July 13, 2017

Delaware News

Cape Gazette
Georgetown students get a glimpse of law enforcement
A group of Georgetown Middle School students went back to school in June for more than academics. The group of 26 was part of the Georgetown Police Junior Academy and reported to school for a week of physical training and a crash course in law enforcement. “Middle school is like a fork in the road – a person who’s good or bad can really influence a kid,” said Det. Joey Melvin, a student resource officer for the Indian River School District.

Newsworks
Del. creates unit to assist neediest schools, with focus on Wilmington
The state has created an Office of Improvement & Innovation to focus on Wilmington’s struggling schools and Gov. John Carney has tapped a top Brandywine School District administrator to lead the effort. Dorrell D. Green, a longtime educator who is a Brandywine assistant superintendent, will have a staff that includes unspecified employees from the Department of Education who were not identified but have “experience supporting students and schools in need,” Carney’s office said in a news release Tuesday.

Sussex County Post
Southern Delaware School of the Arts has several eighth-grade openings
Southern Delaware School of the Arts in Selbyville has several openings for students in eighth grade for the 2017-18 school year. Parents interested in enrolling their middle school children must submit a Delaware Standard Application for Educational Options, an IRSD Student Supplemental Information Form and a “Good Cause” form.

The News Journal
Christina district balks at alternative school contract
Concerned about allegations of child abuse at a number of facilities in other states, the Christina Board of Education has put off contracting with a company recommended by district staff to run programming at its alternative school. “For me, I’m struggling with the reputational risk of the decision,” board member John Young said, shying away from the idea of the district aligning itself with a company that has been the focus of negative media reports and rumors.

Appoquinimink to pay more up-front to build new schools
As a result of the state’s recent budget crunch, Appoquinimink School District will initially spend more of its local share than expected on a series of construction projects recently approved by voters. Chuck Longfellow, finance director for the district, said the change will have no impact on taxpayers or district operations. What it will do is allow the district to stick to its construction schedule.

National News

Inside Higher Ed
Texas requires credit-bearing remediation
A wave of remediation reforms has swept across the country in the past few years, and now Texas has passed a law that features a popular approach to developmental education. Last month, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law the use of corequisite remediation as the required model for students in developmental education courses. Corequisite remediation places students in college-level, or gateway, English and math courses, but pairs those courses with additional supports.

NPR
On education, the states ask: Now what?
The new federal education law is supposed to return to the states greater control over their public schools. But judging from the mood recently at the annual conference of the Education Commission of the States, the states are anything but optimistic about the future, or about the new law. The apprehension reminded me of the 1989 education summit convened by President George H.W. Bush.

The Los Angeles Times
What makes a teacher ‘ineffective’? California’s education officials and advocacy groups can’t agree
For all the noise, infighting and litigation over teacher evaluations and tenure, California currently has no definition for what a good teacher — or a bad one — looks like. As one way to measure equity, the federal Every Student Succeeds Act requires that states report on whether disadvantaged students have a higher proportion of ineffective, out-of-field and inexperienced teachers than do their peers.

WBIR
Tennessee high school seniors can retake the ACT for free
Nearly 70 thousand high school seniors in Tennessee have been given the opportunity to retake the ACT. The ACT Senior Retake Day will happen during the school day in students’ schools. The goal is to give all students equal access to take advantage of the opportunity. Students do not need to sign up to retake the test, it will automatically be provided.

Wisconsin State Journal
Stoughton schools latest to get mental health crisis team
The Stoughton Area School District will be getting a mental health crisis team in the coming school year, joining six other school districts in Dane County’s Building Bridges program. The Stoughton team will serve four schools in the district, River Bluff Middle School and Fox Prairie, Kegonsa and Sandhill elementary schools. The program will have two mental health experts to serve kindergarten through eighth-grade students who are in immediate need of mental health help.