May 16, 2014

Local News

The News Journal
More Delaware children living in poverty
Released this week, the Kids Count study shows 20.6 percent of Delaware children live in poverty. Although slightly better than the national rate of 21.9 percent, it’s much worse than the under 12 percent rate of 2007 and continues to climb. The report points out that low-income children score lower on standardized tests and are more likely to be retained in grade or to drop out.

School board elections outreach shameful
A letter to the editor by Susan Arruda, Wilmington
I’d like to comment on the lack of voters in the recent school board elections. I live in the Red Clay, and I have tried to get information on the candidates. We have received no information. I called the District office; they told me the state Elections Office is in charge. I called them several times, and no one picked up the phone. It is no wonder that so few people come out when no information about the election/candidates is presented to the public.

La Academia’s time is now
A letter to the editor by Maria Matos, President & CEO, Latin American Community Center
La Academia will be housed in the specially designed Community Education Building in Wilmington along with Kuumba Academy when the building opens in August. La Academia will provide an innovative choice for families who want a better education for their children. Due to bureaucratic hurdles in preparation for the school’s opening, La Academia has been placed under formal review. Concerns of the Charter School Accountability Committee have been addressed, and our board is enthusiastically moving forward to open the school as planned.

Lawmakers OK Markell’s urban rebuilding program
Gov. Jack Markell’s plan to revitalize Delaware communities hit by urban blight, crime and economic stagnation cleared the General Assembly after House lawmakers unanimously passed the measure Thursday evening. Wilmington officials have said they’d like to identify potential projects as soon as lawmakers approve the program. One council member has said it is perfectly fitted for an initiative in the city’s east side. The project would include the refurbishment and construction of more than 100 homes and beautification through the planting of trees and vegetable gardens.

National News

Education Week
What happened to the education department’s teacher-equity strategy?
Way back in November, the U.S. Department of Education told states that it was working on a “50-state” strategy to tackle one of the trickiest areas of education policy: Ensuring that disadvantaged students have access to their fair share of highly-qualified and effective teachers. The department was hoping to unveil the strategy in January. It’s now the middle of May, the school year is nearly over, and we haven’t seen it yet.

Inside Higher Education
National enrollment slide slows a bit
The decline in overall college enrollment has slowed this spring, according to new data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, but not all the news is positive.

Chalkbeat Colorado
Fewer Colorado students need catch-up classes
College remediation rates in Colorado fell to 37 percent for the state’s high school class of 2012, down from a high of 41 percent in 2010. For the first time, that figure includes students who were graduating either early or late.

Los Angeles Times
The Broad Foundation’s Bruce Reed on education reform, teachers and charters
The Broad Foundation’s education initiatives began 15 years ago, but the organization is just now getting its first president, and his surname isn’t Broad. Bruce Reed is tasked with minding the foundation’s investments and its work on K-12 reform, which has shaken the educational apple tree. T

The Associated Press
Missouri lawmakers approve overhaul of law
Lawmakers gave final approval to legislation overhauling a Missouri school transfer law that requires struggling schools to pay for students to transfer elsewhere despite criticism from Gov. Jay Nixon.

Indianapolis Star
Indiana gives initial OK to new requirements
The State Board of Education gave initial approval to an amended proposal that would allow college graduates with a B average in any subject to earn a K-12 teaching license in Indiana.