November 4, 2015

The News Journal
Delaware could swap Smarter Balanced with SAT for juniors
Some Delawareans are calling for the state to stop giving high school juniors the controversial Smarter Balanced Assessment and instead rely on the SAT college entrance exam. “The SAT is a proven, reliable test,” said Terri Hodges, president of the state Parent Teacher Association. “Everyone is talking about reducing testing, and this seems a place you could do that.”

High school report
Local news from Delaware schools and districts including: Appoquinimink High School’s String Quartet played Oct. 28 during the closing ceremonies of the 8th Annual Conference on Education hosted by the Vision Coalition of Delaware

Dover Post
Delaware’s College Application Month open through Nov. 20
The Delaware Department of Education encouraged college-bound students to begin searching for local and national scholarships on the new online Scholarship Compendium during College Application Month, Oct. 19 to Nov. 20. Applications to all of Delaware’s public and private colleges are free for Delaware students during this time. Seniors will be given computer lab access in their schools to apply for college and will receive information packets at home about their college and career options.

USA Today
CDC urges Delaware city to target at-risk youth for help
The study recommends increased collaboration between Delaware social service agencies in preventing violence, saying the agencies should consult technical and legal counsel to develop policies and procedures to determine how the data can be shared while also protecting the privacy of individuals. “These individuals need multiple wrap around social services,” said Paul Silverman, associate deputy director for Health Information & Science at the Delaware Division of Public Health. “They need a package of assistance.

Springfield News-Leader
Education Matters: Yearlong internships may become new standard for teachers
Opinion by David L. Hough, Ph.D., professor and dean, College of Education, Missouri State University
I am in Atlanta today with a handful of other Missourians meeting with handfuls of other education leaders from California, Delaware, Illinois, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia. We’re all embarking on a two-year initiative to prepare the next wave of teachers to be “learner ready day one” and beyond. The message most are hearing and supporting is one that would have colleges and universities partner with public schools to implement yearlong internship programs. “Helicopter” student teaching experiences may soon be a thing of the past — except for those basement programs that do not appear to be concerned with rigor.

The Hechinger Report
Mississippi’s school funding challenge could be headed to court, no matter what voters decide
Nationally, 46 lawsuits have been filed seeking improved school funding, according to Michael A. Rebell, executive director of the Campaign for Educational Equity. Most states have been hit with multiple lawsuits, and in some — including Texas, California and Florida — disputes have extended for a decade or more. Nevada, Utah, Hawaii and Delaware are the only states that have not had school funding lawsuits filed.

National News

Miami Herald
Donors who support early childhood education get tax credits
Over the past few weeks, donors have pledged $35,000 to help support an agency that provides training and support to people who work with Lafayette Parish preschoolers. The Advocate reports the donors are in line for up to $5,000 in Louisiana tax credits each as an incentive that supports child care resource and referral agencies across the state.

Education Week
States may get more control over accountability. What will they do with it?
If Congress reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and gives states way more control over their own accountability systems, what will they do with it? Pretty much the same thing they have been doing for the past four years, says a report released Tuesday by the Council of Chief State School Officers. More specifically: States will continue crafting and implementing accountability systems that build on nine basic principles outlined by state education leaders way back in 2011.

Charlottesville Tomorrow
Education documentary challenges “traditional” classroom teaching
In the documentary “Most Likely to Succeed”, Ted Dintersmith examines the current state of public education in the United States and asks if the status quo is equipping students with the skills they will need to find success in a rapidly changing economy. “We’re headed for a profound collision between a world of innovation and an education system that is largely tied to preparing kids for assembly line jobs that don’t exist anymore,” Dintersmith said. While many teachers and school boards around the United States decry the use of standardized test scores as the major measurement of a student or a school’s academic achievement, the number of teachers using project-based learning in the region is on the rise.

Wall Street Journal
Financial woes plague Common-Core rollout
But politics isn’t the only reason for the turmoil. Many school districts discovered they didn’t have enough money to do all they needed to do. Some also found that meeting deadlines to implement the standards was nearly impossible.