Education in the First State |
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Editor's Note: As we look toward 2022, this month's issue of Take Note highlights some of our favorite stories from the past twelve months. The end of the year is an opportunity to celebrate the great work of our students and educators in 2021. Space has limited our selections - there are so many other great stories to revisit! - so don't consider this list exhaustive. Enjoy these highlights from 2021 and let us know what we should be celebrating in 2022 by emailing us your story ideas at [email protected]. Find past issues of Take Note here. Have a wonderful and safe holiday season, and thank you to the educators, families, community partners and others for the hard work you do every day to support education for Delaware students.
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Brandywine’s Jahsha Tabron named State Teacher of the Year |
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Brandywine High School Teacher Jahsha Tabron was named Delaware's 2022 State Teacher of the Year at a celebration in October (more pics).
A high school special education teacher from the Brandywine School District is Delaware’s 2022 State Teacher of the Year.
Jahsha Tabron of Brandywine High School now is Delaware’s nominee for National Teacher of the Year. She will use her position to share her message to fellow teachers about the importance of teachers building strong communities.
“As a special education teacher, I have witnessed the power of inclusive classrooms. Inclusion erases educational barriers, embraces diversity, develops resilience in students, and fosters their perseverance,” Tabron said. “Teachers, our ability to persevere and succeed is dependent on the communities we build; we cannot and should not do this alone! Our greatest resource is each other.”
Governor John Carney made the announcement during a Dover ceremony to honor the 20 district/charter teachers of the year.
As a co-teacher in grades 9 to 12 English classes, Tabron works to make learning relevant to her students. She maintains academic rigor while helping students make connections to themselves, the text, and the real world. Her primary focus is ninth-grade special education students who are transitioning to the high school setting. Her expertise is in working with students and families to foster community connections between home, school, and educational agencies.
Tabron also works to uphold equitable educational practices; she facilitates opportunities for fellow educators to foster student-centered growth. She mentors new teachers in special education compliance requirements necessary for developing individualized education programs.
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Video: Meet the 20 district/charter Teachers of the Year |
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First-of-its-kind partnership supports STEM, CTE statewide |
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Editors Note: The following three pieces are from this year's Knowledge Matters tour of school districts in Delaware. Knowledge Matters emphasizes the state’s Delaware Delivers initiative, which encourages adoption of high-quality instructional materials in districts and charter schools.
The tour begins in the Seaford School District, which has seen a stunning turnaround in student achievement in a few short years. Knowledge Matters asked Kelly Carvajal Hageman, director of instruction, to write this piece. She came to the district just as it was implementing Bookworms, an English language arts curriculum that was in its infancy and being co-authored by a professor at the University of Delaware. Learn more about how one district became among the best in Delaware.
Next, Richard Shields Elementary School Principal Kimberly Corbidge and Reading Specialist Angela Shaeffer share their district’s five-year journey implementing American Reading Company’s English language arts curriculum, ARC Core. Located in the beach community of Lewes, Delaware, which touts itself as “the first town in the first state,” Cape Henlopen School District has 5,500 students. Minority enrollment is 30 percent. Read how a new program accelerated EL reading by a year - in just one month.
In this piece, Claymont Elementary School Principal Tamara Grimes Stewart describes the Wilmington school’s journey since its 2017 rollout of the Bookworms Reading & Writing curriculum. Part of the Brandywine School District, Claymont saw English Language Arts proficiency scores rise 21 percent in just three years after the new curriculum was implemented. Check out how a Delaware school transformed student literacy in just 3 years.
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Governor signs legislation to make Opportunity Funding permanent |
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In June Governor John Carney signed legislation to increase classroom-based support for low-income students and English learners in Delaware public schools.
Senate Bill 56, sponsored by Senator Laura Sturgeon, expands and makes permanent Delaware’s Opportunity Funding program. The weighted funding program provides direct, classroom-based support for low-income students and English learners. By Fiscal Year 2025, funding for the program would more than double to $60 million annually.
Learn more about how public schools are using Opportunity Funding to support low-income students and English learners.
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Delaware's dual language immersion learners head to high school |
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Chinese dual language immersion student, Saige I, pictured in kindergarten when she started Caesar Rodney School District's program at McIlvaine Early Childhood Center and in 8th grade at Fifer Middle School (more pics).
Kindergartners who began learning in two languages in 2012 as part of the state's first cohort of dual language immersion learners moved on to high school this year. More than 100 students from immersion continuation programs at Fifer Middle School and Postlethwait Middle School (Chinese - Caesar Rodney School District), Selbyville Middle School (Spanish - Indian River School District), and Skyline Middle School (Spanish - Red Clay Consolidated School District) are transitioning to the next phase of their immersion education. Caesar Rodney students will continue at Caesar Rodney High School, Selbyville students at Indian River High School, and Skyline students at A.I. duPont High School.
Students who grew up in the program say they enjoyed the experience. Postlethwait M.S. student London P. says she has enjoyed her middle school immersion experience mostly because it allowed her to learn "different people’s perspectives on why or how things happen" and also "a little more of the language.” Fifer's Abigail M. says she enjoyed challenging herself the most.
Students also say they are looking forward to continuing their language learning in high school.
“What I am looking forward to the most is meeting new people and maybe teaching them some of my language or learning new language from others,” Skyline M.S. student Sianni L. said.
At the high school level, immersion students will have a variety of options to continue to strengthen their language proficiency while applying learning in real-world academic and career contexts. Ninth grade immersion continuation students will be able to take the AP Language and Culture course in their immersion language, if they are ready to do so. These students can earn the Delaware Certificate of Multiliteracy in their ninth grade year as well.
These language skills, students say, will benefit them in the future.
“As I plan to work in the medical field, knowing a second language can be greatly beneficial as I would be able to communicate with Chinese colleagues and assist patients with a low level of English proficiency,” Fifer M.S. student Isabella A. said.
Me beneficiará en mi carrera en el futuro de ser una enfermera que habla los dos idiomas, porque en el hospital, casi no hay muchas enfermeras que hablan los dos idiomas, y yo quiero ser una de ellas para ayudar a las personas que no pueden hablar muy bien en el inglés," said Skyline M.S. student Areli T. [Translation: This will benefit me in my future career as a nurse who speaks two languages, because in hospitals, there are hardly any nurses who speak two languages, and I want to be one of them so that I can help people who don’t speak English well.]
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Lake para named state Educational Support Professional of the Year |
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Secretary of Education Susan Bunting, 2022 Delaware Educational Support Professional of the Year David Thomas, Lake Forest East Elementary School Principal Nicole Kurz-McDowell and Lake Forest School District Superintendent Steven Lucas (more pics).
A computer lab/technology paraprofessional from Lake Forest School District’s Lake Forest East Elementary School is the state’s 2022 Delaware Educational Support Professional of the Year.
Secretary of Education Susan Bunting surprised David Thomas by presenting him with the award at his school in November.
“David is praised by his colleagues for his leadership and collaboration. His support of students, families and educators alike has made him an essential member of his school community, and he well represents the critical roles educational support professionals play in schools across our state,” Bunting said.
Former East Principal Douglas W. Brown said students, families and East staff have relied on Thomas throughout the pandemic.
“Dave fulfilled every request or question every teacher, parent or student had about Zoom, Pear Deck, Clever, camera views, etc., without ever complaining,” he said. “If there were ever a year for someone such as Dave to be recognized for their efforts, it is definitely this year of the pandemic because without Dave, East does not make it through with the successes that they had.”
Thomas, an 11-year paraprofessional, said he wants his students to understand the importance of technology as a tool to advance their learning.
“Technology is more than video games, tablets, and phones. Use of a mouse for precision and the ability to type proficiently are essential,” he said. “My students graduate from East Elementary school with confidence in their typing abilities and use of Microsoft Office applications. My third graders even create PowerPoint presentations before they start fourth grade! Often I hear back from their teachers how advanced the students from East are when they move on to their next school.”
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Delaware Department of Education | www.doe.k12.de.us
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