week
For a day, school leaders urged to immerse themselves in a student’s life
A group of education organizations is challenging school leaders around the country to spend one day shadowing individual students so they can develop greater empathy for their charges’ experiences. Participants in the Shadow a Student Challenge sign up to follow one child for a full day during the week of Feb. 29 to March 4, eating lunch with them, attending classes, and maybe even riding the bus with them. Those taking part will connect on social media to share what they learn, and will get resources from the organizers.
The Atlantic
What if America’s teachers made more money?
As districts in certain parts of the country battle staffing shortages and schools nationwide seek to overcome a general sense of dissatisfaction among faculty, several states are considering proposals to pay their public-school teachers more money. The average public-school teacher salary in the United States in the 2012-13 academic year was $56,000, versus roughly $69,000 for nurses and $83,000 for programmers. Experts say raising that threshold could help improve the profession’s lackluster reputation and encourage more high-achieving college students to pursue the career—especially in less-than-desirable schools and districts.
The Hechinger Report
How Finland broke every rule – and created a top school system
Opinion by William Doyle, 2015 – 2016 Fulbright scholar and New York Times best –selling author
Spend five minutes in Jussi Hietava’s fourth-grade math class in remote, rural Finland, and you may learn all you need to know about education reform – if you want results, try doing the opposite of what American “education reformers” think we should do in classrooms. Instead of control, competition, stress, standardized testing, screen-based schools and loosened teacher qualifications, try warmth, collaboration, and highly professionalized, teacher-led encouragement and assessment.
The Washington Post
Senate committee schedules confirmation hearing for John King as education secretary
The Senate education committee plans to consider President Obama’s nominee for education secretary at a confirmation hearing at 2 p.m. on Feb. 25. John King Jr. has been serving as acting secretary of education since his predecessor, Arne Duncan, stepped down at the end of 2015. It had initially appeared that Obama would not formally nominate King, forgoing the confirmation process. But White House officials said they were encouraged by the bipartisan support that King has received so far.