Delaware Education Facing Forward

On August 1, State Treasurer Jack Markell, with Smyrna Mayor Patricia Stombaugh and Caesar Rodney School Superintendent Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald, released Delaware Facing Forward - A Look at Delaware's Demographic Future. Produced by the Office of the Treasurer, the report outlines what Delawareans can expect over the next several decades as the state's population grows and gets older, becomes more diverse, and starts to shift from the north of the state to the south. It also highlights the challenges that policymakers will face as they confront these issues.

In response to what the report refers to as "the big squeeze" - increased demand for services with less money to pay for them - it calls for investment in a "well-educated, skilled, and productive workforce [that] will allow the state to attract and retain high-growth companies and industries to fuel the economy." According to the report, a key element necessary to achieve this is for the state to "improve K-12 education to ensure college readiness," and to do this with a focus on student achievement. This is the crux of the Vision 2015 plan.

In response to Delaware Facing Forward, Dr. Fitzgerald said, "The very trends and population changes that our school district has been dealing with are validated and documented right here in this report...we are working harder than ever to find new ways to prepare our increasingly diverse student body for college and the workforce."

The academic intensity of a student's high school curriculum still counts more than any other pre-college factor in providing momentum toward completing a bachelor's degree.

Unfortunately, not all high schools provide all students equal and adequate opportunity to learn at high levels, and some groups of students are excluded more than others. Latino students, for example, are far less likely to attend high schools offering trigonometry or calculus than white or Asian students. Students from the lowest socioeconomic status (SES) quintile attend high schools that are much less likely to offer any math above algebra II than students in the upper SES quintiles.

If we are going to close gaps in college readiness - and ultimately the attainment of a bachelor's degree - the availability of rigorous courses to all our students has to be addressed.

Source: Adelman, Clifford. "The Toolbox Revisited: Paths to Degree Completion from High School Through College", Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education, Feb. 2006.

The Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program at George V. Kirk Middle School provides all students with the opportunity to prepare to enter college and succeed there. AVID is a national academic support initiative for grades 4-12 that restructures classroom teaching around the Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration and Reading methodology (WICR) with an intense focus on improving student achievement. Launched at Kirk Middle School in September 2004, the AVID program initially focused on preparing academically average students for advanced classes in high school and, ultimately, for college success. In recent years, Principal Donald Patton has expanded the breadth and reach of the AVID program to dramatically increase academic rigor for all students.

Research has demonstrated that taking more rigorous courses in middle school and high school increases the likelihood that students will graduate on time and that they will be successful in college (see Research section of this newsletter). Increases in AVID teachers and classes at Kirk Middle School have helped produce double-digit gains in students' DSTP reading scores and steady increases in math and writing scores over the past few years. To find out more information about Kirk Middle School's AVID program, click here.

The 2007 KIDS COUNT Data Book ranks Delaware 31st among the 50 states when it comes to the health and safety of its children. The score is a fall from 2006, when Delaware ranked 29th in the nation. The ranking is based on statistical information for 10 measures, including low birth weight, infant mortality, child deaths, number of high school dropouts and the percentage of children living in poverty.

2007 KIDS COUNT Data Book, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2007

"I want to choose the Delaware public school system for my children because it is the best choice in Delaware. And I know that is what [Vision] 2015 is trying to bring about."

--Carol King-Ries, mother of two school-age children, Vision 2015 Release Event, October 17, 2006

To get the latest information on how to become involved with Vision 2015, please visit our web site: www.vision2015delaware.org or e-mail us at info@vision2015delaware.org.