Strengthening Collaboration in Delaware Education

Date

October 11, 2018

Time

8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Location

Clayton Hall Conference Center, 100 David Hollowell Drive, Newark, DE 19716

The 11th Annual Vision Coalition and University of Delaware Conference

Collaboration helped guide the creation of Student Success 2025. Students, parents, educators, and national and international education leaders, lent their ideas and collectively wrestled with tough issues to establish a shared vision for students―one that prepares each one for a lifetime of success.

The Vision Coalition of Delaware will continue promoting collaboration and celebrating progress made in education at the 11th Annual Vision Coalition and University of Delaware Conference, Strengthening Collaboration in Delaware Education, on October 11 from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at University of Delaware’s Clayton Hall. This year’s conference will cost $25 to attend.

Hear from diverse voices from around the state during an engaging and interactive day focusing on successful collaborations underway in Delaware education, opportunities for future collaborations, and progress made toward achieving the goals in Student Success 2025.

AGENDA (Subject to Change):

Time	Program
8:00 a.m.	Registration, Continental Breakfast & Networking
8:30 a.m.	Morning Plenary Session Student Presentation Introduction by Paul Herdman, President and CEO of the Rodel Foundation of Delaware Destiny Cheeks, Senior at Mount Pleasant High School, Brandywine School District Conference Welcome Elizabeth Farley-Ripple, Director, Partnership for Public Education, University of Delaware Tracey Quillen Carney, First Lady, Delaware Remarks from the Vision Coalition Gary Stockbridge, Chair of the Vision Coalition of Delaware; President and CEO of Delmarva Power
9:00 a.m.	Keynote Panel – Models of Collaboration Introduction Susan Bunting, Secretary of Education, Delaware Department of Education Moderated by Dorrell Green, Director, Office of Innovation and Improvement, Delaware Department of Education Panelist Charter and District Collaboration Dusty Blakey, Superintendent, Colonial School District Margie López Waite, Head of School, Las Américas ASPIRA Academy; Head of School, Delaware Academy of Public Safety and Security; Member, Wilmington Education Improvement Commission (WEIC) Teacher Pipeline Robyn Howton, English Department Chair, Mount Pleasant High School, Brandywine School District John Pelesko, Interim Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Delaware Delaware Pathways Dana Beckton, Director, Diversity and Inclusion, Christiana Care Health System Paul Morris, Associate Vice President, Workforce Development and Community Education Programs, Delaware Technical Community College Delaware Readiness Teams Aimee F. Beam, Education Associate, Nutrition Programs, Delaware Department of Education Diane Frentzel, Program Manager, Delaware Readiness Teams
10:15 a.m.	Networking Break
10:30 a.m.	Idea Exchange (See more information below) Closing Remarks by Tony Allen, Provost and Executive Vice President, Delaware State University; Chair, WEIC
11:50 a.m.	Networking Break & Refreshments

STUDENT SPEAKER: DESTINY CHEEKS

Destiny Cheeks is a senior at Mount Pleasant High School. Throughout her educational journey, she has been actively involved with the Delaware community and in the arts by participating in organizations like the Christina Cultural Arts Center, Cathedral Choir School of Delaware, and Delaware Futures. She has also participated in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Communication Contest, now called MLK VOICE 4 YOUTH, since its inception and has made it to the final round each year.

After high school, Cheeks plans to attend college in the Philadelphia area to become a nurse practitioner midwife. She also plans on pursuing her passion for entrepreneurship and motivational speaking. One of her biggest dreams is to help and inspire others whether it is in a big way or small, directly or indirectly.

Learn more about the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Communication Contest here.

IDEA EXCHANGES ARE BACK! These small group, informal conversations will bring up to ten participants together to explore a topic of their choice. Many of the Idea Exchanges contain examples of collaboration and will bring to life the recommendations of Student Success 2025.

Idea Exchanges provide participants a chance to share and learn collaboratively from others, receive answers to their questions, find ways to get involved, connect work underway and identify opportunities to make progress.

Arts Education Access

How can we support schools and community organizations to increase student participation in arts education opportunities?

Facilitated by:

Sheila Ross
Program Officer, Arts Education and Accessibility
Delaware Division of the Arts
Lynnette Overby
Delaware Division of the Arts
CEI Partnership for Arts and Culture (PAC)

Business and K-12 Partnerships

How can industry leaders inform and work with K-12 to help prepare students for a career?

Facilitated by:

Gary Stockbridge
President of Delmarva Power
Chair of the Vision Coalition Leadership Team

Child Wellness and Mental Health

How can break down silos to ensure mental health services reach children, particularly those birth to age 5?

Facilitated by:

Mary Moor
Early Childhood Mental Health Administrator,
Delaware Children’s Department, Division of Prevention and Behavioral Health Services

College and Career Decisions

How can we more effectively use technology to help students make decisions about postsecondary education and career choices?

Facilitated by:

Shana Payne
Director, Higher Education Office
Delaware Department of Education

College Remediation

How can we reduce the number of students needing remedial education after graduating high school?

Facilitated by:

Ryan Buchanan
Supervisor of Instruction, Smyrna School District

Competency-Based Learning

How can K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and parents utilize competency-based learning to get a clearer picture of students’ academic progress and empower them to take control of their educational experience?

Facilitated by:

Robyn Howton
English Department Chair, Mount Pleasant High School, Brandywine School District
Emily Edmonds-Eveland
Director of Instruction, Las Américas ASPIRA Academy

Design Thinking

How can education and nonprofit organizations use collective impact and design thinking to work with the community to identify needs, test ideas, and achieve education outcomes for students?

Facilitated by:

Sarah Moore
Project Manager, La Colectiva de Delaware
Zach Jones
Director, Dual School

Dual Enrollment

How can we provide opportunities for students to gain access to college experiences and credits while still in high school?

Facilitated by:

Marsha’ T. Horton
Dean, College of Health and Behavioral Sciences
Delaware State University
Evelyn A. Edney, Ed.D
Principal, Early College High School
Delaware State University

Early Learning and K-12 Alignment

How can K-12 schools partner with early learning providers and parents to offer shared training, ensure children are screened, and expand services?

Facilitated by:

Dawn E. Alexander, M. Ed.
Preschool Expansion Coordinator, Colonial School District
Dusty Blakey, Ed.D
Superintendent, Colonial School District

Early Learning Quality

What factors should be prioritized in improving our Stars Quality Rating and Improvement System, and how can we ensure it helps children and providers?

Facilitated by:

John Fisher-Klein
Education Associate, Office of Early Learning
Delaware Department of Education

English Learners

How can we provide necessary supports and resources for English learners through mobilization, advocacy, and partnerships?

Facilitated by:

Javier Torrijos
Chair, Delaware Hispanic Commission
Vision Coalition Leadership Team Member

Equitable Access to Career Pathways

How can we better support all students, such as those with disabilities or English learners, to complete a career pathway and successfully transition to continuing education and meaningful employment?

Facilitated by:

Lisa Stoner-Tobert
Career & Technical Education and STEM Initiatives, Delaware Department of Education
Mike Trego
Career and Technical Education Coordinator, Appoquinimink School District

Equity-Oriented Professional Learning

How can collaboration can be utilized for program development and implementation of equity oriented professional learning?

Facilitated by:

Elizabeth Soslau
Professor, College of Education and Human Development
University of Delaware

Funding Student Success

How can we strengthen the revenue base that supports public education at both the state and local levels?

Facilitated by:

Joe Pika
Retired Professor, University of Delaware

Health and Education

How do we provide high-quality education and health supports for children and families?

Facilitated by:

Denise Buffin, RN, MEd, MSN, NCSN
School Nurse, Mt. Pleasant Elementary/Brandywine School District

Home Visiting

How can we support families in the development of their children through two-generation approaches and expanded access to home visiting?

Facilitated by:

Crystal Sherman
Bureau Chief, Maternal and Child Health
Delaware Department of Health and Social Services
Division of Public Health
Whitney Williams
Supervisor, Christina School District
Parents as Teachers – New Castle County

Meeting the Needs of Students in Poverty

How can we identify risk factors early and increase the delivery of evidence-based, integrated services to youth and their families living in high need communities?

Facilitated by:

Meredith Griffin
Senior Pastor, Harvest Christian Fellowship
Tim Foxx
President & CEO, Communities in Schools

Out-Of-School Time

How might schools and community-based organizations collaborative effectively to improve academic success for children during the summer and after school, especially for low-income youth?

Facilitated by:

Catherine Lindroth
Founder & Executive Director, SummerCollab

Parent Engagement

How can schools and parents build effective partnerships to meet students’ needs?

Facilitated by:

Equetta Jones
Assistant Principal, Highlands Elementary School
Lauren Bailes
Assistant Professor, University of Delaware School of Education

Personalized Learning

What are the leading edge personalized learning opportunities in Delaware, and how can they lead to greater student learning and efficiencies for schools?

Facilitated by:

Dr. LouAnn Hudson
President of the BRINC Consortium
Supervisor of Instructional Support for Cape Henlopen School District

Professional Development for Teachers

How can schools and institutions of higher education engage in meaningful partnership work in professional development?

Facilitated by:

Amy Trauth-Nare
Director, Professional Development Center for Educators
University of Delaware

Promoting Charter and District Collaboration

How can we create opportunities for collaboration between district and charter schools?

Facilitated by:

Eve Buckley
Associate Professor, History Department at University of Delaware
Margie Lopez-Waite
Head of School, Las Américas ASPIRA Academy and Delaware Academy of Public Safety
Vision Coalition Leadership Team member

School Attendance

How can communities and schools work together to promote school attendance and reduce chronic absenteeism?

Facilitated by:

Yvette Santiago, MS
State Director
Delaware Valley Government Relations
Nemours /A.I. duPont Hospital for Children
Co-Chair, Attendance Committee, Campaign for Grade Level Reading
Kathy Ingram
Director Multi Sector Development
Center for Health Delivery Innovation
Nemours Children’s Health System

School Culture and Climate

How can we provide teachers and leaders with the self-care supports they need to create positive learning environments for students and adults?

Facilitated by:

Dorrell Green
Director Of Innovation and Improvement at Delaware Department of Education
Vision Coalition Leadership Team Member

Social & Emotional Learning (SEL)

How can Delaware create a statewide common language for SEL?

Facilitated by:

LaWanda Burgoyne, M.S. Ed.
School Improvement Specialist, Capital School District
Sherlynn Aurelio
Literacy Specialist, Rodel Teacher Council

Special Education

How can we engage families of students with disabilities to access information, knowledge, and resources?

Facilitated by:

Deb Boyer
Director f K-12 Education
Center for Disability Studies, University of Delaware
Meedra Surrate
Parent Information Center

Strengthening Wilmington Education

How can we collaboratively address the needs of and improve the quality of public education for children within the City of Wilmington?

Facilitated by:

Tizzy Lockman
Director, Parent Advocacy Council for Education

Supporting World-Language and Dual-Language Teachers

How can we better attract and support world-language teachers?

Facilitated by:

Basia Moltchanov
Spanish Instructor, Department of Languages, Literature, and Culture World Language
University of Delaware

Teacher Diversity

How can we remove barriers that teachers of color face such as entering and staying in the profession?

Facilitated by:

Aaron Bass
Chief Executive Officer, Vision Academies

Teacher Mentorship

How can we improve efforts to strengthen the mentorship experience for new teachers?

Facilitated by:

Christine Gorowara
Interim Director, Delaware Center for Teacher Education
University of Delaware

Teacher Residencies

How can mutually beneficial partnerships be created to expand, enhance, and sustain teacher candidate residency programs?

Facilitated by:

Tyler Wells
Professor, Wilmington University

Trauma, Toxic Stress, and Learning

How can schools, caregivers, and the community best support students impacted by trauma and toxic stress?

Facilitated by:

Mike Matthews
President, Delaware State Education Association
Deborah Stevens
Director of Instructional Advocacy, Delaware State Education Association

Youth Advocacy in Education

How can we incorporate the perspectives of students into education decision-making in and out of school?

Facilitated by:

Daniel Walker
State Outreach Manager, DelawareCAN

PDMS Instructions:

Educators can receive scholarships and can earn four ongoing professional development credit hours. For more information, contact Nancy Millard at nmillard@rodelfoundationde.org.

Course Title: Vision Coalition of Delaware’s 11th Annual Conference
Course Number: 27338