May 22, 2015
Delaware News
The News Journal
Delaware lawmakers cut Gov. Markell’s education plans
Budget lawmakers on Thursday cut by half a $7.5 million proposal by Gov. Jack Markell to fund positions in the Delaware Department of Education and programs previously funded by the federal Race to the Top Program.
How can every child have the opportunity to succeed?
Opinion by Madeleine Bayard, Mary Kate Mouser, Paul Harrell and Nick Marsini
Providing high-quality early-learning opportunities that help each child realize his or her potential and succeed in school and life may be one of the few topics everyone can agree on in a time of restricted resources and competing priorities for state investment.
Neighbors challenge Freire Charter School in Wilmington
Residents of Wilmington’s Midtown Brandywine neighborhood have hired an attorney and are prepared to go to court to stop a new charter school from opening this fall. The neighbors claim the school is required to apply for a variance to obtain the building permit because they do not have the required number of parking spaces.
WDEL
Dual-language school in Wilmington receives national award
The William C. Lewis Dual Language Immersion Elementary School in Wilmington received an Academic Excellence Award from the Embassy of Spain. The national award is given to one elementary school, one middle school, and one high school each year. Lewis was one of the first schools in Delaware to participate in the state’s World Language Immersion program three years ago.
Newark Post
Christina takes grassroots approach to promoting latest referendum
“We’re calling this the parent’s referendum,” she said. “The top-down approach wasn’t giving people enough information.” She’s cautiously optimistic that people will respond better to the grassroots approach.
National News
The Gazette
Colorado governor signs education bills to boost workforce development
Colorado students could soon be able to graduate in six years with a high school diploma and an associate’s degree, all on the state’s dime. Gov. John Hickenlooper signed a bill that allows a workforce development program to come to Colorado known as P-TECH, for Pathways in Technology Early College High School.
U.S. News & World Report
4 lessons from the opt out debate
Test refusals may force education reformers to re-evaluate their priorities.
Education Week
Selective high schools struggle to diversify enrollments
Leaders of elite public high schools are banding together to find ways to enroll more students from low-income families and underrepresented minority groups.
State lawmakers balance concerns on student-data privacy
The debate over how to best protect student data has legislators weighing the views of privacy advocates and education technology providers in this year’s crop of proposals.
Governing
Colorado reduces time spent taking standardized tests
Gov. John Hickenlooper signed two bills Wednesday morning that will reduce the time Colorado students spend taking standardized tests by an estimated 30 hours between kindergarten and graduation.
Chicago Tribune
CPS principal training deal got green light despite red flags
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s formula for fixing Chicago Public Schools has always put a priority on building better leaders, so it could have been a setback for the mayor’s agenda when a prominent education nonprofit balked at funding a training program for principals in mid-2012.