January 5, 2015

Delaware News

The News Journal
Attorneys go head-to-head over Moyer’s future
An attorney for the Maurice J. Moyer Academic Institute argued before a judge Friday that the school’s charter should not be revoked just because of the “sins of old Moyer.” The attorney, James Taylor, said the state Department of Education is wrong to close the school, opened in 2012 as a reincarnation of a similarly named school, since it recently changed leadership and is attempting to turn around performance in the challenging student population.

Moyer Academic Institute has turned around
An op-ed by Bebe Ross Coker, Chair of the Board, Moyer Academic Institute
The decision to close Moyer Academic Institute is based primarily on its history and few (if any) additional considerations. This is not an acceptable solution for the students. As a member of the Moyer Board and a longstanding advocate of the civil right to good education, I would ask that our state authorities, state board, community, educators and all related public and charter entities, stop and look more carefully at the big picture of what we have done, what we are doing and see with a new set of lenses, where our school is headed.

Sussex County Post
New Laurel Middle High School slated to open in April; Superintendent Ewald leaving after school year ends
In announcing the revised schedule and new school opening, Mr. Ewald also announced that his tenure as Laurel superintendent will end after the current school year. “So, it is with bitter sweet emotions that I share that the Laurel School District Board of Education and I will part ways at the end of the 2014 – 2015 school year,” said Mr. Ewald.

WDDE
A handful of New Castle County organizations receive grants to support STEM programs
The Next Generation of Northern Delaware has awarded $26,600 to support science, technology, engineering and math programs in New Castle County. Recipients include the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation, Latin American Community Center, St. Michael’s School and Nursery and First State Robotics.

National News

New York Times
The central crisis in New York education
An editorial
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s forthcoming State of the State address is expected to focus on what can be done to improve public education across the state. If he is serious about the issue, he will have to move beyond peripheral concerns and political score-settling with the state teachers’ union, which did not support his re-election, and go to the heart of the matter.

Education Week
The promise and peril of turning student learning into a number
Kids can undoubtedly benefit from setting their own measurable goals. If a student’s goal is just “to become a better reader,” it’s hard to know when or if she achieves her goal because it’s so vague. For kids living in poverty, who often begin kindergarten below grade level, measurable goals matter even more. It’s not enough for my students to make growth. They need to make enough growth to reach and surpass grade-level expectations.

Politics, fiscal issues frame PA school-aid debate
The Democratic victor, newly elected Gov. Tom Wolf, made support for increased school spending a centerpiece of a campaign that ousted incumbent Gov. Tom Corbett, the only Republican governor who won a seat in 2010, but then lost it in 2014. Now, Pennsylvania joins Nevada and Georgia as states with momentum building to overhaul school funding.

State slow to close faltering teacher ed. programs
Amid the intense recent policy interest in educator quality, the list of proposed remedies for improving teacher preparation has grown long. It ranges from using performance assessments to measure candidates’ classroom skill, to giving prospective teachers higher doses of hands-on “clinical” training in K-12 schools, to setting up charter-school-like preparation academies outside traditional teacher colleges.

Politico
The plot to overhaul No Child Left Behind
Republicans are hatching an ambitious plan to rewrite No Child Left Behind this year — one that could end up dramatically rolling back the federal role in education and trigger national blowouts over standardized tests and teacher training.