April 11, 2017
Delaware News
Newark Post
School board candidates debate budget, community engagement
Candidates in the upcoming Christina School Board election faced off Monday during a forum at Newark High School, where they shared their qualifications and experiences while offering solutions to problems facing the district. Residents of the district will cast their votes on May 9. The winner will serve a five-year term and replace incumbent Shirley Sutton-Saffer, who originally filed for re-election and then withdrew two days before the filing deadline.
Sussex County Post
Georgetown Middle School counselor lands overall state honor
Erin Crooks, a counselor at Georgetown Middle School, has been named the 2017 Delaware School Counselor of the Year. The award was given today by the Delaware School Counselor Association during its annual spring conference in Dover. Prior to winning the overall state award, Ms. Crooks was named Middle School Counselor of the Year by the DSCA in February.
Town Square Delaware
Students jump into First State Shark Tank
Wilmingtonians hoping to launch their own business jumped into the shark tank last week. Four entrepreneurial young adults presented their ideas to a panel of judges at West End Neighborhood House’s Launcher Entrepreneurship program on April 4th. The winning idea was from the youngest participant who wowed the judges with a cold glass of tasty lemonade.
The Dover Post
Newcomer Dover to represent Delaware at competition
The “We the People” competition has been challenging students’ knowledge of the Constitution since 1987. This year, first-time contender Dover High School took the state title. The Feb. 13 state competition at Smyrna High School pitted Dover’s team against those of Smyrna and Lake Forest High School. The state champs are moving on to the nationals in Washington April 21 to 24. Molly Phillips, a social studies teacher at Dover High School, found out about the contest during a training session at Valley Forge.
Middletown Transcript
Appoquinimink robotics team qualifies for world championship
After winning their first two competitions, the members of the Appoquinimink High School Robotics Club need the community’s help to send them to Kentucky for the VEX Robotics World Championship. “We started out at the beginning of this school year by building a robot so we could participate at the VEX Robotics tournaments held in our state of Delaware,” said club member Cody Oduber.
Delaware 105.9
Cape Henlopen HS JROTC instructor gets a special honor
A Cape Henlopen High School JROTC instructor gets recognized for being a positive influence on hundreds of students. Sergeant Richard Hurt was named a 2016-17 LifeChanger of the Year Award. It’s a program sponsored by National Life Group that seeks to recognize teachers and school employees who demonstrate excellence, leadership, and a positive influence.
National News
U.S. Department of Education
Statement by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos on the shooting at San Bernardino’s North Park Elementary
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos issued the following statement concerning the shooting today at North Park Elementary School in San Bernardino, California. “My heart and prayers go out to the victims of this horrible act and to all students and members of the North Park Elementary School community. I want to thank the first responders, teachers, and school administrators who were there to protect the students in harm’s way. As a mother and grandmother, today’s senseless violence is a tragedy no parent should ever have to face. I ask everyone to join me in keeping all the victims and those impacted in your prayers.”
NPR
Having just one black teacher can keep black kids in school
How important is it to have a role model? A new working paper puts some numbers to that question. Having just one black teacher in third, fourth or fifth grade reduced low-income black boys’ probability of dropping out of high school by 39 percent, the study found. And by high school, African-American students, both boys and girls, who had one African-American teacher had much stronger expectations of going to college.
WBUR
Mass. outperforms the U.S. in math, but has work to do to compete globally
Since the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993, schools in the state have focused on strengthening students comprehension of so-called STEM topics — science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The first three areas depend largely on competency in the last one — math. Massachusetts students are doing quite well in the subject overall, but critical gaps remain.
The Washington Post
Walker wants Wisconsin to be first state to stop dictating how much time kids should go to school
If Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) has his way, the Badger State will become the first to stop requiring students in public schools to spend a minimum number of hours in class. A proposal in Walker’s new budget plan calls for ending the state’s current minimum requirements — 437 hours for kindergarten, 1,050 hours for elementary schools and 1,137 hours for secondary schools — and allowing school districts to do what they want in terms of seat hours for students.
The Hechinger Report
Catholic schools turn to blended learning as a way to address students’ individual needs
After years of declining enrollment, a growing number of Catholic schools nationwide are placing their faith in blended learning, a teaching approach in which computers share the instructional load with teachers, and one that appeals to many parents disillusioned with traditional schools. Because blended learning software provides a steady and immediate flow of data on student performance, teachers can focus more closely on the individual needs of each child.