Education in the First State
January 30, 2019

State launches first phase of Delaware Report Card
 
The Delaware Department of Education recently launched the first phase of its new Delaware Report Card (reportcard.doe.k12.de.us), a more consumer-friendly site to provide important educational information to Delaware families.
 
The Delaware Report Card, which replaces the state's school profiles site, is designed for parents and caregivers and is focused on sharing data in a usable and digestible manner.
 
"We want Delaware families and stakeholders to engage meaningfully in public education decisions. That is only possible when they have access to clear, robust, timely and continuous information about how their students and schools are doing throughout the state," Secretary of Education Susan Bunting said.
 
Available at the state, district, charter, or school level, a snapshot highlights important educational information, prioritized through community feedback. This overview allows a user to navigate high- level information on one page. The user can dive deeper into the data if desired, viewing data through various options, such as by year, grade or subgroups, including race/ethnicity, gender, residence or other characteristics. Family-friendly language and additional context about each data element were used to create a fuller picture of Delaware education.
Governor Carney recommends education investments

   
#BudgetDE: Watch Governor Carney's Budget Presentation for Fiscal Year 2020. 
Governor Carney on Thursday presented his Fiscal Year 2020 Recommended Budget , sending the General Assembly a plan that will make important investments in Delaware's economy, public schools, and quality of life.

Included in the FY2020 Budget are the following recommendations for Delaware education:

Improving Our Schools for all Delaware Children

Opportunity Funding: $60 million over three years will be devoted to weighted funding for low-income students and English learners

Investing in Educators:
  • $20 million - 2% pay increase for public school educators and $1,000 flat increase for non-educators
  • $500,000 - Expand the High Needs Educator Student Loan Payment Program
Investing in the Classroom:
  • $1 million - Yearlong residencies to prepare incoming teachers and improve retention in high-needs schools$850,000 - DE Literacy Plan - statewide professional development and instructional supports
  • $560,000 - Additional middle school math coaches
Partnering with Higher Education: 
  • $15 million - Funding for the Higher Education Economic Development Investment Fund to supplement investments that Delaware's institutes of higher education are making to improve job growth and economic development in the State 
Grant to help state improve access to early education


 
Some Delaware families seeking support and services for the education and care of their young children must navigate the programs and policies of three state agencies - with 11 divisions - as well as private care providers and their local school districts.

The First State hopes to make the process easier for families with the help of a $4.2 million federal grant. The one-year Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) will help the state better prepare children from all backgrounds to enter kindergarten ready to learn and will improve their transition between early childhood programs and the K-12 system.
The Delaware Department of Education's Office of Early Learning - in partnership with the Governor's Office and other state agencies - applied for the grant to help Delaware study - and improve - how families access early learning services in the state.

"Those services could be early intervention, high quality preschool services, purchase of care services that help supplement the cost of childcare for low-income families or services for children with disabilities," Office of Early Learning Executive Director Kim Krzanowski said. "We will conduct a needs assessment to look at how difficult it is to navigate that."

The goal is to help parents such as Leah Carr.

The mother of five, Carr recognized speech delays in her youngest, Faizeer Paddy. Faizeer, 2, is in the Delaware Department of Education's Early Head Start - Child Care Partnership at Kids R Us in Dover.
Delaware focuses on trauma-informed practices 

 
Delaware educators attend Delaware Department of Education training on trauma-informed practices. Additional training will be offered in February. See flier for more information.  
School psychologist Ryan Palmer believes that shifting our mindsets to better serve students and communities who have experienced trauma is difficult.
 
"It is also invigorating and enlightening, and I cannot recommend it enough," Palmer said.
 
Palmer, who works at Caesar Rodney School District's Kent County Intensive Learning Center (ILC) and W.B. Simpson Elementary schools, recently attended one of the Delaware Department of Education training sessions on childhood trauma. He recognizes that mental health awareness is on the rise in Delaware - especially its effects on public education - and is encouraged by this new focus.
 
" Through understanding the underlying trauma that roots itself in our communities, we not only better understand how to intervene and support our students, but we can start learning how to recognize the systemic, cyclical impact of trauma on the families we work with and the communities we serve," Palmer said.  

Governor, Secretary visit schools, talk to educators

 
Delaware Governor John Carney and Education Secretary Susan Bunting began their day of visits with educators and students at Christina School District's Etta J. Wilson Elementary School (more pics). 
   
Governor John Carney and Delaware Education Secretary Susan Bunting toured three schools Tuesday that were mentioned in the Governor's State of the State address: Christina's Etta J. Wilson Elementary School, Capital's Fairview Elementary School and Laurel's North Laurel Early Learning Academy. The Governor focused on these schools because they are making progress to close achievement gaps and set students on a path toward success. 

During the visits, the Governor and Secretary met with students, teachers and administrators on the three campuses to highlight Carney's proposed Opportunity Funding and other investments in schools across the state.

Other Good News in Delaware's Public Schools