September 6, 2016

Delaware News

Coastal Point
Time to hit the books
Indian River School District will welcome more than 10,000 students back to school when the 2016-2017 school year begins on Tuesday, Sept. 6. Preschool programs, including Project Village and TOTS, will begin on Monday, Sept. 12.

Budget cuts in IRSD amidst talk of two possible referendums
Indian River School District officials have been telling people for years now that the student population is growing much faster than once anticipated. This month, the school board slashed the district’s budget by about 13 percent, amidst plans to potentially build three new buildings and renovate three more in the near future.

District’s newest teachers head to class
The cafeteria at the Southern Delaware School of the Arts resembled a giant classroom on the morning of Monday, Aug. 22, with fresh faces seated at rows of tables, surrounded by shiny, colorful new school supplies — except that many of those at the desks had brought their own cups of coffee and all were at least in their early to mid-20s.

Delaware Public Media
Gov. Jack Markell goes back to school in weekly address
It’s the start of another school year in Delaware, and Gov. Jack Markell (D) is touting his education legacy in his weekly message. “This week, students across our state are returning to the classroom and thanks to the hard work of teachers and administrators our schools are setting them on a path to rewarding careers and success in life through higher standards and innovative instruction that meet the skills needed in today’s high tech economy,” Markell said.

Dover Post
NEWSMAKER: Susan Shelor
Susan Shelor and her team are the bedrock of the Caesar Rodney School District. She isn’t the type of educator you’re going to see on the front lines. She isn’t going to greet you after walking into class or be there to help with assignments. But without her skills as technology coordinator and information security officer both students and staff would struggle.

Middletown Transcript
MOT Charter School starts year with new head of school
There was much excitement in the air as MOT Charter School students went back to their classrooms on Aug. 17. Many of the “first day back” experiences were typical – sharing summer adventures, wondering what their teacher would be like, and reconnecting with friends. The notable difference this year was the person greeting students as the new head of school, Ned Southworth IV.

The News Journal
Keeping up that back-to-school feeling
The wide open sense of possibility that comes at the start of the school year has swept across Delaware. Most schools were back in session last week, and the rest of them are due to be trickling back after Labor Day. So, students across the state are zipping up their new backpacks and waiting for the rumble of the school bus rolling down the street.

National News

Chalkbeat
Ten Memphis schools targeted in attendance campaign backed by Memphis Grizzlies
Aaliyah Moore likes going to school. Attending class every day is about seeing the big picture, she says. “I want to get my education so I can be somebody,” says the seventh-grader at A. Maceo Walker Middle School. “And I got siblings who look up to me.” Unfortunately, not all students have Aaliyah’s perspective or the ability to get to school in a city where many families struggle with poverty and transportation.

Education Week
Charter schools aren’t good for blacks, civil rights groups say
African-American students make up a major share of enrollment in the nation’s charter schools—and in some cities, they dominate. But since two black civil rights organizations born from different generations called for a halt to opening new charters, debate has been raging over how the groups’ demands will affect black support for the publicly funded, but independently run schools.

NPR
After 25 years, this teacher says it’s all the paperwork that made him quit
After 25 years of teaching, Rick Young won’t return to his history classroom this fall. “This became my home,” he says. “This is a unique, special place,” talking about Daniel C. Oakes High School, where he’s spent his entire career. It’s a small public school outside of Denver for students who’ve struggled with traditional education. For some, it’s their third or fourth try at high school – and they know it’s probably the last stop.

The Texas Tribune
Gov. Abbott launches Innovative Academies in Texas high schools
Texas public high school students can begin preparing for careers ranging from aerospace to life sciences – all while receiving college credits before graduation – under an initiative launched by Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday. The program will create “Innovative Academies,” which will work within public high schools partnered with higher education programs and businesses to move students into competitive jobs.

U.S. News & World Report
Head Start gets sweeping overhaul
The Obama administration released a sweeping overhaul to the federal Head Start program Thursday, significantly reducing duplicative and burdensome requirements while also expanding the program to a full day and school year and increasing services for children with disabilities and those who don’t speak English.