Business Week Magazine Recognizes Vision Network School

From left: Teach For America Mid-Atlantic Executive Director Mike Wang, U.S. Senator Tom Carper, U.S. Representative Mike Castle, and Wilmington Mayor James Baker (Photo courtesy of Wilmington University)

Teach For America Selects Delaware as New Site

On Wednesday, May 27, Teach For America (TFA) announced its expansion to Delaware and outlined plans to bring at least 20 top college graduates to teach in the area's highest-need schools beginning in the 2009-2010 school year. TFA will place teachers in the Red Clay School District and area charter schools, including Prestige Academy, East Side Charter, Kuumba Academy, Edison Charter School, and Delaware College Preparatory Academy.

Over 50 people gathered for the official announcement at Wilmington University's New Castle campus, including U.S. Senator Tom Carper, U.S. Representative Mike Castle, Wilmington Mayor James Baker, Wilmington University Provost Betty Caffo, and other educators, officials, business and community leaders, and representatives from the schools that will host corps members this fall.

"I join all of Delaware in welcoming Teach for America to the First State,” said U.S. Senator Tom Carper, “Now students in our state can benefit from Teach for America’s effective approach towards recruiting, training and supporting its teachers, who will work closely with our own excellent teaching force to increase achievement in public schools in Delaware.”

Read more from The News Journal and Wilmington University News. And check out photos from the press event here (courtesy of Wilmington University).

Did You Know?

More than 35,000 graduating seniors across the nation applied to be Teach For America corps members. Applicants included 11% of students at Ivy League schools and more than 100 graduating seniors from the University of Delaware. Of the applicants, 4,100 (about 12%) made it through the rigorous recruitment process and will join educators throughout the nation to eliminate the achievement gap in our neediest schools. Approximately 66% of TFA alumni are currently working or studying full-time in the field of education. Of that group, approximately two-thirds are working in K-12 schools and 91% percent are impacting low-income communities.

VISION-aries

"…Wherever there is good work going on in education reform today, you will find people from Teach For America....TFA is going to be—it already is—essential to the transformation of education in this country.”

- Jim Shelton, Director, U.S. Department of Education Innovation Fund

Forward to a Friend

Share the Vision 2015 e-Newsletter with a friend! For more 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.

June 4, 2009

Vision 2015 Awards $42,000 to Six Vision Network Schools

The Vision 2015 Implementation Team has awarded competitive grants totaling nearly $42,000 to six Vision Network schools. Ranging from $5,000 to $10,000, the grants are intended to transform teaching and learning to accelerate student achievement and are aligned with the recommendations of Vision 2015. Grantees include:

Christiana High School
Glasgow High School
Newark High School
Shue-Medill Middle School
W.T. Chipman Middle School
Sussex Academy of Arts and Sciences Charter School

Read more about the projects that schools' grants will support.

Delaware Noted as Leader in "Race"

Delaware is highlighted in the most recent issue of Business Week magazine, which notes that as one of six states participating in the Tough Choices or Tough Times initiative, our state is positioned as a strong competitor for some of the $4.35 billion in federal Race to the Top funds. These monies will be awarded to just a handful of forward-looking states that commit to fostering innovation and challenging the status quo.

To illustrate great things going on across Delaware, Business Week featured Kuumba Academy Charter School and some of the exciting ways it is improving students' math skills (while encouraging kids to love math). Kuumba has been a Vision Network school since 2007, and through the Network training it identified math as an area in most need of improvement; developed strategies to address this need; and engaged families and parents by hosting "Bring Your Parent to School Day" and by providing tools to help build math skills at home. Kuumba has also implemented the rigorous Singapore Math curriculum through a pilot run through the Delaware Foundation for Science and Mathematics Education.

Read the full article from Business Week.

Vision 2015 Applauds Secretary of Education Scholars

Last month, 69 students from the graduating class of 2009 were named "Secretary of Education Scholars." These students represent all 33 public and charter high schools in Delaware. The scholars program, first introduced under then-state Superintendent Dr. William Keene honors seniors for their outstanding commitment not only to academics but to their communities as well.

“I applaud the efforts of these outstanding young men and women for what they have done for themselves and for their community,” said Secretary of Education Lillian M. Lowery.

Read more in the Dover Post and from the Department of Education.

Vision 2015 "Sightings"

Check out the Spring 2009 edition of the Indian River District News, which includes a front page update on the district's participation in the Vision Network. Five Indian River schools are now part of the Network: Indian River and Sussex Central High Schools and Georgetown, Millsboro, and Selbyville Middle Schools.

Have you spotted Vision 2015 in an article recently, or written about it in one of your publications? Let us know by emailing sarah@vision2015delaware.org.