Thursday Open Thread [9.17.2015]

Thursday Open Thread [9.17.2015]

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Jeb Bush says his brother kept us safe. Well, except that one time when 3,000 Americans were killed. Well, except that one time when he lied to create a war and then 4,486 Americans died and 1 million Americans were gravely injured. Well, except that one time when he let the city of New Orleans drown.
State GOP Gives Sussex Republican Committee A Spanking Over Disparaging Remarks About Women

State GOP Gives Sussex Republican Committee A Spanking Over Disparaging Remarks About Women

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Wonder if these "rules" will apply to Dem women? Here's the Delaware Republican Party statement:
Newark, DE: Delaware Republican Party Chairman Charlie Copeland has issued the following statement regarding the release of disturbing audio tapes in which Sussex County GOP officials make offensive comments about women leaders in the Delaware Republican Party and about women in general: The recent release of audio recordings by DelawareRight.com in which Sussex County Republican leaders take aim at leaders of the Delaware Federation of Republican Women and the Sussex County Republican Women are offensive and counter to the fundamental beliefs of the Republican Party.
Townsend Is In!

Townsend Is In!

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Received this just awhile ago:
Dear Friends, Today, I ask for your support as I announce my campaign to represent Delaware in Congress.  Delaware faces a significant challenge: rebuilding an economy that works for all Delawareans and that reverses the inequality spreading across America. That’s why our campaign will champion policies that grow and strengthen the middle class, provide every child with an opportunity to succeed, promote equal justice in the criminal justice system, and ensure retirement security for our seniors. Four years ago, I was joined by students, community leaders, and neighbors in a grassroots campaign for the Delaware State Senate. Although some doubted our prospects, Delawareans like you showed they’d back a candidate who reaches out, listens, and will always do the right thing for Delaware, even when it’s the hard thing.
Guest Post: Crossroads Wants to Tell Its Own Story

Guest Post: Crossroads Wants to Tell Its Own Story

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Crossroads and its principals have been much in the news recently and subject of a recent post here. Since Crossroads was not contacted in the recent post here, I offered them the chance to tell their story, themselves. That is the guest post from Alberta Crowley that follows. I'm also going to be clear that I know that Crossroads is doing incredible work with a population that is never well served -- urban poor kids with mental health and addiction issues. They've certainly had their problems -- with recent unethical behavior and with a long-running tug-of-war with the state over resources to serve these kids. I'm interested in helping these kids and the people who do -- which is why I'm posting Crossroads story here.
Guest Post: Opt-Out Ends The Madness Of High-Stakes Testing

Guest Post: Opt-Out Ends The Madness Of High-Stakes Testing

4 Comments
Kevin from Exceptional Delaware asked if we could share his post. The State Board of Education is having their monthly meeting at 1:00pm today. The Parent Strike press conference will begin prior to the meeting at 12:30pm in front of Legislative Hall in Dover. If any of our readers attend, let us know in the comments.
As a proud advocate of parent opt out, I watched in horror as Governor Markell vetoed legislation created for parents and their fundamental rights.  The News Journal  refers to House Bill 50 as giving parents the right to opt out.  This is wrong.  It’s about honoring a parental right that already exists, an attempt to codify that right and stop schools and the Delaware Department of Education from punishing schools over parent opt-out. Today, the State Board of Education will have their monthly meeting, and they will discuss Regulation 103.  To give some quick back-story here, Regulation 103 covers school accountability.  Born out of Race To The Top, Delaware won in the first round partly because we already had this regulation in place.  Race To The Top was an abject failure.  But the DOE and the State Board are attempting to further legitimize this program under the guise of the Delaware School Success Framework.  This “school report card” is nothing more than Federal mandate PLUS the many layers of complexity the DOE added to it.  This regulation will put any Title I school in jeopardy if the students don’t perform well on Smarter Balanced.  This week, we will hear about the creation of 10 new so-called “Focus Schools” and 4 “Focus Plus Schools”.  The DOE will attempt to sell this as yet another way of “fixing” these high-need schools.  The truth is, these labels are punitive in nature and are just another step before they become “Priority Schools”.  We all know how that went a year ago.