The four schools will benefit from grants of up to $2.2 million over four years to carry out their reforms. The schools are:

• Stubbs Elementary School (Christina School District; Wilmington)
• Howard High School of Technology (New Castle County VoTech School District; Wilmington)
• Positive Outcomes Charter School (Camden)
• Glasgow High School (Christina School District; Newark)

If you think the fate of these four schools doesn’t affect you, your children or your community, think again. Six more schools will be designated for the Partnership Zone next year. Together, those ten schools will be a model for what Delaware’s struggling schools must do to provide all our children with the education they deserve.

In making the announcement today, Secretary of Education Lillian Lowery and Governor Jack Markell stressed that the community, especially parents, must be a partner in this process of determining the best path for each of these schools.

It’s absolutely vital that this process be open and accountable. That’s why Education Voters of Delaware will make it a priority to keep the public informed about the process for all four schools, make sure the community has a platform to make its voice heard and ensure that the districts and the state consistently acknowledge and respond to your questions and concerns.

The first step is for the districts and charter school to choose one of four Partnership Models to implement at these schools. Those models are:

• Closure – close and send students to other schools
• Restart – convert into a charter school or reopen under a management organization
• Transformation – make significant changes, including governance and operation
• Turnaround – make significant changes in governance, staffing and operation including removing at least 50% of staff

But right now, it’s up to you and every other Delawarean who cares about our children and their education to make sure every child at these four schools gets maximum benefit from this unprecedented opportunity. We can all make a difference if we stay engaged and stay focused on doing what’s best for Delaware’s children.

• Click here to read Delaware’s press release on the Partnership Zones
• Click here to read more about Delaware’s Race To The Top grant

Delaware recently announced the state’s first Partnership Zone schools.  These four schools, which consistently rank among the state’s lowest in student achievement, will receive increased funding, resources and assistance to implement an aggressive, innovative strategy to turn around their performance.

The four schools will benefit from grants of up to $2.2 million over four years to carry out their reforms.

• Click here to read more
• Click here for Delaware’s press release

Here in Delaware, the top education issues our candidates will have to discuss are:

• Early Childhood Education. One of the most important things we can do as a state is to make sure our children show up in kindergarten and first grade ready to learn.  In order to do that, we need to continue expanding opportunities for kids to begin learning at an early age.  That means increasing the focus on and the investment in early childhood education.  In Delaware, we have several elements in place to make this happen, such as our Early Childhood Council and the Stars rating system so parents can assess the educational quality of childcare options.  A good start to a quality education will not only ensure that our children enter school ready to learn, it will reduce expensive remedial courses later in life, give our children a better chance to be college- or career-ready, and greatly increase the quality of our state’s workforce.
• Funding Flexibility at the School District Level. We have set high expectations for our schools and districts based on student performance, yet we have not given them the ability to focus increased resources in areas of need.  For instance, raising student achievement among special education students is a common challenge in our schools, but district administrators cannot repurpose money not needed in one area to address such a challenge.  Delaware needs to give districts this flexibility along with appropriate accountability measures so they can meet the high expectations they’ve been given.
• Perennially Low Performing Schools. According to the school ratings recently released by the Delaware Department of Education, we have fewer superior and commendable schools and more under academic review and academic watch than last year.  Some of our schools haven’t made adequate yearly progress in more than five years.  Fortunately, the Race to the Top grant and increase School Improvement Grant money has given our state a chance to aggressively address the needs of these schools.  We also have a Secretary of Education and a Governor who say they are ready to work with districts, schools, teachers and other stakeholders to implement serious, comprehensive strategies to turn these schools around.  Our elected officials, policymakers, parents and community members need to stand behind these efforts to ensure all of our children are able to attend a high quality school.

But that’s not all.  What else should Ed Voters look at when we talk about the fall elections?  What are the big issues in your community?  What have you heard candidates say?  You’re our eyes and ears on the ground, and we need your help to make sure every education voter can find the right answers to the big questions!

Race to the Top awards go to Delaware, Tennessee
By Nick Anderson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, March 29, 2010; 11:04 AM

Delaware and Tennessee won bragging rights Monday as the nation’s top education innovators, besting D.C. and 13 other finalists to claim a share of the $4 billion in President Obama’s unprecedented school reform fund.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan picked the winners after a team of judges in the Race to the Top competition unexpectedly gave tiny Delaware the highest ranking, with Tennessee close behind. Delaware won as much as $107 million and Tennessee could be awarded $502 million.

Congratulations to Delaware!

Click here for the rest of the story.

Education a Core Value for Delaware Voters

Delawareans believe every child deserves a quality education,
but 60% think Delaware schools haven’t improved in the last five years

Delaware voters strongly believe that every child has a right to a quality public education, according to a recent survey of likely voters conducted for Education Voters of Delaware. Support for public education is a deeply held core value for Delaware voters, parents and non-parents alike across the state.

Sixty percent of those surveyed think Delaware schools have failed to improve over the last five years. Only 21 percent believe Delaware schools have improved over that time, while 29 percent believe our public schools have gotten worse. Less than a third (31 percent) believe they stayed about the same.

Eighty percent of poll respondents would like to see public leaders in the state, specifically the Governor and state legislators, pay more attention to improving public education. This holds true across all regions of the state and across all demographic and political groups, with at least seven out of ten voters across groups expressing this sentiment.

“This survey revealed a universal desire in Delaware for high quality public schools that was extraordinary,” Education Voters of Delaware Executive Director Doug Gramiak said. “Delawareans want the children in this state to have access to high quality public schools and they’re willing to do a lot to make it happen, including paying more taxes.”

Celinda Lake of Lake Research Partners, whose firm conducted the survey, said, “Voters recognize the need to do better for children and they reject the status quo when it comes to education. This reaches the level of core values, not just opinions for Delaware voters.” There is near unanimous agreement for the following statements:

• Every child in Delaware has a right to a quality public education. (98 percent agree, 91 percent strongly)
• We owe it to our children to provide them with a quality public education. (97 percent agree, 91 percent strongly)
• There are real and serious consequences when we don’t give every child a quality public education. (96 percent agree, 81 percent strongly)

Even in these tough times, Delaware voters would be willing to increase their taxes to improve public education in the state. A majority of voters prove willing to increase their taxes to improve public education in Delaware (59 percent willing, 18 percent very willing), with parents slightly more willing to increase their taxes (68 percent, 23 percent). However, majorities of voters across all demographic and political sub-groups said they were willing to increase their taxes, including 66 percent of Democrats, 57 percent of independents, 53 percent of Republicans, and 55 percent of seniors.

Additionally, voters see the connection between quality public education and the health of our communities and the competitiveness of the state’s workforce. Voters agree that strong public schools maintain property values and the strength and quality of our communities (91 percent agree, 77 percent strongly). They also agree that strong public schools support the state’s economy by attracting businesses and people who want to live here (83 percent, 59 percent strongly).

“Voters believe the health of our communities and the global competitiveness of Delaware’s workforce depend on our capacity to provide children with a quality public education,” Gramiak said. “But many voters in Delaware clearly think our public schools could be more effective in preparing students with the skills they will need to succeed in the 21st century.”

Voters prove willing to take action to improve education in Delaware, whether it is voting for candidates who are committed to funding education, voting for increases in education funding, or contacting elected officials.

• Vote for candidates who are committed to improving public education (88 percent willing, 64 percent very willing)
• Write, email, or call your legislator about supporting public education (72 percent, 44 percent)
• Sign a petition around education issues (71 percent, 44 percent)
• Vote for increases in education funding (73 percent, 41 percent)
• Write, email, or call your governor about supporting public education (64 percent, 35 percent)

Education Voters of Delaware is nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that is building a citizens’ campaign to improve public education in Delaware. Ed Voters believes every child in Delaware should have access to a quality education no matter where they live.

Delaware was one of just two states in the nation to be announced as a winner of the Race to the Top:

Race to the Top awards go to Delaware, Tennessee
Washington Post

Delaware and Tennessee won bragging rights Monday as the nation’s top education innovators, besting D.C. and 13 other finalists to claim a share of the $4 billion in President Obama’s unprecedented school reform fund.

Congratulations to Delaware!

Click here for the rest of the story.

Education secretary calls for end to infighting
Duncan says bold plans will get stimulus funding
By EDWARD L. KENNEY • The News Journal • October 28, 2009

Stakeholders competing for $4.35 billion that the U.S. Department of Education will award to states with bold plans to improve student performance will stand a better chance if they stop fighting within their own educational systems.

“You’re not going to agree on everything, but keep coming together, stay at the table,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told a sold-out audience at an education conference Tuesday at the University of Delaware.

Only half the problem in education is the lack of investment, he said, the other half is that people spend too much time fighting each other.

Disagreements aside, he rated Delaware as a good candidate for a chunk of the federal pie.

“Delaware has a chance, I think, to lead the country. This is a state of manageable size. … Delaware can help lead us where we need to go,” said Duncan, who spoke as part of the university’s “Creating Knowledge-Based Partnerships” conference, the fifth in a series designed to spotlight opportunities for partnerships among UD, government and business leaders.

Duncan prefaced his remarks by saying the United States has an unacceptable 30 percent drop-out rate, with 1.2 million leaving school each year before they graduate.

Many of those people are doomed to failure because there are simply not enough jobs out there for them, he said.

“Many other countries have passed us by, and collectively we pay a price,” he said.

Duncan listed a set of priorities that he believes will help turn things around educationally.

Click here to read the full article.

On Tuesday, Feb. 19, Delaware was one of 40 states plus the District of Columbia to submit an application for a federal Race to the Top grant. You can see Delaware’s application on the state’s Department of Education website.