May 24, 2016

Delaware

Delaware 105.9
State auditor’s office begins IRSD audit in wake of CFO being placed on paid administrative leave last month
The State auditor begins a review of the financial records of the Indian River School District following last month’s placement of paid administrative leave for it’s chief financial officer Patrick Miller. The Daily Times reports that initiating an audit of the IRSD was a mutual decision between the District and Tom Wagner’s Office. IRSD Spokesman Dave Maull would NOT comment.

Newark Post
Downes Elementary celebrates 50th anniversary
A little more than 50 years ago, the first students walked through the doors of Downes Elementary School. Some of them never left. Sandra Hudson was entering second grade in 1965 when the school opened just down the street from her house in the Cherry Hill neighborhood, instantly shortening her commute to school from a bus ride down to a short walk. “It was nice to be able to walk to school because it was right at the top of my street,” Hudson said.

Newsworks
Delaware police investigate six school bomb threats
Police in Delaware are investigating bomb threats called in to six schools across the state Monday morning. Delaware State Police are investigating four incidents, while Smyrna Police Department and Milford Police Department each investigate two other bomb threats. Delaware State Police said a male suspect called East Millsboro Elementary School in Millsboro, Beacon Middle School in Lewes, Polytech High School in Woodside and Stanton Middle School in Wilmington between 11:09 a.m. and 11:33 a.m., warning staff of bombs in their schools.

WDEL
Christina SD listens to parents, students, teachers on school discipline
Monday evening Christina School District held its first community forum on school climate and discipline. Parents, teachers, former teachers, students, and community members gathered at Glasgow High School to discuss problems, strengths, and ideas for change. “Students don’t take disciplinary action seriously,” 7th grade student Katie Givens told the group when it was her turn to speak.

National

Education Week
New analysis of states’ Race to the Top work released by ed. department
Blog post
With the crush of news about the Every Student Succeeds Act, Race to the Top may not be as high-profile as it once was—but there are lessons states can learn from their work in the competitive-grant program, according to a report released by the U.S. Department of Education last week. States reported success in helping to create new data systems and regional resource centers, but sometimes struggled to support activities related to curriculum and classroom resources.

NPR
‘Helping children succeed’ starts at birth; here’s how to do it
“I’m giving you these comments because I have very high expectations and I know that you can reach them.” In one of the many experiments cited in Paul Tough’s new book, Helping Children Succeed, a group of middle school students received this message on a Post-it note, attached to a paper their teachers were handing back. The message of support and high expectations had a small positive effect on white students. But for black students the impact was massive.

The Atlantic
What are Massachusetts public schools doing right?
When it comes to the story of Massachusetts’s public schools, the takeaway, according to the state’s former education secretary, Paul Reville, is that “doing well isn’t good enough.” Massachusetts is widely seen as having the best school system in the country: Just 2 percent of its high-schoolers drop out, for example, and its students’ math and reading scores rank No. 1 nationally. It even performs toward the top on international education indices.

The Sacramento Bee
Charter school advocates flood Sacramento education races with $300,000
Charter school advocates have spent nearly $300,000 backing candidates for three seats on the board of the Sacramento County Office of Education, positions that once were considered sleepy political outposts.  Besides providing oversight for Sacramento County school districts, the education board reviews the charters of countywide charter school systems and hears appeals from charter schools whose applications have been rejected by local school districts.

U.S. News & World Report
Putting parents first
Opinion by Gerard Robinson, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute
Parents are a child’s first educator. At the same time, after a child reaches a certain age, most parents rely on the state for their child’s education. The tension of rights and responsibilities between parents and the state has a long tradition in Western history. If government is responsible for creating education laws, what role should it play in overseeing how that education is delivered?