March 10, 2017

Delaware News

The News Journal
Christina Montessori program threatened by low enrollment
A specialized program offered by Christina School District but used by families across New Castle County stands to be the first “public Montessori school failure” if administrators can’t find a way to raise enrollment. It’s a heavy blow to both parents and staff of the Montessori Academy at Christina, who said they have fallen victim to poor district management and oversight. Enrollment at the program’s peak was roughly 150, but it has fallen below 60.

Wilmington Friends School junior wins state poetry title
From a competitive field of 13 Delaware high school students, Cecilia Ergueta, a junior from Wilmington Friends School, earned the title of 2017 Poetry Out Loud Delaware State Champion at the state finals held in Smyrna on Feb. 28. The first runner-up was Shalyn Littlejohn from Hodgson Vo-Tech High School and the second runner-up was Sam McGarvey from Tall Oaks Classical High School.

Newark Post
Three vying for Christina School Board seat
Three candidates have filed to run in the Christina School Board election on May 9. The winner will serve a five-year term and replace embattled incumbent Shirley Sutton-Saffer, who originally filed for re-election and then withdrew two days before the filing deadline. In the running are Jeffrey Day, a nurse with three young children; Meredith L. Griffin Jr., a pastor who has served on the boards of the Rodel Foundation and the Delaware Charter Schools Network; and Kimara Smith, a graduate student at Wilmington University.

Rodel Blog
The dangers of chronic absenteeism
Blog post by Shyanne Miller, policy associate at the Rodel Foundation of Delaware
If students are not in school, they are not learning. That is the main issue behind chronic absenteeism, which has serious implications for student success. Students that are chronically absent are at a higher risk of failing academically or dropping out. Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing at least 10 percent of instructional time within one academic year.

Harrington Journal
Students take culinary skills to the next level
An unlikely partnership has flourished into tasty and lucrative business ventures for several Lake Forest High School students and graduates. When the Harrington Raceway & Casino began looking for a connection within the Prostart program, a nationwide two-year curriculum that allows students to work closely with industry professionals, they were paired with a school cities away, according to Chief Operating Officer of Hospitality Hank Rosenberg.

National News

Newsworks
Advocacy group says pre-K art classes may improve learning
An arts advocacy organization in Philadelphia has issued the first of a series of reports outlining how, exactly, the arts benefit the city. The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance has begun compiling research about the economic, educational, and health benefits of the arts. The first release is about pre-kindergarten programs.

Courier-Journal
Ky legislature OKs later start to school year
The first day of school for students across Kentucky may start happening later than usual if Gov. Matt Bevin signs a bill the state House of Representatives approved Wednesday into law. The House easily approved a measure Wednesday afternoon in a 77-18 vote that would encourage public school districts to wait until late August to kick off the school year.

Chalkbeat
Why boosting mental health for the youngest children is attracting federal — and private — investment
At dinnertime on a Tuesday night, nine parents sat in a Commerce City preschool classroom discussing the difficulty of setting rules for their small children. Some said they bark orders too often and are trying to cut back. One mom said she wished one blanket rule — “just love each other” — would cover it. But inevitably she finds a dozen more specific things to list off: Don’t bite, don’t hit and so on.

The New York Times
Obama education rules are swept aside by Congress
With all the attention paid to President Trump’s lightning-rod secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, and her advocacy for private school vouchers, little public notice has been paid to the action on education in Congress — where lawmakers have broader power than Ms. DeVos to make changes to the nation’s school system. Now, Congress has done exactly that, voting to repeal crucial regulations associated with the Every Student Succeeds Act, one of President Barack Obama’s final legislative achievements.