June 10, 2014

Local News

New York Times
A case study in lifting college attendance
Delaware has arguably become the most aggressive at trying to ensure that its college-ready teenagers attend college. The state’s recent efforts to expand college access and completion began in 2009, connected to the federal Education Department’s Race to the Top program. Delaware began offering the SAT during school hours, to increase the number of students taking it and it established a program called Getting to Zero with a goal of getting all high-school seniors with an SAT score of at least a 1,500 (out of 2,400) on the SAT to enroll in college.

WDEL
Organics recycling project takes students to national competition
Zero Waste Team Delaware is headed to the finals of the U.S. Army-sponsored science competition, eCYBERMISSION. 14-year-old Cab Calloway grad Eric Long says they’ve created a waste management model that’s already being used in Delaware.

The News Journal
Vouchers would hurt Delaware schools
An editorial
Delaware does not need a school voucher system. A Republican legislative proposal to allow parents to use money intended for public schools for tuition at non-public schools may be labeled an “Educational Savings Account Act,” but it is really a voucher system. And despite the sponsors’ description of the proposal, the act would be a subsidy for non-public schools.

National News

Washington Post
How Bill Gates pulled off the swift Common Core revolution
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation didn’t just bankroll the development of what became known as the Common Core State Standards. With more than $200 million, the foundation also built political support across the country, persuading state governments to make systemic and costly changes.

Brookings
Shooting bottle rockets at the moon: Overcoming the legacy of incremental education reform
A blog post by Thomas Kane, economist and Walter H. Gale Professor of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education
Too often, we draw up proposals which are directionally correct: better professional development for teachers, higher teacher salaries, incrementally smaller class sizes, better facilities, stronger broad-band connections for schools, etc. However, we do not pause long enough to consult the evidence on expected effect sizes and assemble a list of reforms that could plausibly succeed in achieving our ambitious goals.

The Advocate
Jindal wants La. out of Common Core
In his strongest criticism to date, Gov. Bobby Jindal said he wants Louisiana out of the Common Core and the tests that go with it. He has made similar statements in recent weeks. “I am committed to getting us out of PARCC, out of Common Core,” he said in a brief interview.

Education Week
Spurring student success: It’s more than academics
An editorial
The new attention to cultivating character traits such as persistence, grit, and self-control in students also reflects the emergence of new knowledge. As a result of the work of researchers such as Stanford University’s Carol S. Dweck, Angela L. Duckworth of the University of Pennsylvania, and others, more educators—and researchers—have come to believe that strategies for motivating students are within reach.

Albuquerque Journal
More questions on evals’ accuracy
Newly released state teacher evaluations that are based on erroneous data left New Mexico educators confused and frustrated, according to some Albuquerque school officials and the state Public Education Department.

Salt Lake Tribune
Utah education leaders debate return to No Child Left Behind
State education leaders are considering abandoning Utah’s waiver to the No Child Left Behind law, partly as a statement about federal interference in Utah schools.