October 27, 2016
Delaware News
Delaware Public Media
Delaware groups demand accountability ahead of Dept. of Ed. ESSA draft plan release
Over 20 First State organizations signed a letter sent to the state Department of Education and Gov. Jack Markell Wednesday regarding Delaware’s implementation of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The groups are concerned about how accountability will be measured.
The News Journal
Black Achievers speaker encourages Wilmington youth
Steve Perry, a national education advocate, told several dozen Wilmington youths on Wednesday to think beyond labels society assigns them. “Sometimes it’s about making people believe that when they see people like us – black, Latino or poor people – that there’s something still special in us,” he said. “Just because we come in a different wrapper doesn’t mean what’s inside isn’t as amazing and powerful as other people.”
Teacher of year offers lessons in life skills, empathy
Wendy Turner was on her seventh day of teaching when she was told the mother of one her students had died of cancer. “I was terrified. I didn’t know what to do,” said Turner, now a second-grade teacher at Mount Pleasant Elementary School near Fox Point. “So I did the most important thing a new teacher can do: I asked for help.”
Town Square Delaware
Celebrating Jobs for Delaware Graduates on their path to success
There were thousands of reasons Jobs for Delaware Graduates had for gathering and celebrating today at the Hotel DuPont in Wilmington. More than 300 guests, including Governor and Mrs. Markell, U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, and former Congressman Mike Castle enjoyed a breakfast and a program with speakers who noted the remarkable achievements of some of the 60,000 students who have graduated from the Delaware program since its inception.
National News
Education Week
Science scores rise for 4th and 8th grades
Students in the 4th and 8th grades are showing more mastery of science, but high school seniors’ scores on the assessment known as “the nation’s report card” stayed flat from 2009. The results released this morning from the 2015 National Assessment of Education Progress also found that while large gaps remain between black and Hispanic students and their white peers in science, those gaps are narrowing, as is the gender gap in 8th grade.
Public Radio Tulsa
Oklahoma cited as a leader in transition to new federal education law
Oklahoma is among the leaders halfway through the transition to new federal education law. The Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA, is replacing the No Child Left Behind Act. It was signed into law by President Barack Obama on Dec. 10, 2015, and all U.S. schools must comply for the 2017–2018 school year. “Oklahoma is our shining model that’s taking place right now and what they’re doing to get it right for their students,” said National Education Association President Lily Eskelen-Garcia.
The Daily Herald
Public education shifting from group education to personalized learning
Is the American educational system reverting back to the era of the one-room schoolhouse? Perhaps not, but there is an evolving change in thinking about the best way to educate today’s children that harkens back to the educational practices of earlier times: personalized learning and homeschooling. With classes of not more than three students, the new individualized trend may be categorized as: “Every child is his own school: One student-one teacher,” which represents a more ideal model for learning as well as teaching.
The Hechinger Report
New Orleans’ uphill battle for more black and homegrown teachers
This story is part of a series looking at a shortage of black and Hispanic teachers and ideas for recruiting more to the profession. Other stories in the series look at schools that are recruiting from their own alumni to increase diversity and a traditional teacher education program focused on recruiting Hispanic teachers.
WBAL
Maryland tries to find solution for teacher shortage
Nearly half of the nation’s first-year public school teachers are predicted to leave their classrooms within three years. It’s a problem that has the state of Maryland looking for solutions. A new Maryland teacher staffing report just released Tuesday shows every district in the state is dealing with a shortage.