Recapping Legislative Session, Delaware’s New Budget, And Progress Made
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The Delaware General Assembly ended its session earlier this month, as a sizable deficit and tense negotiations forced lawmakers to extend beyond their usual June 30 budget deadline, until officially concluding in the early morning hours of July 3.
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With the budget dominating the conversations, this session was comparatively quiet when it came to education policy issues. But there were some big stories to emerge during the first half of the 149th General Assembly, including:
- The Teacher Leader Pilot program—which aimed to support educator career paths and inform instructional practice—was eliminated.
- Early childhood initiatives were funded at $4.3 million more than FY17. This funding will to continue to support tiered reimbursements for programs in the Delaware Stars Rating and Improvement System.
- College Access programs—like dual-enrollment sub-grants, PSAT sessions, and College Application Month—were considered for significant reductions. While some scholarship funds were ultimately eliminated, the programs saw only a $100,000 cut.
For a full rundown of legislative highlights, click here.
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PROGRESS MADE IN THE SIX CORE AREAS
OF STUDENT SUCCESS 2025
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To support Delaware schools as they encourage children and families to read and focus on math throughout the summer, the Delaware Department of Education is collaborating with the Division of Libraries and MetaMetrics—a national educational research group—to promote free, online tools for students.
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A new survey finds most First State teachers think social and emotional learning is critical to a student’s success. The survey results find nine out of 10 Delaware teachers want to emphasize social and emotional learning in the classroom. And they want training as well. Most teachers also think increased focus on social and emotional learning will improve students’ overall behavior and academic success, according to the survey. More than 200 educators in grades K through 12 participated in the Rodel Teacher Council survey.
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EDUCATOR SUPPORT AND DEVELOPMENT
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WilmU teacher residency program gets $500K grant
While traditional student teaching programs span a semester, those pursuing education degrees at Wilmington University are able to work side-by-side with mentor teachers for an entire school year. The program is considered so innovative, it was recently awarded a $500,000 grant from the National Center for Teacher Residencies. The residency program reduces tuition costs for the teacher interns by about 20 percent and gives them an idea of what being a full-time teacher is like. |
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New high school pathway for future Delaware teachers
In an effort to combat a growing trend of teachers leaving the field within five years of getting their first job, Delaware is launching a new academy for high schoolers considering a career in education. The academy, a new addition to Delaware’s Pathways to Prosperity program, kicks off this upcoming fall at 15 different high schools: Seaford, Woodbridge, Cape Henlopen, Indian River, Laurel, Sussex Central, Polytech, Milford, Caesar Rodney, McKean, Appoquinimink, Middletown, William Penn, Smyrna, and Dover. The environmental science and nurse assisting pathway program will also launch this fall. |
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SYSTEM GOVERNANCE, ALIGNMENT, AND PERFORMANCE
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The Vision Coalition of Delaware’s 10th Annual Conference on Education will be held in Newark on October 30, 2017.
Community members, educators, policymakers, and students will come together and explore the intersection of education and healthy communities.
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