March 9, 2015

Delaware News

The News Journal
Forum and expo can help prompt change
As we close in on Monday’s Imagine Delaware exposition and forum on education at the Chase Center, there are possibilities percolating for new funding formulas at struggling city schools, new district boundaries for schools within city borders and serious talk about a new city high school.

Public to vote on iEducate Delaware finalists
The Rodel Foundation of Delaware is asking the public to vote on 15 finalists for its iEducate initiative. The initiative has, since 2012, promoted unsung heroes in public education who are inspiring others. This year’s finalists include teachers, a judge, a student and other individuals promoting education all over the state.

How can divided Wilmington schools share innovations?
There is no shortage of innovative ideas in Wilmington’s schools. Its vo-techs, traditional public schools and many charters seem to be overflowing with them. The problem, many educators say, is that too few of those great ideas are being shared.

A vision for Wilmington schools
Many say consolidating Wilmington schools into fewer districts will improve education.

For city schools, a call for reinforcements
Many educators say all the changes to district administrations or school curricula are minor solutions compared to what is really needed. Reinforcements.

Unconscious bias hurts minority students
Opinion letter by Leland Ware, Louis L. Redding Professor of Law & Public Policy at the University of Delaware
Overall, black students are suspended and expelled at a rate three times greater than white students. On average, 5 percent of white students are suspended, compared to 16 percent of black students.

School solutions exist in communities
Letter to the Editor by Jim Purcell, President, Communities In Schools of Delaware
An education law that enables and encourages our principals and superintendents to provide wraparound services will give them the resources and the permission and flexibility to do what they know will work.

Schools should not be part of a gamble
Letter to the Editor by Jenn Ruebush, Wilmington
Our schools have such variations in what they teach and how. We need schools that are more equal and rigorous.

WHYY
Delaware AG: bullying progress may be an illusion
Reported incidences of bullying are down in Delaware schools, but the data may be skewed, according to a report released Friday. The 11 percent drop prompted skepticism from Attorney General Matt Denn, who was Delaware’s Lieutenant Governor when he helped draft anti-bullying legislation in 2012 and whose office drafted Friday’s report.

Cape Gazette
Study shows Delaware Tech’s impact on state’s economy
An independent study, Demonstrating the Economic Value of Delaware Technical Community College, validates the vital role Delaware Tech plays in Delaware’s economy. The report indicates that Delaware taxpayers see a rate of return of 9 percent on their investment in Delaware Technical Community College.

Seaford Star
Seaford School District looks at possible grade reconfiguration
Superintendent David Perrington told members of the Seaford School Board Tuesday night that he intends to put a recommendation before them by the end of April, on how to satisfy the district’s promise that it would use new space at the high school for additional grades.

WDDE
A new high school for Wilmington now part of state education debate
Rep. Earl Jaques (D-Glasgow), the new head of the House Education Committee, continues to make waves, calling for a new, state-of-the-art public high school in Wilmington.

UDaily
Geoffrey Canada of Harlem Children’s Zone offers vision for success
March 6, 2015–With humor, charisma and a passion for education, Geoffrey Canada, president and former CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone, offered an enthusiastic audience at the University of Delaware’s Mitchell Hall his vision of success for children growing up in underprivileged communities.

National News

Wired
Standardized tests suck. But the fix is more data, not less
It’s hard to argue that data shouldn’t play a larger role in education. The problem is that as of right now, our best method for collecting that data is standardized testing. And, as a data-collection technology, standardized testing sucks.

The Sacramento Bee
Governor Brown offers $50 million carrot for college innovation
Gov. Jerry Brown, who has been critical of public colleges and universities for failing to adapt to the 21st century, has pledged $50 million to reward campuses for creative, cost-effective approaches to getting more students to earn degrees in less time.

The New York Times
Charter school in Miami fails, but proves useful on Jeb Bush’s résumé
Co-founded in 1996 by Mr. Bush with what he called in an email a “powerful sense of pride and joy,” Liberty City Charter School was the first school of its kind in Florida and a pioneer in a booming industry and national movement. It became an image-softening vehicle for Mr. Bush’s political comeback, though the school’s road was anything but smooth.

Education Week
Some states put parents in charge of student spending
Imagine an education system where state funding goes directly to parents, who use that money to piece together customized instruction for their children. For some families in Arizona and Florida, this latest evolution in school choice is already the reality.

Star Tribune
Gov. Dayton calls Minnesota students overtested, wants to trim standardized tests by a third
Gov. Mark Dayton unveiled a proposal Friday to slash the number of tests students take by one-third, inserting himself into a contentious debate about the amount of time children spend taking exams each year.