February 9, 2015
Delaware News
The News Journal
Code class sets early computing path for Delaware youth
Individuals with Barrel of Makers, an artists collective, set off on a series of classes in libraries around the state to bolster skills among the state and nation’s students and workforce, giving them comfort with coding and science, technology, engineering and mathematics or STEM.
Education is the business of the states
Op-ed by George F. Will
NCLB is more than seven years overdue for the reauthorization/revision that will impact 50 million children and 3.1 million teachers.
Markell wants to cut private school transportation stipend
Gov. Jack Markell wants to eliminate the stipend private school parents get to help pay for transportation, but is facing opposition from lawmakers who say those families deserve at least something for paying school taxes.
WDDE
New report card grading Delaware public schools coming soon
says Penny Schwinn, DOE’s chief accountability and performance officer, Delaware wants to be at the cutting edge of education accountability systems nationwide, with a “holistic multi-measurement system that includes school culture and climate in addition to accountability measures.”
Hockessin Community News
Student app nets $20,000 grant from Verizon
A team of students from Cab Calloway School have designed a smartphone app called “Virdoc” that would allow students to virtually dissect animals without getting their hands dirty.
WDEL
Survey: Del. ranks 4th best in controlling bullying
A new survey on “Stop Bullying Day” showed Delaware coming out on top when it comes to combating bullying in schools.
Laurel Star
Referendum call: Delmar Board of Education will seek funding for building improvements, economic stability
The board of education and the school administration hope to prolong the life and appearance of the current building and create some solutions for current overcrowding problems by taking advantage of $3.2 million in state money that is available for the proposed project.
Cape Gazette
State senator warns of school issues leading to divisiveness
Charter schools and the ACLU’s recent action sparked questions for state Sen. Bryan Townsend, D-Newark, at a recent dinner meeting of the Sussex Progressive Community.
We need more charter schools, not fewer!
Letter to the editor by Dr. Gary Wray, Lewes
I firmly believe that parents in Sussex County need more choices in education, not fewer, just as parents in New Castle County have had for years.
We must channel enthusiasm to all students
Letter to the editor by Lee Wiley, Lewes
If we could channel the same enthusiastic efforts demonstrated by charter school advocates into mentoring families as they proceed through the educational process, as well as a commitment to provide undivided support to community schools, a superior education for all students might be within reach.
National News
The New York Times
Fewer top graduates want to join Teach for America
Teach for America, the education powerhouse that has sent thousands of handpicked college graduates to teach in some of the nation’s most troubled schools, is having recruitment problems. Applications are down by about 10 percent from a year earlier, and the group has closed two of its eight summer training sites.
Chancellor Carmen Fariña changes New York City Schools’ course
In the little more than a year since Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed her to lead the city’s Education Department, Ms. Fariña has presided over a methodical dismantling of the policies of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s first and last chancellors, Joel I. Klein and Dennis M. Walcott.
The Washington Post
District embarks on plan to bring more quality teachers to poor schools
Washington D.C. officials are developing a plan to bring more effective teachers to schools in poor neighborhoods, part of their response to a federal mandate to address the historically short supply of talent in schools where children have the greatest needs.
Education Week
States pass array of policies to advance Career Technical Education
A new report released Feb. 5 by the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) highlights about 150 new policies recently approved in 46 states and the District of Columbia for programs at both the high school and college level.
Why do some schools feel like prisons?
Commentary by Samina Hadi-Tabassum, associate professor of education at Dominican University
For almost two decades, I have been coaching and mentoring first-year teachers in Chicago’s public schools; however, in the last few years, I have noticed a cultural shift in those schools with predominantly African-American enrollments.
The Memphis Commercial Appeal
Haslam turning attention to “ruined brand” of Common Core
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam’s next challenge will be to keep Tennessee’s rigorous education standards while abandoning the “worthless” brand of Common Core despised by groups ranging from teachers to tea partiers.