Doug Gramiak, Executive Director, Education Voters of Delaware
New Organization to Demand Excellent Public Schools
Education Voters of Delaware, a nonprofit advocacy organization launched last week, will give citizens a voice in the policies that affect the quality of public education. Education Voters will focus on three priorities: demanding excellence, spending dollars smarter, and closing the achievement gap. It will work with lawmakers and the public to advocate for world-class public schools.
“Citizen Involvement and support are essential to getting elected officials to take action,” said Doug Gramiak, the newly appointed Executive Director. “Elected officials listen to their constituents because that is the only group that can hold them accountable. Education Voters makes it clear that knowledge is power.”
The launch event on February 17 in Wilmington featured several Governing Council members, including Sylvia Banks of DuPont, who will chair the organization; Dee Sewell, parent advocate; Fred Sears, president, Delaware Community Foundation; Paul Herdman, president and CEO, Rodel Foundation; Beth Sullivan, president of the national Education Voters Institute; as well as Doug Gramiak, executive director.
For more information about Education Voters and to add your voice to the growing campaign, visit the organization’s website.
The News Journal, “New nonprofit aims to improve education,” February 18, 2009.
Read the media release.
The PNC Foundation Presents Vision 2015 with $100,000
Connie Bond Stuart, president of PNC Bank, Delaware, presented a contribution of $100,000 from The PNC Foundation to Vision 2015 at a ceremony at the Latin American Community Center on February 9. The gift will support early childhood education, one of Vision 2015’s priority areas.
We are pleased that PNC recognizes the critical need for all children, regardless of family income, to have access to quality early care and education,” said Marvin N. "Skip" Schoenhals, chairman of WSFS Bank and chair, Vision 2015.
Through the Delaware Business Roundtable Education Committee, The PNC Foundation has made strategic investments since 2007 of $300,000 toward Vision 2015 initiatives.
View a photo.
Read the media release.
Delaware Business Ledger, “Check presentation takes place at La Fiesta Early Childhood Center,“ February 10, 2009.
VISION-aries
“We have become numb to the numbers in Delaware – only 2 out of 10 ninth graders will complete a 2- or 4- year college degree. And only 30-40% of our 8th grade students meet national standards in reading and math. The work of Education Voters is about our children’s future. Our children are the ones who benefit from—or are shortchanged by— the decisions made by adults.”
-- Dee Sewell, Education Voters of Delaware Governing Council member and parent advocate
Congratulations, Superstars!
Red Clay’s Anna P. Mote Elementary School, Brandywine’s David W. Harlan Elementary School, Red Clay’s Henry B. duPont Middle School, Colonial’s William Penn High School, Milford Middle School, and the Indian River School District have been presented with the 2009 Delaware State Chamber of Commerce Superstars in Education award for implementing and sustaining creative teaching practices that have resulted in student achievement.
The six winners will be honored at a dinner at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington on May 4, 2009.
Media coverage: "State Chamber announces 2009 Superstars in Education winners," February 11, 2009. |
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Mark Your Calendar!
There are three remaining public “Reality Check” budget presentations, hosted by Governor Jack Markell, taking place throughout the state in March.
Learn more.
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Ensuring U.S. Students Receive a World-Class Education
Recommendations for internationally benchmarking state K-12 education systems are established and examined in a recent report by the National Governors Association, the Council of Chief State School Officers, and Achieve, Inc. To ensure America remains globally competitive, the report proposes:
• Upgrading state standards by adopting a common core of internationally benchmarked standards;
• Aligning textbooks, digital media, curricula, and assessments to these common standards;
• Recruiting, preparing, developing, and supporting teachers and school leaders based on the practices of top-performing nations around the world;
• Holding schools and systems accountable; and
• Measuring state-level education performance globally through the examination of student achievement in an international context.
The report concludes that states must take responsibility for broadening the policy lens by drawing lessons from the highest performing, most equitable, and fastest advancing nations around the globe and adapting the best educational practices to incorporate here at home.
Did You Know?
In 2008, 13.8% of Delaware high school seniors scored 3 or higher (on a scale of 1 to 5) on a high school Advanced Placement exam. This score places Delaware 21st in the nation.
Source: College Board, AP Report to the Nation, 2009
Legislators Hear from DOE and the Public on Education Priorities
On Wednesday, February 18, the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) of the Delaware General Assembly held a public meeting on next year's proposed education budget.
Secretary of Education Lillian Lowery presented recommendations for trimming the education budget without drastically affecting schools and classrooms.
Vision 2015 Chair Skip Schoenhals called on the legislators to "act aggressively" to spend our education dollars smarter by implementing the LEAD Committee Cost Efficiency Study recommendations; to increase flexibility in how schools can use funds; and to keep the interests of children at the forefront in all decision-making.
Dr. Susan Bunting, superintendent of Indian River School District, cited many learning-based practices that "can be directly attributed to Indian River’s involvement in the Vision Network."
Read The News Journal's coverage of the hearing: "Lowery grappling with details in budget cuts," February 19, 2009.
Read Skip Schoenhals’ full testimony.
What the Stimulus Package Could Mean for Education
President Obama has signed into law the federal “Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009,” which contains $789 billion in new federal spending or tax cuts, with up to $100 billion potentially going to public education programs. If these funds are expended by states evenly over the next two years, this would represent an 80% increase in total federal K-12 spending over 2008-09. National experts project Delaware could receive $106M in education funding, plus additional stabilization and other categories that could support public education.
In a news conference February 9, President Obama said he would ensure that polices to expand charter schools and remove ineffective teachers are put in place, along with the increased resources:
"… I think that both sides are going to have to acknowledge we're going to need more money for new science labs, to pay teachers more effectively, but we're also going to need more reform, which means that we've got to train teachers more effectively, bad teachers need to be fired after being given the opportunity to train effectively, that we should experiment with things like charter schools that are innovating in the classroom, that we should have high standards."
Learn more about what the stimulus package could mean for individual states.
Contact
To get the latest information on how to become involved with Vision 2015, please visit our web site, http://www.vision2015delaware.org, or e-mail us at info@vision2015delaware.org. |
