March 14, 2016
Delaware
Cape Gazette
Lewes residents hear referendum plan
A presentation on the future of Cape Henlopen’s elementary schools drew 10 people March 8 at the Lewes School, one of two schools slated for renovations. Attendance has been low at the community meetings in advance of the Wednesday, March 23, referendum. Seven people attended a meeting at Rehoboth Elementary and five at H.O. Brittingham Elementary.
Delaware Public Media
Cape Henlopen referendum seeks funds for school buildings
Aiming to stay ahead of steady enrollment growth projected for the next decade, the Cape Henlopen School District is asking residents to approve a phased-in tax hike to pay for construction of two new elementary schools and renovations to two others. Polls will be open from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 23, at Cape Henlopen High School, Mariner Middle School and Rehoboth Elementary School.
Brandywine School District asks votes to go all in on referendum vote
In most Delaware school districts, when residents are asked to approve tax hikes for school operating expenses and new construction, it’s like a multiple-choice test. They can vote yes or no on each proposal. But that’s not how it’s going to work in the Brandywine School District on March 23, a “Super Wednesday” for Delaware schools, with three tax-hike referendums scheduled.
Christina School District tries again to garner referendum support
For the Christina School District, it’s one and done this year. If residents don’t approve a proposed tax increase of 30 cents per $100 of assessed value in a March 23 referendum, district officials have vowed that they won’t try, try again later this spring. That’s what happened last year, when voters rejected a pair of proposed tax hikes, leading to $9 million in budget cuts that resulting in laying off 78 teachers and 14 aides.
Delaware State News
Capital School District’s third strategic plan meeting tonight
Capital School District has entered the early stages of developing a new Strategic Plan, as the last was capped off by the completed renovations at Booker T. Washington Elementary. “We want to hear the good, the bad and the ugly,” said Capital School Board Vice President Sean Christiansen. “All the meetings are being recorded and transcribed verbatim, so if you come out to share your opinion, the board will hear it.”
The Middletown Transcript
‘Cybersafety: Keeping our children safe’ workshop set for March 15
Robert J. Irwin, Director of Investigations for the Delaware Attorney General’s Office, will speak to parents about cybersafety with a focus on children on Tuesday, March 15 from 6:30-7:45 p.m. at St. Anne’s Episcopal School, Silver Lake Road, Middletown. This free event, open to the public, is presented by the St. Anne’s Parents’ Association (SAPA) and RSVPs are requested to SAESSAPA@gmail.com. Free child care will be available with advance RSVP.
The News Journal
AG’s Office: Board of Ed didn’t violate open meeting law
Attorney General Matt Denn’s office has found that the Delaware Board of Education did not violate open-meeting rules when two members had a side conversation during a vote on the Wilmington school redistricting plan. Rep. Kim Williams, D-Newport, complained about the Jan. 21 meeting in which the State Board decided not to approve the Wilmington Education Improvement Commission’s controversial plan.
Delaware bill to keep students out of criminal system
Attorney General Matt Denn and lawmakers are rallying behind legislation that would eliminate the rule that schools have to report minor fights between students to the police. The Senate bill, introduced Thursday, also would require schools to inform parents of students who are victims of bullying of the option to have the Attorney General’s Office intervene in their child’s case if it is not being addressed satisfactorily by the school.
Sussex County Post
Elementary schools hosting open houses for Spanish immersion program
John M. Clayton and East Millsboro elementary schools will host a series of open houses for their Spanish immersion programs on May 4 and May 5. Parents interested in enrolling their child in the program next year may visit these schools on either day to tour the immersion classrooms. No appointment is necessary. Only kindergarten students will be selected for the program in 2016-2017.
Woodbridge standout nets Gatorade’s nod for Delaware
Gatorade has tabbed a Woodbridge Blue Raider for First State honors. In its 31st year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports Thursday announced Altia Anderson of Woodbridge High School as its 2015-16 Gatorade Delaware Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Altia is the first Gatorade Delaware Girls Basketball Player of the Year to be chosen from Woodbridge High School.
U.S. Department of Education
Testing action plan: State and district profile
In a recent visit to Wilmington, Delaware, Acting U.S. Secretary of Education King spoke with State leaders, superintendents, and educators about testing, the role it plays in teaching and learning, and how quality assessments can be used to improve academic achievement. “It’s important for us to know where we have achievement gaps. It is important for us to know where our students are making progress,” King said. “But there are places around the country where there is too much assessment and the assessments are not the quality we want.”
National
Education Week
‘Social-Emotional Learning’ a ripe market for ed tech, report contends
Blog post by Ben Herold, reporter at Education Week
Ed tech can help students develop critical social and emotional skills and character traits, but the market for such tools is currently underdeveloped, according to a new report from the World Economic Forum and the Boston Consulting Group. The report, titled New Vision for Education: Fostering Social and Emotional Learning Through Technology, identifies two main areas for growth.
Politico
As shortage looms, state rethinks how it recruits and treats its teachers
A looming shortage is forcing New York to take a hard look at how it recruits and certifies its teachers, particularly as it pushes new education programs and pathways toward graduation. The number of public classroom teachers fell by 8 percent statewide over a decade, according to state data from the 2014-15 school year.
RedefinED
Florida lawmakers back competency-based education programs
Four school districts and a laboratory school at the University of Florida would have more freedom to explore competency-based education — in which students progress based on what they know rather than the amount of time spent in class — under a bill now headed Gov. Rick Scott’s desk. The Florida Senate approved HB 1365 this morning on a 31-6 vote.
The Atlantic
The shift away from ‘no-excuses’ discipline
A few years ago, if a student arrived at an Ascend elementary school wearing the wrong color socks, she was sent to the dean’s office to stay until a family member brought a new pair. Now, the school office is stocked with extra socks. Students without them can pick up a spare pair before heading to class. It’s a simple shift, but part of a revolution in the culture at Ascend, which oversees five charter elementary schools, three middle schools, and a high school in Brooklyn.
The New York Times
Oil collapse drains Alaska’s wide-ranging education system
The University of Alaska has said it will reorganize its campuses and might have to cut more than 8 percent of the staff, but professors are already heading for the exits. The state’s largest public school district, here in Anchorage, is cutting 49 teaching positions and increasing class sizes. And in tiny rural schools like Nightmute — which has 80 students in a village of about 300 people — pain has almost reached the point of paralysis.