ACLU Weighs In On Newark Charter School

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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?

TED TV Launches TED-Ed

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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.

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

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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?

Public Hearing For Newark Charter School Moved To Larger Venue

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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.

Red Clay Referendum Tomorrow

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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.