We recently came upon this article when one of our friends from NJ PTA shared it. This article really echos what we tell families all the time – – PTA is not about bake sales and fundraisers. We are an advocacy organization and we advocate for all children with one voice. All we ask from our families is that they stay informed! PTA meetings invariably take place on evenings when you’re either fighting a killer headache or racing to make a deadline at work. They’re easy to ignore, particularly if they are poorly attended and don’t seem to impact your
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A public-private partnership has launched a new education-focused website to inform Delawareans about the state’s new standards and assessments. The site, www.DelExcels.org, was created through a partnership of the Delaware Department of Education, Delaware State Education Association, Delaware PTA and the Rodel Foundation of Delaware. “What we’ve heard from voices around Delaware is – we want to be better informed about what is happening specific to Delaware. This site aims to be a resource for anyone who is looking to learn more about Delaware’s implementation of the Common Core and transition to the Smarter assessments, which will replace the current
Read more →Murphy calls for better planning in future to ensure students, educators don’t lose valuable academic time The State Board of Education today approved Secretary of Education Mark Murphy’s recommendation to “forgive” up to six school days lost because of inclement weather. In recommending the reduction of hours, Murphy stressed the importance of quality instructional time for students as well as teachers’ great need for sufficient preparation time. He balanced these significant needs with the safety challenges faced this winter due to weather while urging better planning in the future to end the need for state “forgiveness” of weather days. “The
Read more →I’m pleased to share with you news about an exciting event that the Rodel Foundation of Delaware is hosting on Friday, April 4. More details are below. Seating is limited, so please reserve your spot soon if you’re interested in attending. You are invited to attend a presentation on Friday, April 4, by Andreas Schleicher, known as the “world’s schoolmaster.” Schleicher is a member of the Rodel Foundation of Delaware’s International Advisory Group and Division Head and Coordinator of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)’s Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). PISA is an international survey which aims to evaluate education systems worldwide by
Read more →Delaware PTA supports the Common Core State Standards in the spirit of which they were intended – to develop college and career ready students. We will continue to collaborate with DSEA and other community stakeholders on all other points to determine the best path forward for our students and educators.
Read more →Being educated about school board candidates is critical to advocating effectively for our students. PTA members are often the individuals with the most knowledge and awareness of their communities’ needs. It is important for PTAs to be involved in the process of educating communities and spreading awareness when it comes to school board elections. Although PTA units may not endorse the candidate(s), PTAs may: • Alert community members to the coming election (or appointment) of school board members. Encourage them to be informed and to vote. • Sponsor community meetings where all school board candidates are invited to speak. This may
Read more →Oppose Vouchers in 2014!. Public School Funding Is On Thin Ice. A flurry of voucher bills introduced over the past few weeks would privatize the majority of our K-12 funds. Members of Congress are signing up to cosponsor these bills and momentum on Capitol Hill is snowballing. Senator Lamar Alexander and Rep. Luke Messer introduced a bill (the Scholarships for Kids Act, S. 1968 /H.R. 4000) that would turn 63 percent of federal education funding into private school vouchers. That means all federal education funding – with the exception of federal subsidies for school lunches, funding for students with disabilities, and
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