Education in the First State
November 27, 2019
37 Delaware schools earn state's top ratings

Secretary of Education Susan Bunting, center, delivers a banner to Sussex Technical High School. 

Congratulations to the 37 schools that earned Exceeds Expectations ratings in 2019 on the Delaware School Success Framework, the tool Delaware uses to measure school progress for federal reporting. Exceeds Expectations is the highest rating possible on the four-level scale. The overall ratings are determined based on multiple measures, such as student proficiency and growth in key subjects, high school graduation rates and the progress of English learners.
 
Secretary of Education Susan Bunting and Deputy Secretary of Education Christine Alois are delivering banners to the schools so they can showcase their success.
  • Appoquinimink School District: Appoquinimink High, Cedar Lane Elementary and Loss Elementary
  • Brandywine School District: Claymont Elementary and Forwood Elementary
  • Caesar Rodney School District: Dover Air Force Base Middle, Frear Elementary, Star Hill Elementary and Welch Elementary
  • Cape Henlopen School District: Cape Henlopen High, Love Creek Elementary, Milton Elementary and Rehoboth Elementary
  • Christina School District: Gallaher Elementary, West Park Place Elementary and Wilson Elementary
  • Indian River School District: East Millsboro Elementary, Lord Baltimore Elementary and Southern Delaware School of the Arts
  • Lake Forest School District: Lake Forest East Elementary and Lake Forest North Elementary
  • New Castle County Vocational Technical School District: St. Georges Technical High
  • POLYTECH School District: POLYTECH High
  • Red Clay Consolidated School District: Cab Calloway School of the Arts, Cooke Elementary, Charter School of Wilmington, Delaware Military Academy, Linden Hill Elementary, North Star Elementary, Richardson Park Learning Center
  • Seaford School District: Blades Elementary, Douglass Elementary, and West Seaford Elementary
  • Sussex Technical School District: Sussex Technical High
  • State-chartered: MOT Charter, Newark Charter and Sussex Academy 

 
Cab ornaments to decorate national tree display
 
Cab Calloway students show off the globe ornaments they made for the 2019 National Christmas Tree display in Washington DC. Find more pictures here.

Middle and high school visual arts students at Red Clay Consolidated School District's  Cab Calloway School of the Arts created one-of-a-kind ornaments for the 2019 National Christmas Tree  display on the Ellipse in President's Park . The handcrafted ornaments will adorn the Delaware tree, one of 56 smaller trees that surround the National Christmas Tree. The 56 trees represent each U.S. state, territory and the District of Columbia as part of the America Celebrates display. 

Delaware's ornaments will be showcased on the Delaware tree following the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Monday, Dec. 9. For more event information and updates, visit http://www.thenationaltree.org/.
Delaware students earn College Board scholarships
Delaware College Board Scholarship recipients share how activities that can award them scholarships benefit their future in other ways, too. Students can earn up to $40,000 in scholarships through the College Board program. Scholarships are awarded monthly. 

Six Delaware students have won Opportunity Scholarships from College Board since January. Students from Newark Charter School and Smyrna, Howard, Cape Henlopen, Sussex Technical and Caesar Rodney high schools have received a total of almost $5,000 in scholarships so far this year. Three students have won $1,000 for completing a certain number of hours on SAT Practice. Three additional students have been awarded $500 scholarships for building or strengthening their college lists in Big Future. Current College Board Scholarship awardees are:
  • Smyrna High School's Yaren Usul
  • Howard High School of Technology's Paulaira Anderson
  • Cape Henlopen High School's Jack Dawson
  • Sussex Technical High School's Van Tran
  • Caesar Rodney High School's Evan Cheng
  • Newark Charter School's Jessica Singh
The Opportunity Scholarships are part of a newly established College Board program to help guide students through the often-complicated college application process. Rather than asking students to complete an essay, application or demonstrate a minimum GPA, College Board is rewarding student effort and initiative by asking them to complete one or a series of action steps that help students apply to college.
 
Students must complete up to six key steps along the path to college for a chance to earn scholarships. Scholarships are awarded through monthly drawings to students who complete each action. Delaware already has many programs in place to encourage this work. Students are given increased opportunities to earn scholarships based on the number of action steps they complete. Those who complete all six steps are eligible to earn $40,000. More information is available at  https://opportunity.collegeboard.org/ .

Grants expand high school career pathways programs
       

Secretary Bunting explains to Dover High School students how a federal grant will help their school expand the PIPEline to Career Success program, allowing more students with disabilities access to high-quality career pathways.  
Secretary of Education Susan Bunting this month announced more than $458,000 in federal grants to expand high school career pathway programs and to support all youth in their pursuit of college and career-readiness coursework. The statewide Delaware Pathways initiative aims to prepare all students to excel in key industries that offer good jobs in today's economy.

Grant funds are used by school districts and charter schools to implement career and technical education programs as part of a larger state effort to connect our public education system, post-secondary institutions, and employers. Students take hundreds of hours of specialized instruction and hands-on training in their career pathways, giving them the opportunity to graduate high school with work experiences, college credits, and industry credentials that are relevant to those industries. As a result, students receive a head start on getting a job and earning a postsecondary credential or degree.

Bunting joined Capital School District Superintendent Dan Shelton to meet with students and administrators at Dover High School to announce the 51 grant awards, which benefit 17 school districts or charter schools across the state. Capital's Dover High School is using its grant award to support the PIPEline to Career Success Project for students with disabilities. The project supports students with disabilities to enter into high-quality career pathways, graduate from high school, and transition into postsecondary education and employment.

"Dover High School's program is a prime example of the kind of investments we must make so every student graduates from our schools prepared for success," Bunting said. "Delaware has public and private partners working together. They are collaborating on the alignment of supports across state agencies for students from low-income families and students with disabilities and on integrating community-based organizations so that out-of-school learning connects to students' education and career interests."

The Delaware Pathways program currently serves more than 16,000 students enrolled in 26 career pathways programs across 16 comprehensive school districts, three technical school districts, and 11 charter schools, in addition to serving youth at Cleveland White and the Ferris School.
  
Delaware celebrates National Principals Month


In honor of October as National Principals Month, the Delaware Department of Education once again partnered with Royal Farms to celebrate Delaware principals. Principals were applauded on social media throughout the month for their leadership, hard work and commitment to Delaware students.
The first 100 principals with a shout out received a coupon for a free coffee from Royal Farms. Read all the praise given to Delaware's amazing principals by their colleagues, students and school communities.

Other Good News in Delaware's Public Schools