Tag: Education

Red Clay School Board Candidate, Joanne Johansen, Replies To My Questions

Filed in National by on April 13, 2012 3 Comments

Joanne Johansen is the first of two candidates to reply to my questions concerning the upcoming Red Clay School Board Election.  I have received an email from a second candidate promising an answer shortly. Joanne Johansen’s answers to my questions: Why are you running for the school board, and what are the top three things […]

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DE Education Secretary Gives Recommendations on Newark Charter

Filed in National by on April 13, 2012 7 Comments

Secretary of Education Lillian Lowery sent a memorandum to the Delaware State Board of Education giving her “approval” and some caveats on what Newark Charter School (NCS) needs to do

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Are We Asking The Right Questions About Education?

Filed in Delaware, National by on March 16, 2012 64 Comments

For those of you sick of my education posts, feel free to move on! Truthfully, I had no intention of writing about education today, but then I stumbled across this Daily Kos diary, entitled: Charter Schools Not the Answer, Especially if We Fail to Identify the Question. Go read the whole thing!

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DOE Delays Newark Charter School Vote

Filed in Delaware by on March 15, 2012 22 Comments

Seems like the ACLU letter slowed things down for now. Nichole Dobo has the info.

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ACLU Weighs In On Newark Charter School

Filed in Delaware by on March 14, 2012 11 Comments

The ACLU sends a letter to Secretary Lowery and Governor Markell. Check inside for the full letter. In the past I’ve been on the fence with Charter Schools, but my opinion is changing – mainly due to their admission policies, the way they can disinvite students, and, in the case of NCS, the way they can shape their population by not having a cafeteria, thereby eliminating a Free and Reduced Lunch program. Which leads me to ask… Are Charter Schools really public schools? Other than public funding and having to provide their own space (for now), how are Charter Schools comparable to public schools. The more I learn the more I think that Charters have more in common with Private Schools. Are Charter Schools really publicly funded private schools?

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TED TV Launches TED-Ed

Filed in Arts and Entertainment by on March 12, 2012 2 Comments

TED TV is a must in the pandora household. They offer the most amazing videos on a wide array of subjects designed to make you think. Now they are launching TED-Ed. They are calling on teachers to submit their best lessons, and they’re calling on animators to animate these lessons.

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Is There A Tipping Point When It Comes To Charter Schools?

Filed in National by on March 8, 2012 52 Comments

Charter schools have moved front and center in the education debate, mainly due to the announcements over the past month. First, there was the donated BofA building slated to house charter schools. This school would hold approximately 2,000 students. Then there was the expansion of Newark Charter School. Once fully operational, this school would hold an estimated 2,300 students. Odyssey Charter moved into the spotlight with its expansion plan. Projected enrollment: 1,716. That’s a lot of charter. The question is… Is there a tipping point when it comes to Charter Schools and how they impact traditional Public Schools?

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Public Hearing For Newark Charter School Moved To Larger Venue

Filed in Delaware by on March 6, 2012 4 Comments
Public Hearing For Newark Charter School Moved To Larger Venue

he Public Hearing for Newark Charter School has been moved from the Townsend Building to a larger venue to accommodate greater public participation. The new location is the Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control (DNREC) Auditorium. It is within walking distance from the DDOE (approximately a ¼ mile). Attached are the directions and revised public notice. We will have signage posted at DDOE and staff available to redirect constituents and give them directions to the new building. Please share this update with your constituents. We will start the hearing 15 minutes later to allow for the transition.

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It’s Raining Charter Schools!

Filed in National by on March 6, 2012 84 Comments

Odyssey Charter has been working on a deal for the old Wanamaker’s building and is planning to open a Charter High School in that location.  I had heard about this week and was emailing everyone to find out if this was true.  Kilroy, as usual, finds the answer: Application to Modify an Exsiting Charter – Odyssey […]

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Red Clay Referendum Votes By School

Filed in Delaware by on February 29, 2012 9 Comments

We finally have the numbers. Click inside for the chart. I’ve highlighted the vote totals and voting places where the votes went against the new school. Not sure what story this tells, if any. Thoughts?

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Red Clay Referendum Results

Filed in Delaware by on February 28, 2012 37 Comments

The results are here!! Renovations: For the Bond Issue: 6,675. Against the Bond Issue: 3,494. New Schools: For the Bond Issue: 5,398. Against the Bond Issue: 4,552

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Don’t Forget! Red Clay Referendum Vote Today

Filed in National by on February 28, 2012 2 Comments

I have no idea how this will turn out. Here’s the basic info on who can vote and where you can vote. I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone for reading and commenting on my posts over the last several weeks. Your comments were interesting, thought provoking and informed! I learned a lot. Thanks!

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Red Clay Referendum Tomorrow

Filed in National by on February 27, 2012 2 Comments

Everything I’ve written has all been leading up to tomorrow’s referendum. Info on where to vote can be found at The Friends of Red Clay (Red Clay’s SuperPac?) referendum site. For those that want to catch up or review, click inside for links to my past posts.

But an education post wouldn’t be complete without linking to Kilroy‘s post “Red Clay’s political bedfellows take a hand at pouring Kool-Aid – which points us to the News Journal’s editorial by Fred C. Sears II, president and CEO of the Delaware Community Foundation and Karen L. Morris, managing partner of Morris and Morris LLC.

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