March 20, 2015
Delaware News
Delaware State News
Markell touts plan to study students’ educational needs
Gov. Jack Markell hopes to initiate a statewide plan that will review public, charter, vocational-technical and magnet schools to address unmet student needs. He will also put a hold on any new charter schools until the review has been completed. The review was inspired by a proposal by the Wilmington Education Advisory Committee WEAC), a group formed by the governor last year that has urged the state to be more strategic about the growth of educational opportunities, particularly for charter schools in Wilmington.
WHYY
Delaware to complete review of public school needs, demographics
Delaware Governor Jack Markell announced Thursday that the state will review its public school landscape to gauge demand for specialized programs and map demographic trends. “The purpose is to identify the new kinds of programs that would benefit the state and help us understand those that would not benefit the state,” Markell said at the state’s monthly Board of Education meeting.
The News Journal
Markell: No more charters until strategic plan exists
No new charter schools should be approved to open until Delaware figures out what its students need and creates a plan for how all its schools can meet those needs, Gov. Jack Markell said Thursday. Markell said the state Department of Education and State Board of Education will do a “comprehensive needs assessment” to see what students need and what services they might not be getting now.
WDDE
Proposed legislation aims to help those with disabilities in Delaware put money away
Those with disabilities in Delaware could save for their future without losing federal benefits under a new bill in Delaware. Legislation would create a tax-exempt savings account under the federal ABLE Act that Congress passed last year.
Smyrna-Clayton Sun-Times
First State Military Academy in Clayton projected to reach first-year enrollment goal of 200 students
The First State Military Academy will be opening its doors to 9th and 10th graders in Clayton this August. The school, which will feature a Marine Corps Junior ROTC program, is open to boys and girls. Plans are to serve about 200 students this year with about 10 teachers and three to four additional staff members.
The Chronicle
Buccaneer Tomorrow group makes clear call for referendum support: Milford Mayor joins in school vote effort
On May 5, the Milford School District will ask voters to raise local school taxes to pay for a new high school and a $3 million increase in operating funds. The new school will cost about $69 million. Buccaneer Tomorrow describes itself as a, “proactive community group working with Milford School District to address issues with positive solutions based on parent and community feedback.”
Dover Post
Print shop continues to provide real world lessons
Students with special needs learn important lessons in print shop at Dover High School.
Middletown Transcript
Governor’s mother celebrates project she pioneered at Middletown High School
Middletown was the first high school in the state to adopt the school based-health center model where private doctors and nurses could provide students with physical exams, health care screenings, treatment of minor illnesses and injuries, mental health care, immunizations, and more – all free of charge to students who enroll.
National News
Education Week
After divisive start, use of ‘parent trigger’ law matures
Five years after California parents gained the power to initiate major changes at failing schools, advocates of the state’s controversial parent-trigger law are expanding their strategies to broaden its influence.
Districts work with families to curb Pre-K absenteeism
Amid a national push to expand early education, officials in a number of cities work to combat chronic nonattendance among preschoolers, seen as a warning sign of issues in the later grades.
The Hechinger Report
What this spring’s Common Core tests promised, and what they will actually deliver
New Common Core tests are debuting on time this spring, but after years of bruising attacks from both left and right, the groups tapped by the federal government to build them are struggling to meet all the hype.
Teachers can’t transform urban schools without studying communities
Opinion by Etta Hollins, Professor and the Kauffman Endowed Chair for Urban Teacher Education at the School of Education at the University of Missouri, Kansas City
Teacher candidates need to demonstrate a strong interest in learning about the communities in which they work and where their students live. This is important for making connections between students’ life experiences and classroom learning.
Chalkbeat Tennessee
For principals, value-added takes back seat in decisions about teachers, study says
Even as policymakers are putting more emphasis on test score growth, it’s becoming less important to principals, according to a new study.
The New York Times
Schools wait to see what becomes of No Child Left Behind law
A rewrite of the law could collapse in partisan disarray as in past years. But it could also herald a new era of education, keeping some testing but eliminating prescriptive punishments for schools. At the same time, it could allow some states to lower their academic standards, and others to reduce the amount of federal money flowing to schools that serve the poorest children.