A 10-year plan for Delaware education examines a wide range of issues that face public education in The First State, as well as potential solutions.
The Vision Coalition of Delaware obtained input from more than 1,000 people in developing its plan, Student Equity and Excellence 2035. The plan was unveiled and discussed Monday at the Delaware Tech Terry Campus in Dover.
Governor Matt Meyer, a former teacher, said it recognizes that Delaware has work to do in bringing up scores, and making some schools safer.
"It's not just my problem. It's not a problem just of a specific teacher, or principal, or our amazing Secretary of Education. It's not just the superintendent's problem. It's all of our problem," Meyer said.
The Vision Coalition said Delaware has made some progress in early care and education, programs that help high-needs students, and in reducing teaching vacancies. What the coalition describes as a policy roadmap contains more than 100 policy recommendations.
"This plan looks much more holistically at students and their families, considering the conditions and barriers in communities and looking at outcomes such as chronic absenteeism and and well-being of our students," ASIPRA Delaware CEO Margie Lopez Waite, a member of the Vision Coalition Leadership Team, said.
The leadership team also includes Delaware Secretary of Education Cindy Marten, who has held that role for about two months.
"And when I implement, it's not doing something to our students or our schools, it's not doing something for them, it's doing it with them... with our students, with our educators, with our parents and families, with our business leaders, with our elected leaders," Marten said.
According to the coalition, about nine of every ten students in Delaware are still educated through public schools.
"The Vision Coalition is committed to taking the long view in public education while addressing the urgent challenges facing us today," Coalition Leadership Team chair Bettina Tweardy Riveros said. She is also ChristianaCare Chief Public Affairs Officer and Chief Equity Officer. "We do not ignore the persistent challenges and ongoing inequities we face, nor do we ignore indicators like test scores that tell us we have a long way to go."
The Vision Coalition's goals by 2035 include:
-80% of children 0-5 served in high-quality early care and education settings, a 4X increase from today
-90% of 3rd graders reading on grade level (30% today) and 70% of 8th graders on-track in math (40% today)
-60% reduction in chronic absenteeism
-100% of high school students achieve advanced college or career standing in high school, with 75% achieving both (such as college credit or industry credential)
-70% of adults have a credential or degree beyond high school
Several students were also invited to participate in Monday's discussion.
"Being Here today feels like being in the room where things happen," Mariner Middle School of Milton 8th-grade student Aliyah Harmon said. "It's encouraging to see adults make time and space for students on these important policy conversations."
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