May 22, 2014

Local News

Delaware State News
Panel: Schools should start after Labor Day
A state task force voted 8-7 Wednesday to recommend to the General Assembly that public schools start classes after Labor Day. The group, formed last year after state legislators passed a resolution calling for a study of the issue, includes lawmakers and representatives from education and tourism. Members of the task force had been meeting since December. They examined how the change would affect the education system, the economy and tourism in southern Delaware.

National News

The New York Times
Science standards divide a state built on coal and oil
Sitting in the headquarters of the Wyoming Liberty Group, Susan Gore, founder of the conservative think tank, said new national science standards for schools were a form of “coercion,” adding, “I don’t think government should have anything to do with education.” Ms. Gore, a daughter of the founder of the company that makes Gore-Tex waterproof fabric, was speaking here weeks after the Republican-controlled Legislature made Wyoming, where coal and oil are king, the first state to reject the standards, which include lessons on human impact on global warming.

The Columbus Dispatch
Ohio Senate committee tweaks standards
Hoping to quell concerns about Common Core standards and new student tests, a Senate committee recommended passage of an education budget overhaul.

The New Yorker
Schooled
Cory Booker, Chris Christie, and Mark Zuckerberg had a plan to reform Newark’s schools. They got an education.

Chicago Sun-Times
Illinois proposal allows school to drop certain topics
Legislation allowing schools to opt out of teaching topics like drivers’ education and black history has received backing from an Illinois Senate committee.

The Associated Press
Florida laws designed to help understand school progress
New laws should make it easier for parents to see how their children’s schools and districts are doing compared to others in Florida, experts told the state Board of Education.

Lawrence Journal World
Kansas working through licensing changes
Obtaining a teacher’s license in Kansas is about to get a lot easier for those who teach in particular areas, but they will also become more expensive under plans being considered.