June 22, 2015

Delaware News

The News Journal
iEducate Delaware award winners named
The Rodel Foundation of Delaware, a nonprofit think tank that aims to improve education in the state, has named the five winners of its annual iEducate Delaware awards. The awards are designed to honor educators, parents and community members who are “making a big difference in students’ education,” according to a news release. The winners must show innovation and creativity and strong collaboration with others in the community.

A sign of real progress on schools
Editorial
It was good to see a school bill pop up in the General Assembly and get through with little acrimony and a lot of support. The legislators considered – and mostly backed – two bills aimed at improving schools in Wilmington.

Tax increase would fund Delaware Tech infrastructure
Some lawmakers want to raise property taxes statewide to pay for infrastructure improvements at Delaware Technical Community College that school leaders say are sorely needed and long overdue.

Delaware education briefs
Parent advocacy workshop planned at Stubbs Elementary; YMCA offering free summer membership for teens; UD grad wins prestigious fellowship in Europe; Robert Hagerty named to Delaware Tech board; and UD Summer Faculty Institute called a success.

Cape Gazette
Del Tech’s Joanne Damminger receives NACADA award
Dr. Joanne Damminger, assistant vice president for student affairs at Delaware Technical Community College, has been selected as the recipient of the Service to the National Academic Advising Association

Delaware Public Media
Indian River intensive ESL program completes its first year
Back in February, we brought you the story of Indian River School District’s intensive ESL program for the wave of Central American teenagers who migrated to Delaware last summer. The APELL program, which just finished its first year, specifically focuses on students with low literacy skills. Those students aren’t mainstreamed into bigger public high schools until they’ve completed a year of the program.

Taskforce offers recommendations for teachers’ compensation changes
After nearly a year of work, a state task force is issuing part of their recommendation to pay Delaware teachers more. But the proposal remains incomplete long after the initial deadline of last November. Under a new bill, the committee would continue working to finalize details over two new “teacher leader” roles that come with more pay and new responsibilities.

Newsworks
Teacher compensation reform moves forward in Delaware
The Committee to Advance Educator Compensation and Careers (CAECC) officially issued recommendations that would, if written into law, shake up a teacher salary scale that has been in place for decades. The recommendations come after months of meetings and negotiations among legislators, education officials, representatives of the governor’s office, and the state’s teacher’s union.

Delaware Department of Education
Principal Preparation Program opens
A new 18-month preparation program has been formed at the University of Delaware, providing the state’s aspiring school leaders a new opportunity to be trained for certification with a greater focus on real-world leadership practice. Over the past several years, the Delaware Department of Education, Professional Standards Board and State Board of Education have changed policies to encourage and support new and innovative programs.

Delaware College Scholars gain academic, social skills through summer residential program
High-achieving students who would be the first in their families to attend college are spending part of their summer gaining the academic and social skills necessary for college success thanks to a free residential program launched in Delaware last year. The Delaware College Scholars (DCS) program provides nearly 80 juniors and seniors the opportunity to live and learn at St. Andrew’s School in Middletown for three weeks this summer, giving Delaware students the know-how to enroll in and graduate from a four-year university and helping to ensure each student is prepared to succeed in his or her post-secondary plans.

National News

Education Week
Districts learn lessons on 1-to-1 from others’ missteps
The Miami-Dade County, Fla., school district was preparing for an ambitious 1-to-1 computing initiative, confident it would transform learning. But then it put the brakes on, slowing down the rollout and narrowing its focus.

What Is NEA asking presidential contenders?
Blog post by Alyson Klein
And candidates must also fill out the NEA’s presidential questionnaire. The form asks yes or no questions about a candidate’s stance on everything from prioritizing Title I funding for disadvantaged kids to providing federal money to help fuel teacher residency programs to questions on school nutrition and to a $10.10 minimum wage. There are also queries on state funds for early childhood education, vouchers, and competitive grants.

The Acadiana Advocate
Common Core back on BESE agenda
The volatile debate on how to revise Common Core is out of the Legislature but far from settled. A committee of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is set to approve 101 nominees to four panels that will spend weeks reviewing the new academic benchmarks.

Inside Higher Ed
Study: 2 in 5 Associate Degrees Lead to a Bachelor’s Degree
A new study shows that more than 60 percent of students who earned an associate degree when they were 20 years old or younger went on to earn a bachelor’s within six years. For all students who earned an associate degree, 41 percent finished a bachelor’s degree within six years.

WBEZ
Poverty’s enduring hold on school success
In the rhetoric of the American Dream, an individual’s success is earned through hard work and determination. In the rhetoric of recent school reforms, a school’s success depends on quality teaching and high standards. Poverty shouldn’t matter when it comes to either. The reality of Illinois’ education system tells a different story.