Vision Coalition has one of its five town halls left, engaging the community with their thoughts on education in Delaware.

Sussex community vocalizes needs, hope for education

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

A few dozen parents of students, educators and concerned community members shared their frustrations with education in Delaware and hopes for the future during a town hall Wednesday night.  The few students in the crowd received applause and praise from the crowd for caring enough to be involved in changing the status quo of a system still funded by an …

The Department of Education, Redding Consortium and Wilmington Learning Collaborative had their yearly state budget requests Wednesday.

Education groups costing â…“ of state budget face JFC

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Government

Education – what one legislator called the most important investment by the state – consumed Wednesday’s Joint Finance Committee hearing for a category that makes up about one-third of the state’s $6 billion budget.  Appearing in the morning before the committee that decided how and where the state’s budget will be spent was The Redding Consortium and the Wilmington Learning …

Delaware's school choice application window closes Jan. 10.

School choice window closes next week 

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

Parents have eight days to submit applications if they wish to send their children to a school outside of their residential district or assigned school. Delaware is one of the 13 states in the country that allows families to apply for their children to attend any public school – district or charter – rather than sending them to the neighborhood …

School funding

Report on school funding changes to be released Tuesday

Betsy PriceEducation, Headlines

  A mounting sense of anticipation surrounds Tuesday’s release of a report making suggestions about how to improve Delaware’s school funding system to make state education more equitable. The assessment — which the state paid $700,000 for — was conducted by the national research firm American Institutes of Research. It sprange out of the settlement of a 2020 lawsuit that …

Sinead Ronan Paraprofessional of the Year 2023

Caesar Rodney librarian named support professional of year

Staff WriterEducation, Headlines

A paraprofessional/library specialist who opens the school library during lunches so students can have a space where they feel safe and cared for has been named Delaware’s 2024 Delaware Educational Support Professional of the Year. “The library has an open-door policy so students can take a break, check in or have someone listen to them,” said Sinead Ronan of  Caesar …

Appo’s Cory Hafer is the 2024 Delaware Teacher of the Year

Middletown’s Cory Hafer named 2024 Teacher of the Year

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

Cory Hafer, an engineering and science teacher at Appoquinimink School District’s Middletown High, is this year’s teacher of the year. Hafer won over 19 other finalists, one from each district and a charter school representative. All finalists receive $2,000.  In addition to winning $5,000 to use for his students, Hafer pockets an extra $5,000 prize. This is the 60th year in …

Counselor Red Clay Consolidated School District Kristen

Red Clay’s Kristin Nye finalist for national counselor of year

Jarek RutzEducation, Headlines

A Delaware counselor has been chosen as one of five finalists from around the country for an award honoring the best school counselor in America. Kristin Nye from Anna P. Mote Elementary School in the Red Clay Consolidated School District will represent the First State for the American School Counselor Association School Counselor of the Year Award. “To get this …

The Education Freedom even was held last week in Wilmington.

Education Freedom event highlights importance of bipartisanship

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

Increasing awareness and decreasing partisanship are two of the most important factors to improve education in Delaware, attendees at the inaugural Education Freedom event learned. “The first step in creating Delaware-led solutions is to have open, honest and transparent conversations about the challenges and opportunities facing our schools,” said Julia Keleher, executive director of First State Educate, which had a …

school board

Education group seeks candidates to run for school boards

Betsy PriceHeadlines, Education

First State Educate/ First State Action Fund is seeking  community members committed to seeing their public schools thrive with rigorous, safe and supportive environments by serving on their elected local school board. Why should you serve? Did you know that less than half our students read on grade level and perform math with proficiency? The decisions made by local school …

In the past year, Great Oaks Charter School has made strong improvements to student achievement metrics.

Great Oaks can cite notable progress as it faces review 

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

A year after being put on formal review by the state, Great Oaks Charter School has made  strides in student achievement as it seeks to keep its doors open. In seven months of turnaround efforts, the Wilmington charter has: Reduced the number of suspensions by 20%  Increased school testing participation rates increased by 21%  Increased Math Smarter Balanced Assessment scores …