On Friday, November 9 and Saturday, November 10, the Delaware Public Policy Institute, the Delaware State Education Association, and Vision 2015 will host "Teachers: Career Paths, Compensation and Collective Bargaining in the 21st Century." This free conference, held in Dover, will bring together many of the nation’s leading educators, policy experts and union representatives from around the country to discuss new approaches to teacher compensation, career paths and collective bargaining. Attendance at the sessions qualifies as credit toward a continuing license.

New York City Department of Education Deputy Chancellor Christopher D. Cerf will kick off the forum on Friday evening, speaking on New York City's pioneering work in public education transformation. Pre-registration is required, and space is limited. For more information and to register, click here.

In an opinion piece in The News Journal on Sunday, November 4, 2007, the sponsors of an upcoming teacher compensation conference laid out issues central to the future of Delaware's education system. Making the link between quality education and success in a global marketplace, the authors—John H. Taylor, Jr., Executive Director of the Delaware Public Policy Institute, and Howard Weinberg, Executive Director of the Delaware State Education Association—maintained that better supports for Delaware's teaching professionals are essential.

They stated, "Since our global economy is founded on and fueled by intellectual capital and since teachers represent the most important factor in determining the quality of education our children receive, it is our goal to help create an environment where the best educator talent wants to work and stay in Delaware." Read more.

Building on the research that shows family engagement in a child's education can lead to greater student success, about 60 education and social service leaders from across the state convened in Dover earlier this month to address how to build these important relationships between parents and educators. Read more.

Vision 2015 calls for empowering families with the knowledge, skills and confidence to be full partners in their children's education, and is an enthusiastic participant of important initiatives like this across the state.

Vision 2015 congratulates Theresa Thompson, recently honored as Delaware's American Star of Teaching for 2007. The award, presented by the U.S. Department of Education, recognizes one teacher from each state who improves student achievement and uses innovative strategies to make a difference in students' lives. Ms. Thompson is a Kindergarten teacher at J. Ralph McIlvaine Early Education Center in Magnolia. Read more.

The Agilent After School science program is a hands-on learning resource that engages thousands of Delaware students in the wonders of scientific discovery. Through the program, students across Delaware and around the nation work in small teams with dedicated volunteers to build an understanding of scientific principles. In Delaware, the program is implemented through major partnerships with the Chesapeake Bay Girl Scouts Council, the Delaware Workforce Investment Board, Delaware Technical and Community College, and the Delaware Department of Education. Read more.

On Friday, November 2, the University of Delaware hosted a forum on Knowledge-Based Partnerships, which brought together more than 400 key stakeholders from the public, private, academic, and non-profit communities for a dialogue around the future of Delaware's economy. While focused on business and higher education partnerships, the message from many speakers was consistent: the underpinning of a strong economy is a strong public education system, and that begins before students even enter Kindergarten.

"The bottom line is that we need to educate every child to the very best of our ability," U.S. Rep. Michael Castle stated. He added that the public education system plays an essential role in the U.S. maintaining its competitive edge in the world by ensuring that children reach their full potential (Read more from UDaily).

Tools Your Business Can Use to Support Public Education Reform: With international competition on the rise and U.S. student achievement lagging behind, the business community’s involvement in public education reform has become increasingly important. A world-class public education system prepares all students for the demands of a competitive economy and ensures the global positioning of our country in the future. Through dialogue and financial investments, the business community can partner with public education to increase student achievement and readiness for the 21st century. Resources can be found by visiting the Business Tools for Better Schools website, hosted by Achieve, Inc.

U.S. Competitiveness and Workforce Resources: The University of Delaware forum on Knowledge-Based Partnerships took place during a crucial time, as we realize the criticality of education to achieving an economically prosperous nation. Rising Above the Gathering Storm is a federal report that recommends how to strengthen our competitiveness and focus new science and technology efforts on meeting the nation's needs. The Conference Board report Are They Really Ready to Work? is an in-depth study on the readiness of new entrants into the U.S. workforce by level of education level.

By 2012, 87% of Delaware’s fastest growing jobs will require some college or training beyond high school, including a projected 7,200 jobs related to computer technology.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2000-2012 Employment Projects “Monthly Labor Review,” Feb. 2004; and State Occupational Projections

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.