Delaware Education News
February 2008
Copyright © 2008 Queue, Inc.
IN
THIS ISSUE:
Mapping Educational Progress 2008
Delaware Flunks on School Food Report
2008
- Delaware
EdweekÕs Editorial Projects in Education Research Center States awarded overall letter grades based on ratings across six areas of performance and policy: chance-for-success; K-12 achievement; standards, assessments, and accountability; transitions and alignment; the teaching profession; and school finance.
|
QUALITY
COUNTS 2008 GRADING SUMMARY |
|
Delaware |
|
|
Chance
for success |
B |
|
K-12
achievement |
C- |
|
Standards,
assessments, and accountability |
B+ |
|
Transitions
and alignment |
D |
|
The
teaching profession |
C+ |
|
School
finance |
B |
OVERALL GRADE: C+
Full
Delaware
Report:
http://www.edweek.org/media/ew/qc/2008/18shr.de.h27.pdf
The
national Report is here:
http://www.edweek.org/media/ew/qc/2008/18shr.us.h27.pdf
State
Reports are here:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/01/10/18shr.h27.html
Data
on student achievement in reading and math, high school graduation rates,
schools making adequate yearly progress, highly qualified teachers, parents
taking advantage of tutoring and choice options, state participation in
flexibility options, and more.
National
Report:
http://www.ed.gov/nclb/accountability/results/progress/nation.html
Full
Delaware
Report:
http://www.ed.gov/nclb/accountability/results/progress/delaware.pdf
Kentucky and Oregon top the nation in healthy school foods policies, but
two-thirds of states have no or weak nutrition standards to limit junk-food and
soda sales out of vending machines, school stores, and other venues outside of
school meals, according to a school foods report card
(http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/2007schoolreport.pdf) from the Center for
Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).
No
states received an A grade, though two states (Kentucky and Oregon) received an
A-; six states received a B+ (Nevada, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Washington
and New Mexico); nine states earned a B or B-, including Texas and Arizona; six
states and the District of Columbia received Cs; seven states got Ds; including NC (D+) VA (D)and Georgia
(D-) and 20 states got Fs, including Massachusetts, Ohio, Michigan,
Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Most
improved honors go to Oregon, which upgraded from an F in last yearÕs report
card to an A-, and Washington state, which moved from an F to a B+. Since
CSPIÕs last report card in 2006 (http://cspinet.org/new/200606201.html), Oregon passed a
comprehensive school snack and beverage policy which limits calories, saturated
and trans fat, and sugars in snacks in K-12 schools and limits the sale of most
sugary beverages in schools. Both states previously had no guidelines beyond
USDAÕs bare-bones rules.
CSPI
found that only 11 states have comprehensive food and beverage standards that
apply to the whole campus, the whole school day, for all grade levels. Thirteen
states limit portion sizes for snacks, and only 11 states limit portion sizes
for beverages. Fifteen states limit the saturated-fat content of school snacks,
and only ten address trans fat. Just five states set limits on sodium in school
foods.
ÒThe
majority of states still rely on the U.S. Department of AgricultureÕs outdated
school nutrition standards,Ó said Wootan. ÒThose national standards limit only
the sale of jelly beans, lollipops, and other so-called Ôfoods of minimal
nutritional value.Õ Those standards donÕt address calories, saturated and trans
fat, sodium, or other key nutrition concerns for children today.Ó
CSPI
based its grades on five key considerations:
¥
Beverage nutrition standards
¥
Food nutrition standards
¥
Grade levels to which policies apply
¥
Time during the school day to which policies apply
¥
Locations on campus to which policies apply
Over
the last 20 years, obesity rates have tripled in children and adolescents, and
only 2 percent of children eat a healthy diet, according to key nutrition
recommendations by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Despite that, about a
third of elementary schools, 71 percent of middle schools, and 89 percent of
high schools sell items such as sugary drinks, snack cakes, candy, and chips out
of vending machines, school stores, or a la carte lines in the cafeteria,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and PreventionÕs 2006 School
Health Policies and Programs Study:
http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/shpps/2006/factsheets/pdf/FS_FoodandBeverages_SHPPS2006.pdf
Full
Report Card:
http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/2007schoolreport.pdf