July 5, 2017
Delaware News
Sussex Countian
Alliance for Racial Justice to focus on education at July 11 meeting
The Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice will present “It’s All About Education” at its meeting set for 7 to 8:30 p.m. July 11 at Trinity Faith Christian Center; 15516 New Road, Lewes. The program will feature an introduction to SDARJ’s focus on education for the remainder of 2017 and beyond. For the past year or so, SDARJ has presented programs focusing on the criminal justice system, which impacts African-American men, their families, and communities.
U.S. News & World Report
Data shows Delaware students far more diverse than students
New data from the Delaware Department of Education show that while the state’s public school students are becoming increasingly diverse, the same is not true of its teachers. The News Journal reports teacher and school leader workforce diversity has remained largely stagnant despite efforts to recruit and retain more minority teachers.
Newsworks
Delaware’s endangered education species — the school librarian
Every morning in the library at McKean High School near Milltown, students and faculty converge on a coffee bar to order java and prepare for the day. McKean’s coffee counter exemplifies how libraries have evolved in the 21st century. No longer just a quiet space where students read or work on papers, libraries are for online research, collaborative learning, even video production or a jolt of caffeine.
Delaware Public Media
Generation Voice: Finding your sanctuary
In this week’s Enlighten Me – we continue highlighting work done this year by students in our Generation Voice Youth Media project at Mount Pleasant High School in the Brandywine School District. The term ‘sanctuary’ has been in the news a fair amount lately, often in connection to safe havens in cities or campuses for undocumented immigrants. But a sanctuary – a place of refuge and protection – can apply to anyone, including high school students.
High schoolers rule the kitchen this summer at Constitution Yards
If you visit Constitution Yards on Wilmington’s Riverfront this 4th of July weekend, chances are a William Penn student will take your food order. That’s because the beer garden has partnered with the William Penn culinary program to provide 10-15 students with on-the-job training.
Department of Education
Future health professionals bring home awards from national conference
More than 100 middle and high school students and advisors from across Delaware represented the First State as part of HOSA-Future Health Professionals recently at the HOSA International Leadership Conference in Orlando. Students competed in health science events, health professions events, emergency preparedness events, as well as healthcare-related leadership and teamwork events.
National News
Greensburg Daily News
Pre-K expansion signed in ceremony
Gov. Eric Holcomb ceremonially signed a bill Monday that expands pre-kindergarten options after asking 14 preschool students to give a “double thumbs up” for the legislation. “These kids are going to get off to a great start and we know how critically important that is,” Holcomb said. House Enrolled Act 1004 expands pre-K for low-income families from five to 20 Hoosier counties.
NPR
Teacher of the Year in Oklahoma moves to Texas for the money
About exactly a year ago we brought you the story of Shawn Sheehan, Oklahoma’s 2016 Teacher of the Year. At the time, he and about 40 other educators were running for office in the state, wanting to make a change because, as Sheehan puts it, lawmakers weren’t prioritizing education. Funding for schools in the state has been cut tremendously over the past decade and teachers in Oklahoma are some of the lowest paid in the country.
The Washington Post
Teachers union leader: We won’t work with Trump and DeVos because ‘I do not trust their motives’
The president of the country’s largest labor union, Lily Eskelsen García of the National Education Association, told delegates at her organization’s annual gathering that they would not work with the Trump administration because the president and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos could not be trusted to do what is in the best interests of children.
The Atlantic
The charter-school equity push
When Josue Bonilla started at STRIVE Prep Federal, he spent a lot of time trying to earn happy-face stickers and string cheese. These were the rewards for sticking to his behavior plan. At times, they seemed hopelessly out of reach. One day, Josue was caught playing with a lighter in the bathroom. Another day, he hit a teacher’s aide in the face. Now, as the 13-year-old completes his second year in the middle school’s special-education classroom—named “Wisconsin,” for the teacher Wendi Sussman’s alma mater—Josue is off the behavior plan and spending 90 percent of his time on academics.
U.S. News & World Report
School districts argue Kansas needs to boost aid up to $1.5B
School districts suing Kansas over education funding argue that an increase approved by legislators this year is as much as $1.5 billion short of what’s needed for the next school year and are asking the state Supreme Court to order lawmakers to provide more money by Sept. 1. The four local districts’ attorneys detailed their objections to a new school finance law in written arguments filed ahead of a Supreme Court hearing July 18.