A Better Deal for Delaware

Doesn’t Delaware Deserve better early intervention for at risk students?

From Vision 2015:

We must invest in early childhood education, targeting more resources to high-need children. Research demonstrates that experiences in programs like Head Start translate directly into long-term success in school, careers, and life. In fact, early education is one of the best investments we can make—the returns for society are measurable. Each dollar spent on early education saves society about $4-$7 down the road in other costs, such as incarceration and Medicaid. Recommendations include:

Tuition subsidies for more low-income 3- and 4-year-olds to attend high-quality educational programs.
Required participation in the Delaware Stars for Early Success Program, which sets high-quality program standards.
Annual license renewals for all early child care and education providers to ensure consistent high quality.
Additional professional development for providers so that they have the knowledge and skills to serve our youngsters well.
Data systems to share information and follow the educational progress of students from prekindergarten through grade 12.
Increased coordination across service agencies for children from birth to age 3.

Learning doesn’t begin when children enter kindergarten at age 5 or 6. Research shows that the greatest brain growth and stimulation occur much, much earlier. Children who enter kindergarten unprepared are often two or three years behind their peers, and many never catch up. If we want to dramatically increase the percentage of children ready to enter college or the workplace, we must ensure that all children have a fair start.

Doesn’t Delaware Deserve additional school hours and a year round schedule that fits parents schedules and student needs?

Why are we using a Century old school schedule that reflects the needs of an agricultural society rather than addressing the needs of the digital age?

Doesn’t Delaware Deserve an online curriculum that is world class and available online through a statewide WiFi network?

From Vision 2015 - A statewide research-based curriculum so that all Delaware students, no matter where they live, are using the same high standards.

Expanded online distance learning to allow true 24/7 learning opportunities.

Doesn’t Delaware Deserve stronger principals who have more control over their personnel, dollars and support staff?

From Vision 2015:

Empower Principals to Lead Their Schools.

We must empower principals to be great school leaders, with enough knowledge, authority and flexibility to get results. We know that great principals, working closely with teachers and families, are needed to support great teaching in every classroom. In Delaware 68 percent of principals will retire in the next 10 years. Recommendations include:

Broader principal control of decision-making related to people, resources and time.
Increased accountability for student achievement and school performance
The flexibility to choose from among approved providers of educational services.
A statewide leadership academy for world-class principal recruitment, induction, retention and development.
A statewide base salary schedule, with significant bonuses tied to student achievement.
More easily accessible data on student performance, staffing and finances to help principals make better decisions.

Currently, principals often do not have decision-making authority over what happens in their schools. For instance, local district officials such as superintendents control only 8 percent of state funds and principals have even less discretion than that. Those closest to the students are in the best position to decide what will help their students most - as long as they are well trained to know what works best and then are held accountable for results.

Doesn’t Delaware Deserve a more efficient bureaucracy with fewer school districts (19) and more dollars in the classroom?

Take a look at this site to see what many “staff” members draw.

http://php.delawareonline.com/schoolemploy_salaries.php

Can’t there be less admin positions and more money spent on frontline teachers and classrooms?

Doesn’t Delaware Deserve testing that matches teacher training and student curriculum?

Vision 2015 Document on State Testing

We often hear that we are “teaching the test”. Well, my feelings are, why not do that unless the test is not a valid gauge of student progress.

“The Delaware Student Testing Program is designed to do the following:”

“serve as a measure of progress toward the Delaware standards;”
“ensure that students can apply their academic skills to realistic, everyday problems;”
“promote better instruction and curriculum by providing timely reports of students strengths and weaknesses;”
“serve as a primary indicator in the statewide accountability system;”
“help districts deal with the issue of who should and should not be promoted from grade to grade.”

Why then does the National Assessment of Educational Proficiency (NAEP) scores for Delaware reflect scores which are 50% lower???

Maybe the Test is flawed?

Here is the first 50 Ideas for Delaware idea detailed:

“The allocation of funds should be driven by the needs of the students,” says the Appoquinimink Superintendent and Vision 2015.

Instead, states including Delaware use complicated systems that group students and provide districts with financing for those groups. The districts then decide how to distribute that money among schools.

The districts receive more for students with learning disabilities but often get nothing from the state for low-income children, gifted students or others with special needs. In Delaware, they get very little extra for non-native-English speakers, known as English language learners.
“Students who have significant learning needs are going to require more dollars,” Brandywine School Board Vice President Nancy Doorey said. “School leaders need greater flexibility in being able to shift those dollars and really allocate based on need.”

“The neat idea behind student-based allocation is that the money goes out based on the needs of students, not on the organizational structure that is in place, not on the weight of different political forces in the system,” she said. “It’s designed to correct the inequitable allocations that either happen because of differences in tax base or differences that play out across schools.”

The shift to weighted budgeting is a national movement partly spurred by success in Edmonton, Alberta. The Canadian district achieved Vision 2015’s goal, revamping into a world leader using school choice, weighted funding and decentralization, which gives principals control of 92 percent of school budgets.

Doesn’t Delaware Deserve to put money where the student’s needs exist??

A Better Deal for Delaware announces an idea to improve technology in Delaware:

1. Doesn’t Delaware Deserve a statewide Wi Fi network that will support school students and businesses?