Knocking it Out of the Park

On March 29, the U.S. Department of Education announced that Delaware earned approximately $100 million in Race to the Top funding.  In the history of public education, this is the largest and most competitive federal grant process ever established, giving The First State the opportunity to provide a world-class education to all of our students.

The state’s application was strong—and so was Delaware’s team that presented the plan in Washington D.C. on March 16. Led by Governor Jack Markell, Delaware’s interview team included Secretary of Education Lillian Lowery, Delaware State Education Association President Diane Donohue, Red Clay Consolidated School District Superintendent Merv Daugherty and Vision 2015 Chair Skip Schoenhals. The Delaware team delved into the details of the proposal and demonstrated the extraordinary level of collaborative support behind Delaware’s application, which vaulted it to winning status.

What did the review committee ask our team?  View the presentation and the question and answer session on the U.S. Department of Education’s YouTube page. 

Click here to read an overview of Delaware’s winning plan.

Congratulations to the entire team that worked so hard to bring this vision to life.

Early Childhood Education: Batting Around the Funding Options

High-quality early childhood education, especially for those with the greatest need, is one of the six fundamental components of Vision 2015. 

The Finance Project has mapped and analyzed the financial resources that the state of Delaware devotes to early childhood services – $328 million in federal and state funds (about four percent of our state budget) and at least $14 million from private funders in 2009.

Some encouraging findings:

§      In recent years, Delaware has drawn down all federal funds for which we were eligible (except entitlement, due to low enrollment, and some competitive opportunities).

§      Delaware’s longitudinal data system will help coordinate and focus resources even further, and Race to the Top funds will accelerate this effort.

Yet, there are areas that could be improved upon, including:  

§     Reallocating flexible federal dollars for early childhood services, such as Community Services Block Grants and Title I, which currently only two districts use for early childhood programs.

§      Coordinating state services for cost efficiencies. For example, two agencies currently provide funding to maintain child care resource lists; other duplications may be revealed through a review of contracts.

§         Creating a public-private endowment fund or private foundation dedicated to early childhood, which would pool the resources of private funders and invest them strategically in partnership with the public sector.

§         Creating new revenue sources or reallocating existing funds for a number of programs for which current funding levels are inadequate. For example, the Delaware Stars quality rating and improvement system is currently funded only by federal and private funding despite broad support.

We know that investments in quality early childhood education and services, particularly those targeted to high-need children, translate directly into long-term success. And now we have the information needed to make each dollar work harder for Delaware’s kids.

Champion in the Classroom

Congratulations to Indian River School District’s 2010 Teacher of the Year Marjorie Worrell.  A ninth-grade English teacher, Worrell has taught at Indian River High School, a Vision Network school, for the past eight years.  She chairs the IRHS English Department and is a member of the school’s Instructional Leadership Team, participating in Indian River’s Vision Network training.  She is also a member of the 2010 Middle States Steering Committee.

Congratulations to Marjorie Worrell and all of this year’s Teacher of the Year nominees.  Click here to read more about Worrell and the other nominees from Indian River School District.

Mark Your Calendars!

May – National Family Month

May 4 – National Teacher Appreciation Day

May 11 – Kids Count and Families Count Fact Book Release and Briefing

May 12 – National School Nurses Day

May 12 – 18 – Reading is Fun Week

Save the Date...

 Who’s on First?

 Delaware’s Race to the Top win offers tremendous opportunities for students, teachers, administrators, and parents.  In announcing the winners, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said, “What is so impressive about Delaware and Tennessee, and why they scored so well, is that their plans touched 100 percent of students in their states.” 

So, what does it mean for you?  Click here for some examples.

Where will all the money go?  Race to the Top funds are supplemental funds that will be used to meet very specific commitments included in Delaware’s plan.  Click here to learn how the money will be used throughout our state.

Leading Off

The Learning Link of Delaware (LLOD) is committed to accelerating the educational achievement of every student in the state and to reducing achievement gaps among diverse student groups. Through training programs, outreach and communication, it links families, schools and communities to build a learning environment in which all children can succeed.

One program LLOD offers is the Delaware Parent Leadership Institute (DPLI), a training program focused on improving student achievement and increasing parental involvement in Delaware's public schools. Since it was established in 2004, DPLI has trained 130 parent leaders and has impacted the lives of more than 1,000 children and families.

You can do it too! DPLI currently is recruiting for its next training sessions (to be held August through November), and is seeking parents and guardians of public school students to participate in this FREE and invaluable training experience. The application deadline is May 1. For more on information sessions, training dates, and to access the application, click here

Did You Know?

Policy Matters was launched in 2009 to establish a clear vision and actionable strategies for improvements to early childhood education. The initiative is co-chaired by Lt. Governor Denn and President of PNC Bank, Delaware, Connie Bond Stuart, and managed by the Early Development and Learning Resources Workgroup.  With financial support from the Delaware Business Roundtable Education Committee, people from every part of the state—including providers, educators, legislators, community leaders, state administrators, and others—have assisted in a review and assessment of every state policy governing early childhood.

The Policy Matters Committee will present its recommendations to state leaders in the coming months related to three actionable strategies:

• Consolidate early childhood services within the Department of Education
• Provide full financing of Delaware Stars, and encourage participation through tiered reimbursement based on quality
• Build a stronger early childhood accountability system, including integrated data systems

VISION-aries

“We are committed to this work because we believe the Delaware plan offers us an opportunity to change the culture in our schools and classrooms.  Linking student growth to evaluation is the linchpin to this reform.”

 - Diane Donohue, President of the Delaware State Education Association, at the state’s Race to the Top presentation in Washington, DC, March 16

“Currently over 40,000 students, which is one-third of Delaware’s student population, attend persistently low achieving schools.  That is totally unacceptable and we are going to change that fact.”

- Lillian Lowery, Delaware Secretary of Education, at the state’s Race to the Top presentation in Washington, DC, March 16

Coming in Your Next e-Newsletter

Vision Network schools complete their training for the school year.  Find out how far they have come.

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Contact us!

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.