Vision Network Participants Announced

On Tuesday, August 14, the first cohort of the Vision Network was announced, which includes a total of ten public schools--eight from Appoquinimink, Capital, Indian River, and New Castle County Vocational Technical districts, along with Kuumba Academy and MOT charter schools. These districts and schools will receive funding and other professional support, including intensive training for principals and other school and teacher leaders, to help the schools pursue best practice models of teaching, learning and school management.

The possibilities that the Vision Network holds for its participants—current and future—are inspiring. In coverage of the announcement in The News Journal, Dr. Sondra M. Shippen, Kuumba Academy Head of School, remarked, "The results might not be visible the first year, but it's going to set a pathway of what's possible. It's about the technical assistance available, the mentoring relationships. It's important to have those people you can bounce ideas off of and make sure you're on the right track."

Training will be research-based and will begin in October. It will be provided by the University of Delaware’s Academy for School Leadership and the consulting firm Focus on Results. Training will provide coaching for educators as they rigorously employ student achievement data to drive instructional decisions and provide supports based on students’ individual needs. This technical assistance will be coupled with opportunities to visit high-performing systems within the U.S. and abroad as well as targeted grants to implement the Vision 2015 recommendations.

Launching the Vision Network was praised as a "quiet benchmark" by The News Journal in an August 20 editorial. Why? Although much work still needs to be done, the very existence of the Network shows that districts and charter schools in Delaware are willing to go though the process of reevaluation and change, that "education professionals are willing to consider cultural change, and that money, while important, is not the answer to every problem." The News Journal commended the participating districts and schools for taking an important step toward balancing a culture open to change with the careful management needed to ensure the highest quality.

"It's going to make the schools in Delaware take a good look at themselves and see where they want to be in 2015. Some people don't like change, but I love it. There are times when you need a breath of fresh air."

--Mark Steele, Indian River High School Principal, on the Vision Network, The News Journal, August 15, 2007

"It may seem small, but I think it's a big step. I, for one, appreciate the willingness of the districts and the charter schools to participate."

--Valerie A. Woodruff, Delaware’s Secretary of Education, on the Vision Network, The News Journal, August 15, 2007

On Monday, August 20, The News Journal featured an Opinion by Marvin N. Schoenhals and Valerie A. Woodruff that provided an inspiring overview of the progress that has been made related to Vision 2015. Schoenhals, Chairman of WSFS Bank and Chair of Vision 2015, and Woodruff, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Education, are Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, of the Leadership for Education Achievement in Delaware (LEAD) Committee. The LEAD Committee itself is an example of Vision 2015 progress; it was established at the end of June by Governor Minner through Executive Order #98 to make recommendations on how to improve public education in Delaware, and already the 19-member Governor-appointed group has met and its work is underway.

The Opinion also applauds the launch of the Vision Network, and the commitment of all those who are turning this “vision” into a reality.

"Where once we had a vision, then a plan with recommendations, we now are a gathering movement with the active support of key constituencies -- parents, educators, business and community leaders, and legislators," the Opinion reads.

Participation in a Chicago public school intervention program beginning in preschool was associated with a wide range of positive outcomes, including higher rates of high school completion and increased attendance in 4-year colleges, a recent study found. Young children who took part in the program, which served preschoolers through third grade, also were more likely to have health insurance coverage, and had lower rates of felony arrests, convictions, and incarceration later in life.

Source: Reynolds, Dr. Arthur J., et al. "Effects of a School-Based, Early Childhood Intervention on Adult Health and Well-being.” Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 2007; 161:730-739.

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.