July 20, 2016

Delaware News

Delaware Public Media
First State working to incorporate data privacy training into ed prep programs
Data privacy expert Amelia Vance spoke at last week’s meeting of the P20 council – a group tasked with aligning Delaware’s education efforts across all grade levels. The council is also charged with oversight of data governance.

Department of Education
$100,000 LabWare donation supports NextGen Teacher Leader program
Press Release
A Delaware business’ $100,000 donation will allow 200 science teachers from across the state to continue in a leadership and professional learning program. Under the NextGen Teacher Leader program, educators from across the state have developed and field tested units aligned to the new standards, sharing their knowledge and experiences with their colleagues in their buildings and across the state.

Dover Post
Milford schools ready to reap benefits of referendum
Milford School District’s $55 million 2016-17 preliminary budget reflects a district on the financial rebound. A $3 million referendum Oct. 6 gave the district a boost after suffering from an ongoing budget deficit. This time around they’ll increase events and extracurricular activities for students.

Sussex County Post
Tuition tax reduction anchors overall tax rate decrease for Indian River property owners
A significant decrease in tuition tax equates to more savings for taxpayers in the Indian River School District. The Indian River School District has lowered its property tax rate for the third consecutive year. For fiscal year 2017, the district’s overall property tax rate will decrease from $2.689 to $2.578 per $100 of assessed value.

National News

Chalkbeat
How adding high school counselors saved Colorado more than $300 million
Money spent to bring in more middle school and high school counselors helped keep almost 1,000 at-risk students in Colorado schools and send more of them to college, a new report shows. The state-funded Colorado School Counselor Corps grant provided $16 million to 59 schools between 2010 and 2015 in an effort to keep students engaged and chart a course — unfamiliar to many low-income students — toward college and career.

Education Week
Vouchers put some parents in squeeze on special ed. rights
In return for accepting a voucher for enrollment in private school, under Ohio’s Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship Program, Emma’s mother had to waive her daughter’s individual right to special education services under federal law. The voucher is also only available to children with a current, finalized IEP under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, meaning that families cannot access the funds if a dispute is holding up the completion of the education plan.

The Hartford Courant
Young children still suspended in high numbers despite new law
A year after a new law designed to clamp down on the use of out-of-school suspension, a preliminary review of four of the state’s biggest cities shows suspension is down, but continues at an alarmingly high rate, according to the state’s child advocate. “We have been called about multiple five- and six-year-olds who have been placed on out-of-school suspension for up to five days for behaviors that are likely out of the child’s control,” said Child Advocate Sarah Eagan.

The Washington Post
At the White House, college-bound students celebrated for overcoming steep odds
The morning panel session was in the East Room, its ornate chandeliers and giant portraits of George and Martha Washington a world away from the daily lives of the students gathered there to meet the first lady. She entered the room like a rock star, greeted with whoops and cheers and a sea of raised smartphones capturing her every stride.