July 17, 2017
Delaware News
Delaware 105.9
Delaware Teacher Centers statewide closing; Rep. Lynn fights to reinstate funding
The negative impact to non-profits in Delaware as a result of the 20-percent cut to Grant-in-Aid continues to mount and one the latest non-profits to suffer is the Delaware Teacher Centers, which are now closing due to the reductions in funding.
Department of Education
Delaware receives highest federal rating for special education services
Press Release
Delaware earned the highest rating possible from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) in its evaluation of the state’s special education services. The top marks come just three years after Delaware had received a “needs intervention” rating, the second-lowest.
Newsworks
At Wilmington elementary school, improvement is hard but a priority
Low-performing, high-poverty Warner Elementary School was one of six in Wilmington to receive an ultimatum in 2014: improve or face closure. WHYY visited to document the school’s efforts. To reach their bus stop at Third and Franklin streets in Wilmington every morning, the third, fourth and fifth graders at Warner Elementary School must traverse a treacherous stretch. Their path takes them through a neighborhood in Hilltop where the children co-exist with armed drug dealers who do a brisk business.
Rodel Blog
Resilience Film Screening: Recap
Blog post by Neil Kirschling, senior program officer at the Rodel Foundation of Delaware
Last week, about 100 people gathered in Theatre N for a screening of the film “Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope” and panel discussion among local experts. If you weren’t one of the lucky 100, here’s a summary of the event, themes from the conversation, and ways to get involved.
The News Journal
Help underprivileged kids’ college dreams come true
Opinion by Atnre Alleyne, founder and executive director of DelawareCAN
What does a kid do when her elite college dreams are being suffocated by a school system best suited to stifle mobility? How does she erase the seemingly indelible signs of inequitable schooling and resources from her record and etch her name on the registries of colleges meant for the affluent? She cheats. But she doesn’t cheat in a way that is inappropriate, illegal, or disqualifying.
UDaily
ProStart Teachers Workshop
This summer, 11 high school teachers from around the country gathered at the University of Delaware campus to participate in the National Restaurant Association’s ProStart Teachers Workshop. Chef Joe DiGregorio, executive chef and director of education for the UD hospitality department’s food service lab, facilitated the weeklong intensive program.
National News
Chron
Many schools now urge kids to bring their own screens
Got your own laptop or tablet? Bring it to class, many schools now say. Policies known as BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) or BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology) initially raised eyebrows among parents and teachers, who feared they would open the door to addictive video games and social media in class. But many of those skeptics are being won over, saying BYOD expands educational opportunities, saves money, and reduces technical headaches.
Education Week
K-12 funding entangled in states’ budget drama
K-12 school spending this year got caught up in budget standoffs that, in some states, led to brief government shutdowns. And the drama isn’t over yet. Though most state legislatures now have wrapped up business for the year, several this summer still are trying to design new revenue models, K-12 funding formulas, and—in the case of Kansas and Washington—awaiting court approval to assure their new school spending plans are constitutional.
The Hechinger Report
It’s tough to prepare children for kindergarten if parents and teachers don’t collaborate
When parents and teachers and parents work together, children arrive at school ready for kindergarten. I have spent the past ten years teaching at in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, in Boyle, Mississippi, the most recent four of those years teaching kindergarten for 5-year-olds at Bell Academy. Nearly one-third of the population of Boyle lives below the poverty line, as do more than 40 percent of those who are under 18 years old.
The News & Observer
NC’s prekindergarten efforts shown to help children for years, report card finds
North Carolina’s prekindergarten program for 4-year-olds, established 15 years ago, has produced learning gains for children, sometimes well into elementary school, a new report from UNC concludes. The new summary report, from UNC’s Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, reviewed years of data and annual evaluations on NC Pre-K, which began under the name More at Four.
The Washington Post
Trump wants to spend millions more on school vouchers. But what’s happened to the millions already spent?
Congress dedicates $15 million a year to a program that helps low-income D.C. students pay tuition at private schools, but it’s impossible for taxpayers to find out where their money goes: The administrator of the D.C. voucher program refuses to say how many students attend each school or how many public dollars they receive. It’s also not clear how students are performing in each school.