May 26, 2016

Delaware

The News Journal
Christina seeks answers to school discipline issues
Christina School officials know their district it has a problem with disciplinary issues, but it’s trying to understand them more completely before diving in to fix them. To begin that undertaking, the district has been holding public forums with the help of a local consulting firm to hear from members of the community about what issues they think the district is facing and what they’d like to see their schools become.

Department of Education
Governor Markell announces expansion of world language immersion initiative
When the LaMotte family traveled to China to adopt their new child, Abigail had a dual role: big sister and family translator. Abigail is one of 100 third-graders in the Caesar Rodney School District who were part of the first kindergarten classes to enter the Chinese immersion program in 2012. That same year 240 students began Spanish immersion in the Indian River and Red Clay Consolidated school districts.

Delaware Public Media
Joint Finance Committee only scratches at surface of $75.3 million budget gap
Those who were hoping to pounce on what initially looked like a more bountiful year for state government are most likely out of luck. “I have never seen a number that high when we were starting mark up. So it really does say this it’s a really, really challenging year,” said Sen. Harris McDowell (D-Wilmington North), co-chair of the Joint Finance Committee. Though he also noted should both chambers approve of the Wilmington Education Improvement Commission redistricting plan, money to cover those costs would be available.

National

Los Angeles Times
Portland schools tried to change how they teach climate change — and ignited a firestorm
This winter, a small group of advocates, teachers, parents and students began meeting each week at a church in Portland, Ore., to figure out how their schools could do a better job of preparing the next generation to fight climate change.  Together, they wrote a resolution that, with some changes, was unanimously adopted by the Portland Public School Board on May 17.

NPR
MacArthur ‘Genius’ Angela Duckworth responds to a new critique of grit
Grit has been on NPR several times recently, not to mention front and center on the national education agenda. The term expresses the idea that a crucial component of success is people’s ability to pick a goal and stick with it. That’s the main thrust of research by Angela Duckworth at the University of Pennsylvania, which has earned her a MacArthur “genius” grant, national acclaim and, this month, a best-selling book. But a new report suggests that we should all take a step back and chill.

The Hechinger Report
Organic adoption of one classroom technology leads to a seamless way to share other ideas
When Jessica Schon decided to start using a new method for managing classroom behaviors, no one in the district had told her to do it. Instead, Schon started using a free program to track behavior and get children excited about things like staying in line. The children soon became enamored with a plump, green cartoon character sporting a ninja mask, which serves as the program’s mascot.

WBOC
Maryland State Board of Education picks new superintendent
The Maryland State Board of Education has chosen Karen Salmon to be the state’s schools superintendent. The board announced the selection by unanimous vote on Tuesday. She will begin serving as acting superintendent on June 1 before officially taking the position on July 1. State Board President Guffrie M. Smith, Jr., said Salmon comes to the position well prepared to lead the state’s system to continued improvement.

89.3 KPCC
Vergara plaintiffs file latest appeal, wade into legislative debate on teacher job protections
Plaintiffs in the Vergara v. California lawsuit formally asked the state Supreme Court take up their case on Tuesday, as expected, arguing that a panel of appellate justices erred in reinstating several teacher job protection laws a lower court judge had previously struck down. But the advocacy group backing the plaintiffs, Students Matter, is also pivoting its efforts to the state legislature, lending tentative support this week to a wide-ranging bill promising an overhaul for many of the protections that the Vergara lawsuit would eliminate entirely.