September 19, 2017

Delaware News

Delaware Public Media
Delaware sees little revenue growth in initial FY 19 revenue projection
The initial revenue projection for the 2019 budget cycle sees little growth in the Delaware’s revenue. The Delaware Economic & Financial Advisory Council forecast could leave lawmakers needing to find more money to balance next year’s budget. At the same time, Delaware may need to invest more in education, depending on the state’s final K-through 12 enrollment numbers.

Delaware Democrats talk unity as 2018 election cycle ramps up
Delaware Democrats kicked of the 2018 election cycle over the weekend at Cape Henlopen State Park. Members of the state’s Congressional delegation and as well as top state Democratic leaders spoke about unity at the party’s jamboree. Gov. John Carney (D) says Democrats also need to focus on local issues like education. He said he visited a middle school in Wilmington that was disorganized and students lacked learning opportunities.

The News Journal
Carrie Downie boys learn to run, talk about their feelings
Fifth-grader Theo Halko doesn’t talk about his feelings that much, at least not with his friends. Sure, he has his grandparents — who have raised him since he was three — and a therapist. But what do adults know about what it’s like to be a kid? Plus, talking about your feelings is … icky. At least if you’re a boy. And you’re only 10.

National News

Bangor Daily News
LePage wants schools to take over special ed services for preschool kids
The LePage administration wants local school districts to start providing special education services for about 2,500 3- to 5-year-olds with disabilities and developmental delays who currently receive the support through a $39 million state program.

Houston Chronicle
Texas education chief making his mark in Harvey crisis
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath’s office became more of a triage unit than a traditional education office once Hurricane Harvey hit. Which school districts did the hurricane mow over? How bad is the flooding? Are schools that were either wrecked or flooded safe enough for class? Are children safe enough to be able go to school? The mission: help school districts across the state recover from the horrific storm and flooding as quickly as possible with all the resources the state can provide.

NPR
How one group is working to build a more diverse teaching force
There are more nonwhite teachers than there used to be. But the nation’s teaching force still doesn’t look like America. One former education school dean is out to change that. New research shows that the number of K-12 teachers who belong to minority groups has doubled since the 1980s, growing at a faster rate than the profession as a whole. But big gaps persist, with around 80 percent of teachers identifying as white.

The 74 Million
Yes, undocumented students have rights under the U.S. constitution — but new poll shows that most Americans don’t know that
In May, Oklahoma state Rep. Mike Ritze proposed handing English language learners over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to reduce the cost of educating undocumented students. “Do we really have to educate noncitizens?” he asked. The answer is yes, as affirmed by a 1982 Supreme Court ruling that said Texas couldn’t withhold public education dollars based on students’ citizenship status.

The Hechinger Report
While the rest of the world invests more in education, the U.S. spends less
The world’s developed nations are placing a big bet on education investments, wagering that highly educated populaces will be needed to fill tomorrow’s jobs, drive healthy economies and generate enough tax receipts to support government services. Bucking that trend is the United States. U.S. spending on elementary and high school education declined 3 percent from 2010 to 2014 even as its economy prospered and its student population grew slightly by 1 percent, boiling down to a 4 percent decrease in spending per student.