Imagine...

The News Journal ran a special report on education as part of its Imagine series, which examines topics critical to Delawareans. The Imagine series on public education, which ran on March 16, delved deeply into the Vision 2015 plan and other initiatives.  Read more under these headlines:

"Lesson plan for a brighter future"
"$158 million could be saved, panel decides"
"'Reading First' program is model for others"
"Kids, parents embrace 'Saturday Academy'"
"'Superior' language program needs funds"
"Imagine: Ask the candidates for governor"

UD Conference Examines Quality of Life in Delaware

The challenges of preserving and enhancing Delaware's quality of life shaped discussion at "Creating a Livable Delaware," a conference held at the University of Delaware's Newark Campus on March 25. Government, business, and community leaders gathered to hear experts from across the state and country examine how Delaware can grow economically while continuing to be a place people want to live and work.

Before the conference, John Taylor of the Delaware Public Policy Institute and Jim Wolfe of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce shared insight on the important connections between economic development, quality of life, and public education. Read their Perspective.

Delaware is improving its academic standards and graduation requirements but still needs a more effective assessment system, including meaningful college readiness metrics.

Delaware's progress is among the findings in "Closing the Expectations Gap 2008," the third annual 50-state progress report by Achieve, Inc., on the alignment of high school policies with the demands of college and careers:

• Beginning with the class of 2013, all students are required to complete a college- and career-ready curriculum to earn a diploma.
  
• The state's P-20 longitudinal data system matches K-12 data with postsecondary data for institutions of higher education in Delaware to track the progress of individual students. Nine states reported that they administer college readiness tests to all students as part of a statewide assessment system.

What It Means to be Part of the Vision Network

Two Vision Network leaders recently co-authored an Opinion on what the Vision Network means to them, which was printed in several newspapers across the state. According to Michele Yon, a fifth grade teacher at Brick Mill Elementary School, and Mark Steele, principal of Indian River High School, "The Vision Network has encouraged all of us to build a personal stake in our schools' transformation and challenged us to think hard about what each of us can contribute to students' success."

Did You Know?

Delawareans believe political leaders' commitment to education is critical to improving public education:

• 76% of Delawareans polled say that a candidate's position on education is very important in deciding whom to support when they go to the polls in November.
• 81% of Delawareans want their governor, state legislators, and other elected officials to pay more attention to improving pre-kindergarten through 12th grade public education.

Statewide survey of 943 Delaware residents conducted by Belden, Russonello & Stewart (Washington, D.C.) between February 4 and February 18, 2008.
Read the complete survey results.

The News Journal, "Education is a big issue in elections"

In 1994, the central office of the Edmonton public school district in Alberta, Canada was renamed Central Services and redesigned to act as a service provider to the system instead of performing a traditional bureaucratic role.  At the same time, schools were given much wider powers over their budgets, including the ability to select from various services and providers.

With over 92% of budgetary control now given to school administrators, Central Services acts as a data-driven service provider to educational leaders, teachers and staff, and students.  Schools can choose to buy services such as teacher professional development and student assessment tools from either this office or from outside vendors, which means Central Services must remain competitive in cost, quality and focus on teaching and learning. Edmonton schools consistently rank among the top of the world in student achievement in the areas of reading, mathematics, and science.

Read more.

Contact

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.