Vision Statement

Each child has a right to early care and education, which is provided to all families as a public good. Every Delaware child and family is engaged in a comprehensive and coordinated early care and education continuum, which provides high-quality services in inclusive environments that meet each child’s and family’s unique needs.

Despite gains, Delaware is falling short of the transformational, systemic changes required to attain “universal” care and education for children from birth to age five. Today only one in five children are enrolled in state-sponsored programming. Other states and countries approach child care as a public good—like K-12 education, as essential to society as roads and bridges. But Delaware invests in the early years at one-third of the level of K-12 education. Most child care workers make minimum wage without benefits or access to professional development. Momentum and public will has been growing; Delaware needs to take the next step.

Co-Chair: Caitlin Gleason, Delaware Department of Education
Co-Chair: Kirsten Olson, Children and Families First
Beth Altemus, Delaware Technical Community College
Dawn Alexander, Delaware Department of Education
Asaiah Beaman Fisher, Healthy Communities Delaware
Julie Bieber, Kingswood Community Center
Georganne Buccine, YMCA of Delaware
Rhondalin Cannon-Tingle, Rhonda’s Little Angels Early Care and
Education Program
Lara Crowley, Wilmington University
Toni Dickerson, Sussex Preschools
Diane Frentzel, Delaware Readiness Teams
Ed Freel, Delaware Early Childhood Council
Rena Hallam, University of Delaware
Jason Hustedt, Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood,
University of Delaware
Don Parsons, Rotary Club of Wilmington
Lisa Ratliff, the little school at Kids Cottage
Dannaé Orisamolade, Delaware State University
Crystal Sherman, Delaware Division of Public Health
Melanie Thomas-Price, A Leap of Faith
Angela Wilson Bowers, Precious Moments
Maxcine Williams, Family child care

The Vision

Every student, beginning at birth, has a right to a comprehensive, equitable education personalized to their unique needs, strengths, and talents. Designed with the capacity to give space for each child’s interests, passions, dreams, skills, and needs, education centers and empowers them as active participants in their learning.

Through a culturally proficient approach, students develop: a sense of agency or control over their own decisions, the capacity to set goals and plan for the future, a heightened curiosity and critical thinking skills to be life-long learners and a sense of compassion and empathy to be engaged

Students are taking more agency over of their identities and embracing their own uniqueness. Likewise, the learning process continues to become more uid and personalized with technology hardwired into most facets of the daily student experience. As things become more specialized, we’ve seen an increased focus on the quality and validity of instructional materials our teachers use in classrooms.

Co-Chair: Margie Lopez-Waite, ASPIRA Delaware
Co-Chair: Pete Leida, Consultant, PJL Partnerships
Laura Burgos, Wilmington Learning Collaborative
Marqueia Davis, Red Clay Consolidated School District
Ed Emmett, Positive Outcomes Charter School
Taquil Foster Lewis, Cape Henlopen School District
Felicia Harrington, University of Delaware
Patches Hill, Seaford School District
Kae Keister, Wilmington University
Kathy Kelly, Delaware Department of Education
Caroline Letner, Strive
Alyssa Moore, Delaware Department of Education
Caroline O’Neal, Reading Assist
Lisa Peel, Delaware Technical Community College
Sheila Ross, Delaware Division of the Arts
Linda Zankowsky, Montessori Works, UD Montessori Teachers
Academy

The Vision

Every student receives the support they need within and beyond the school building to reach their full potential. This includes supporting and nurturing their physical and mental wellbeing, the development of social emotional skills, and building academic foundations and life skills through safe, welcoming, and inclusive spaces and communities. These opportunities should foster and celebrate a young person’s identity, assets, interests, and aspirations.

An increased focus on mental health has emerged in public education, due to the litany of stressors and trauma faced by today’s students. The community schools model has grown, offering wraparound services like check-ups, food pantries, and more. Research demonstrates that when students have someone in school they trust, they have better outcomes.

Co-Chair: Fay Blake, Pathways 2 Success
Co-Chair: Jon Cooper, Colonial School District
Helen Anderson, Dual Generation Center at Stubbs
Charneise Alston, Appoquinimink School District
Wanda Barrett, United Way of Delaware
David Bever, Delaware Center for Justice
Debby Boyer, University of Delaware
Gail Charrier, Delaware Technical Community College
Rosa DiPiazza, Milford School District
Kristin Dwyer, Nemours Children’s Health
Sandi Hagans, First State Community Action Agency
Emmanuel Jenkins, Developmental Disabilities Council
Linda Jennings, Community Education Building
Teri Lawler, Delaware Department of Education
Traci Manza Murphy, Coalition for a Safer Delaware
LaRetha Odumosu, Charter School of New Castle
Tracey Pritchard, Wilmington University
Nika Reid, Indian River School District
Tracey Roberts, Harlan Elementary School
Jarrett Royster, YMCA of Delaware
Annie Slease, Mental Health Literacy Collaborative
Regina Sidney-Brown, United Way/Delaware Afterschool Network
Willeme Thomas, Church of the Nazarene

The Vision

Delaware provides inspired and equitable experiences that equip all students to engage in self-discovery, become economically self-sufficient and actively engage in civic life. For all students to pursue life-long learning and contribute to our state’s economy and quality of life, we envision active, seamless partnerships among employers, schools, and higher education institutions supporting a workforce development system aligned with the current and future needs of our workforce.

State model career pathways were just taking off when Student Success 2025 launched in 2015. Today, the idea has exploded, with more than 30,000 students or 75% of Delaware high school students enrolled in a career pathway. Delaware is evolving its pathways work to new levels, from starting sooner with middle grade students, to building more seamless transitions into life after graduation.

Co-Chair: Paul Herdman, Rodel
Co-Chair: Rachel Turney, Delaware Department of Labor
Don Baker, FAME
Greg Ballance, Diamond Technologies
Matt Burrows, Appoquinimink School District
Shelly Cecchett, Kent Sussex Leadership Alliance
Dan Cruce, United Way of Delaware
Rob Eppes, Junior Achievement of Delaware
Evelyn Edney, Early College High School at DSU
Richard Fernandes, Delaware Department of Labor
Rony Flechier, Seaford High School
Kurt Foreman, Delaware Prosperity Partnership
Bryan Horsey, Ofce of Work-Based Learning
Rick Jakeman, Delaware Department of Education
Joe Jones, New Castle County Vocational Technical School District
Margaret LaFashia, Nemours Children’s Health
Amanda Leighty, Odyssey Charter School
Juliet Murawski, Delaware Department of Education
Alok Patel, National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing
Biopharmaceuticals
Jalyn Powell, Outloud LLC
Joanna Staib, Delaware Workforce Development Board
Gary Zoll, Seaford School District
Jon Wickert, Delaware Department of Education

The Vision

Educators are empowered for the success of learners, creating safe, welcoming, inclusive, and culturally affirming learning environments that recognize race, nationality, identities, and abilities. Educators are revered, well-compensated professionals who are supported and provided with the working conditions and opportunities that enable them to learn and to grow in their careers. Educator demographics refiect the demographics of the students they serve.

The people who support our students in schools have never been under more strain, while the need for more talented, passionate, and well-prepared educators has never been greater. COVID-19 exacerbated many issues within the structures that support educators and future educators. But Delaware has made concerted efforts in improving how we make education a great career and is a national leader in building its teacher workforce.

Co-Chair: Shelley Rouser, Delaware State University
Co-Chair: Michael Saylor, Delaware Department of Education
Jennifer Alexander, Colonial School District
Jill Austin, Delaware Technical Community College
Lauren Bailes, University of Delaware
Linnea Bradshaw, Delaware Professional Standards Board
Jason Cameron, Seaford School District
Tammy Croce, Delaware Association of School Administrators
Kim Hee Stock, Brandywine School District
Kim Karacalidis, Relay Graduate School of Education
Krissy Najera, University of Delaware
Jon Neubauer, Delaware State Education Association
Corey Miklus, Caesar Rodney School District
Jason Peel, Sussex Technical High School
Darren Rainey, Delaware State University
Dave Santore, EdLeadServe
Maria Stecker, Longwood Foundation
Alison Travers, Delaware Academy for School Leadership
Wendy Turner, 2017 Teacher of the Year, Brandywine School District
Tyler Wells, Wilmington University
Brenda Wynder, Delaware State University

The Vision

Delaware will increase funding for education and create an equitable funding system, with a greater percentage of allocations directly tied to student needs. State funding will account for local inequities and provide greater exibility to district and charter schools with fewer administrative.

Much has unfolded over the last 10 years, between a high-stakes lawsuit, a settlement, and a series of incremental changes like reassessing property values.

Co-Chair: Emily Falcon, Colonial School District
Co-Chair: Gary Henry, University of Delaware
David Blowman, Community Education Building
David Carter, Georgetown Middle School
Heath Chasanov, Kent-Sussex Industries
Sara Hale, Milford School District
Taylor Hawk, Delaware State Education Association
Tika Hartsock, Parent and education advocate
Kim Klein, Delaware Department of Education
Mike Jackson, Delaware Technical and Community College
Coby Owens, Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League
Joanne Schlosberg, Newark Charter School
Ken Shores, University of Delaware
Meedra Surratte, Parent Information Center of Delaware