January 3, 2017

 Delaware News

Delaware Public Media
Delaware behind in education data transparency
A report on education data from the Data Quality Campaign shows the majority of states are doing a bad job sharing data with the public. And Delaware is no exception. First State education policy fellow Atnre Alleyne worked for the Data Quality Campaign for four years – including 2014 – when Delaware received an award for its data-collection capabilities.

Indian River second try $4.7 million referendum scheduled for March
Indian River School District will try again for a $7.4 million tax referendum March 2nd. The district’s November referendum failed by only 30 votes. Less than a week before the vote, an audit showed a district official mishandled taxpayer money. Its second try in March comes in response to increased enrollment, with nearly 300 more students enrolled this year than last year.

Newsworks
Governor-elect Carney picks education, environment secretaries
Delaware Governor-elect John Carney named his picks to lead the Department of Education and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. To address the challenges facing state schools, Carney has named Indian River School District Superintendent Dr. Susan Bunting to be Delaware’s next Secretary of Education. Bunting has worked in the district since 1977 when she started as a teacher.

Rodel Blog
Digging deeper: Does teacher diversity matter?
There is a growing body of research suggesting that a more diverse teacher workforce increases student wellbeing and academic success. However, in Delaware—and the nation—the teacher workforce is far less racially diverse than the student populations they serve. Here we’ll explore: What does research say about the benefits of teacher diversity? What is the current state of educator diversity in Delaware? Who is taking action?

What will President-Elect Trump’s education agenda mean for Delaware?
President-Elect Donald Trump has selected Betsy DeVos as his choice for Secretary of Education. A number of people in the community have asked me for my take on what this will mean for public education in Delaware. Here are some initial thoughts. Of course, she’s not been confirmed yet and we don’t know what her plans will be, so we’re reading tea leaves at this point.

Delaware goes to Harvard: Interview with Kimberly Neal
In July 2016, Rodel Teacher Council member and secondary English teacher Kimberly Neal attended Project Zero with 15 of her Brandywine High School (BHS) colleagues. The Harvard Club of Delaware graciously provided the group with a full scholarship to attend the three day workshop. Kimberly and her colleagues spent their time rotating through a myriad of plenaries, classes and one on one breakout sessions with Project Zero leaders.

The News Journal
Three superintendent finalists named for Christina School District
There now are three finalists for the position of superintendent of the Christina School District. The candidates — Samuel Golder, Richard Gregg and Gerald Wilson — will visit the district between Jan. 6-12. Christina Superintendent Freeman Williams left the school district last year due to medical reasons, and Robert J. Andrzejewski has since served as acting superintendent.

WBOC
Audit prompts Sussex Tech to revisit construction approval process
A recent state audit claims the Sussex Tech School District did not follow state requirements regarding certain construction projects. The state of Delaware requires any project changes to be approved by a school board. The audit shows Sussex Tech originally did that. However, in September of 2015 the board approved a change to district policy which allowed purchase and change orders be approved by the superintendent and administration instead.

National News

Education Dive
Master teacher fellowship improves retention among NYC’s best teachers
Molly Shabica became a teacher in New York City schools in 2002. She majored in biology as an undergraduate and took a series of physics and chemistry classes as well, setting herself up for a range of career options besides teaching. At first she focused on research, but she found herself becoming invested in the idea of working with teenagers rather than in a lab. Nearly 15 years later, Shabica remains committed to her students and life as a teacher.

The Denver Post
Colorado students find niche in tech and hands-on school programs
he old shop classes in Colorado schools that included drill bits, lumber and T-squares have morphed into a place where robotics, virtual reality and wind power are being taught. More and more students are flocking to these courses during high school and after, lured by state-of-the-art technology, low tuition and secure future job prospects. After a drop from 2009 to 2012, enrollment in career and technical education courses has surged, with more than 125,000 high schoolers and 20,000 middle schoolers enrolling in 2015.

The Washington Post
Debate over school start times flares anew
Nearly two years after Montgomery County leaders voted to start the school day later so teenagers could get more sleep, the debate that many thought was settled shows signs of making a comeback in Maryland’s largest school system. Principals in elementary schools have been speaking out about the toll of schedule changes — drowsy children, longer bus rides, families strapped for child care. Employee unions are urging a return to the school hours of old, saying it would be best for students and staff.

How Indiana’s school voucher program soared, and what it says about education in the Trump era
Indiana lawmakers originally promoted the state’s school voucher program as a way to make good on America’s promise of equal opportunity, offering children from poor and lower-middle-class families an escape from public schools that failed to meet their needs. But five years after the program was established, more than half of the state’s voucher recipients have never attended Indiana public schools, meaning that taxpayers are now covering private and religious school tuition for children whose parents had previously footed that bill.

NPR
5 education stories to watch in 2017
Every year for the past few years, I’ve dusted off my crystal ball and offered a few predictions for the New Year. Back on November 9 though, I threw out the ones I had been working on and started over. The election of Donald Trump altered the landscape for K-12 and higher education and created greater political uncertainty in the debate over how to improve schools. Here’s my revised, updated list of predictions for 2017.