July 19, 2016

Delaware News

Delaware Public Media
Early childhood learning funding cuts target STARS technical assistance
Gov. Jack Markell asked lawmakers for 11.4 million dollars for early childhood education. He got only 9.4 million. Office of Early Learning executive director Susan Perry-Manning says that means her department is faced with tough choices regarding which programs to continue funding. She says the department will try to minimize direct cuts to children and young families and instead look at cutting some of the infrastructure that supports higher quality.

Delaware State News
Conference coaches Delaware math educators
More than 200 math teachers and administrators came together at Wilmington University last week to learn how to improve their teaching techniques and their students’ learning experiences. The conference, hosted by the Delaware Mathematics Coalition, featured Dr. Ruth Parker, a former math teacher and author of “Making Number Talks Matter.”

The Dover Post
Milford producing leaders with physical, mental workouts
Patrick Helmick’s goal this summer is to tap into students’ hidden leadership potential. The Communities in Schools site director for Milford School District is starting a new summer program that challenges students to push themselves. The program, called SWEAT (Sacrifice, Wisdom, Eagerness, Attitude and Tenacity), takes 31 students and gathers them at the high school Monday through Thursday.

Caesar Rodney students head to China for renewable energy courses
Under the watchful eye of Postlethwait Middle School technology teacher, Laura Barnas, four Caesar Rodney High School students with an interest in alternative energy are spending a month in China. During their trip they’ll explore the Great Wall, Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, Birds Nest and the Summer Palace.

The Newark Post
5 tips for protecting kids with food allergies at school
If it seems like life-threatening food allergies are more common than they were when you were a kid, you’re not imagining it. The number of children with food allergies increased by nearly 50 percent between 1997 and 2011, according to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Researchers are working to discover why food allergies are on the rise in developed countries around the world.

WDEL
Brandywine shelving its Teacher Leader pilot program
A new teaching mentorship program piloted in Brandywine School District last year came to an end after its one year test run. The two teacher leaders, Diana Golden and Kenneth Rivera, acted as mentors and coaches to their colleagues at Harlan Elementary and Brandywine High School, respectively, and were recognized at Monday’s monthly Board meeting for their contributions and efforts during the 2015-2016 school year.

National News

Chalkbeat
One Bronx high school is trying to reach high-needs students by ditching the traditional classroom
In Evelyn Rebollar’s classroom, a student is listening to music on his phone while typing away on a laptop. Behind him, a classmate is fiddling with a deck of cards. One student is playing the computer game Age of Empires in the back corner. A couple tables away, one of his peers is chatting with another teacher in French.

The Hechinger Report
Early childhood teachers are our ambassadors to the 21st century
Opinion by Gillian Dowley McNamee, director of teacher education at the Erikson Institute
Twenty-first century goals call for students who will be critical thinkers, creative, flexible, productive, and accomplished in communication, collaboration and leadership.  And so too must the teachers of all students, even teachers of our youngest students age 3 and 4.

The New York Times
After 2 years, progress is hard to see in some struggling city schools
At one troubled Brooklyn high school, the principal stepped down this month — after clashing with the teachers’ union — “for my own sanity,” she said. At another, the principal resigned to go back to an easier job. And at still another, in Queens, the principal — the fifth in five years — wrote an end-of-the-year letter to the staff calling the place “the Hunger Game for Principals.”

The Tennessean
Nashville schools summer food program’s first year fills a big need
The summer feeding program was piloted in Nashville schools as an opportunity to add to the list of resources that seek to get meals to families. The program was specifically aimed at getting hot meals to kids in an easy to find location, and while it had bumps in its first year after ending Friday in three of the four sites, all involved felt it met a huge need.