IMAGINE: the best schools in the world for every student in Delaware.

Implementation

1. The plan is titled "2015." How long before we see a difference?
2. How will you know you are succeeding?
3. What happens next?
4. Who is leading Vision 2015?

1. The plan is titled "2015." How long before we see a difference?
   Vision 2015 begins today. Children in our public schools will have many benefits soon. Much of our early work will focus on providing additional training and support for our principals and teachers. And in 2007 we will begin the process of forming a network of "Vision Districts and Schools," with the ultimate goal of including every public school in Delaware.


2. How will you know you are succeeding?
   Going forward, we will develop a scorecard through which everyone in Delaware can see both our areas of success and those in need of improvement. Meanwhile, Vision 2015 offers some interim success indicators:
   • Today, just 4 of 10 low-income 3- and 4-year-olds are enrolled in high-quality prekindergarten programs. By 2010, 6 of 10 will be. By 2015, 10 of 10 will be.
   • Today, in both mathematics and reading, only 30 percent of Delaware 8th graders score "proficient" or "advanced" on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a test given to students across the United States. On both tests, Delaware ranks 27th in the United States. By 2010, 35 percent will be proficient or advanced and we will rank in the top 20. By 2015, 60 percent will be proficient or advanced, 100 will be above "basic," and we will rank in the top 5.
   • Today, the achievement gap in math proficiency between African American and white 8th graders, as measured by NAEP, is 27 percentage points. By 2010, we will reduce the gap to 18 points. By 2015, we will reduce the gap to 0 points.
   • Today, just 63 percent of public school students graduate high school. By 2010, 70 percent will. By 2015, 90 percent will.


3. What happens next?
   Vision 2015 released a public plan for world-class education on October 17, 2006, culminating an 11-month process that involved extensive national and international research, plus discussions with nearly 500 educators, students, parents and others from around the state. In order to implement the proposed recommendations, a great deal needs to be done. We are raising funds for Vision 2015; talking with public officials about the changes that are needed; and meeting with the public to explain the recommendations — why they are needed and the benefits that will follow. A key step in 2007 is to begin the process of assembling and preparing a network of "Vision districts and schools." These schools will voluntarily adopt the full set of recommendations and benefits of this plan just as soon as the policies and resources to support them are in place, paving the way for a subsequent roll-out to every other school in the state.


4. Who is leading Vision 2015 now?
   An implementation team, drawn from the Steering Committee, is working on the details of Vision 2015. The implementation team includes leadership from the Delaware Department of Education, Delaware Public Policy Institute, Delaware Business Roundtable, Delaware State Education Association, Delaware Chief School Officers Association, University of Delaware and the Rodel Foundation. Until a formal structure is put into place, the Rodel Foundation is continuing to provide administrative and logistical support to the implementation team.