August 30, 2023

Continuing our commitment to Delaware students

Delaware Secretary of Education Mark Holodick joins Governor John Carney this week to greet students and staff at Brandywine School District's Harlan Elementary School.

The following was written by Delaware Secretary of Education Mark Holodick.

Welcome school staff, families, and community members to the 2023-24 school year. I hope everyone is well and eagerly anticipating the new opportunities ahead.

As I liked to say each August when I was a district superintendent, “It’s go time.” All the summer preparation, planning and work is about to pay off, and we are ready for staff and students to return to school buildings. This year, school preparation is less of a return and more of a continuation. Many Delaware public school employees worked through the summer, intentionally offering families positive, out-of-school experiences designed to benefit every student. Several community organizations and businesses also offered valuable summer opportunities to families, unified in the effort to help empower students across the state.

Most already know well that Delaware students continue to struggle. COVID-19 caused significant changes and challenges in our education system as we navigated the complexities of remote and hybrid learning. Recent state assessment data reinforced this reality. Our students and schools are dealing with nation-wide issues: learning loss, behavioral health concerns, and a teacher shortage. And while these challenges are not limited to Delaware, experience shows that when our state comes together – like we did this summer and have many times before – we offer students the best chance at recovery.

To this end, Delaware continues to move forward with its unique, whole-state approach to addressing the many challenges our students, staff, and families currently face. Now more than ever, we remain committed to the short- and long-term strategies and recently passed legislation that are helping improve our state's current academic and non-academic challenges. We know recovery is going to take time – we cannot be deterred. And all of us must continue to lean-in to help Delaware students succeed.

As we gear up for the upcoming school year, we remain committed to student learning and well-being. A heightened focus on mental health support, equity and diversity initiatives, and efforts to address learning loss are especially important for our students right now. We encourage all school staff, students, families and communities to embrace this work – to discover, to learn, to collaborate, and to transform.

I want to express my sincere appreciation to everyone’s ongoing resilience and dedication. Thank you for your continued commitment to Delaware students. Together, we will make this a remarkable and transformative school year.

Delaware removes barriers for aspiring educators

Governor John Carney signed several pieces of legislation this month as the state comes together to address Delaware's educator shortage (more pics).

Education vacancies have become harder to fill in recent years due to labor market changes and more. In response, the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) has partnered with higher education institutions, districts and charters, the state Department of Labor, and area organizations to develop a multi-pronged approach focused on attracting and retaining talented educators.

This month, Governor Carney signed three education bills into law, helping address a frequently noted reason for the decline in teacher candidates: financial barriers, particularly for those who must work during student teaching hours and also mid-career professionals unable to reduce their pay while going back to school.

Sponsored by Delaware Representative Kim Williams and Senator Elizabeth Lockman, House Bill 138 develops the Delaware Educator Apprenticeship Program, placing aspiring teachers in paid public-school positions while they complete the training and schooling necessary to become a credentialed teacher. Participants work closely with skilled mentors to gain valuable teaching knowledge and experience. This free preparation also helps future educators acquire more insight into their chosen career before graduation, and additionally make connections with districts and charter schools that can lead to permanent employment. A pilot apprenticeship program between Wilmington University and the Appoquinimink School District will begin this school year. The program will be expanding in school year 2024-25.

Delaware’s teacher apprenticeship strategy complements House Bill 430 and Senate Bill 156, also signed this month. HB 430 establishes the Grow Your Own Educator program, offering grants for districts and charters to develop local programs that provide free tuition and related assistance to eligible high school graduates interested in becoming Delaware teachers. In return, students work in the sponsor district or charter for a minimum of three years. The competitive Grow Your Own grant prioritizes programs focused on high-needs schools, bilingual candidates, and those without bachelor’s degrees.

SB 156 provides paraprofessionals who become teachers with partial credit on the teacher salary scale for their years of paraprofessional experience. Under the previous model, paraprofessional experience would not have counted as teaching experience, leaving applicants who were seeking to transition from a paraprofessional to a teacher at risk of a pay cut. To receive the credit, paraprofessionals must work as teachers within their same districts or charters.

“These innovative programs offer our state new ways to attract and retain educators, and also help us address equity challenges in Delaware education,” said Secretary of Education Mark Holodick. “Instead of relying on short-term, quick fixes, the state is investing in ongoing strategies like these alongside year-long teacher residencies, school staff compensation enhancements, and more. When we reduce barriers to becoming an educator, we attract a more diverse workforce that ultimately benefits all students.”

For more information on becoming a Delaware educator, contact Ann Hlabangana-Clay at Ann.Hlabangana-Clay@doe.k12.de.us.

2023 Delaware Teacher of the Year welcomes colleagues

The following was written by 2023 Delaware Teacher of the Year Ashley Lockwood, a grade 5 teacher at Lulu Ross Elementary in the Milford School District.

Dear Delaware teachers,

Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year! I hope that your summer allowed the opportunity to rest, reset, and enjoy time with your families and friends.  As you prepare for the first bell of the year, I would like to thank you for your commitment to educating our students and your contributions to our school communities.   

Students will be returning to our classrooms in a few days.  Some will be nervous, some will be excited.  Some will come with all of their supplies, some will come with a few.  Some will start the year performing above grade level and some will need extra support along the way.  No matter their situations, we, teachers, paraeducators, and support staff have chosen to teach them, advocate for them, support them, and inspire them–all of them.  Choosing this career and choosing it year after year means choosing to wear all the many hats and titles that come along with it.  We may not really have eyes in the back of our heads, but we do have the ability to see things in our students that the rest of the world may not see.  We have the ability to see their talents and potential. We also see the areas in which they may struggle.  In those times, without hesitation, we do what is necessary to support these children.  We are there for them in ways that reach far beyond academics.  Those abilities and that care come from an extraordinary place, the heart of a teacher.

What some may not realize is that the heart of a teacher beats differently.  Just as children require special care, the teacher’s heart also requires special care.  We owe it to ourselves and each other to make sure that we prioritize that care in our daily routines.  This year, I hope that you will join me in being more intentional about tending to our teacher hearts in these specific ways.

H: Highlight

Highlight your successes and joys in your classrooms.  Our National Teacher of the Year, Rebecka Peterson, reminds us that there is “one good thing” in every day.  Before turning your lights off and leaving for the day, name your one good thing.  It could be a breakthrough with a particular student, a highly engaging lesson, or remembering to take attendance without your secretary having to remind you.  Good things will happen in your classrooms every day.  Take the time to acknowledge them.     

E: Expect and Embrace

Expect challenges and mistakes and embrace the opportunity to learn and grow from them.  Every lesson will not turn out as planned.  We will have to adjust according to the needs of our students and reflect on a regular basis.  Give yourself the space and grace to do so. 

A: Ask

Ask for help when you need it. Teaching is collaborative and always evolving.  Being a teacher means belonging to a community of individuals who share the same goals.  Whether you are in year one, 25, or somewhere in between, we can all use a helping hand from time to time and there is no shame in asking.     

R: Reach Out

Reach out just to check in on a colleague, especially our teacher leaders.  Our teacher leaders, instructional coaches, and team leads are often our “go-to” people.  Their doors are always open for us.  They either have the answers or will find the answers.  Let’s make sure that they have support from us as well.

T: Trust

Trust your expertise. Teaching is an art, a specialty, and a gift.  We have devoted years to lifelong learning and development to master our craft.  Trust that we have the knowledge, skills, and the heart to do what is best for our students.

Teachers, thank you for choosing Delaware.  Thank you for choosing our students and each other.  I wish you all a safe, successful, and productive school year.  

DelTech partners with schools to address teacher shortage

Del Tech's new Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education is offering another way for teachers to join Delaware's educator workforce.

The following was written by Delaware Technical Community College President Mark T. Brainard and Delaware Secretary of Education Mark Holodick.

Delaware has been experiencing a teacher shortage for years, but the problem is not unique to the First State. Nationwide, 18% of public schools in the United States last fall had one teaching vacancy, and 27% had multiple vacancies, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Teacher shortages were becoming more common nationwide prior to the pandemic, but the unprecedented challenges caused by the global health crisis exacerbated the problem. Recognizing the seriousness of the issue, Delaware public school superintendents met with the leadership of Delaware Technical Community College in 2019 looking for help.

School leaders knew responding quickly to workforce needs is part of Delaware Tech’s mission, so they asked if the college could start a bachelor’s degree program for educators to help districts and charters create a well-prepared pool of teachers. Because most Delaware Tech graduates remain in the state to work after graduation, the local leaders believed teachers educated at the college would likely return to their own charters and districts to teach. And they knew Delaware Tech had already created a Bachelor of Science in nursing program in 2017, in response to the state’s health care sector’s need, so the leaders were hoping the college would do the same for educators.

Delaware Tech responded by conducting a comprehensive analysis of labor market information and surveyed education students and alumni, as well as education leaders statewide, before deciding to move forward with its Bachelor of Science in elementary education program (BSE). Currently, the program has about 80 students enrolled, all of whom have already completed an associate degree program in education.

Students win DIAA athletic awards

The DIAA Board of Directors’ is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 DIAA/Harry Roberts-Senior Scholar Athlete awards. The award is named in recognition and memory of Dr. Harry Roberts, former superintendent of the Caesar Rodney School District who served DIAA on several committees, most notably as chair of the DIAA Sportsmanship Committee for many years.

“We are honored to award this year’s winners for their athletic leadership, service and dedication to their academics. The commitment our student athletes dedicate to their academic achievements as well as their athletic achievements is a testament to the outstanding young men and women participating in DIAA sports. We wish all the award winners much success as they become leaders in the community and embark on the next chapter of their lives,” said Executive Director David L Baylor.

The awards are presented annually by the DIAA based on a student’s academic, athletic and leadership accomplishments.  DIAA has named Harry Roberts Senior Scholar-Athlete winners since 1999 to 137 scholarship recipients from 39 different member schools.

The 2022-2023 winners are:

Delaware Department of Education I education.delaware.gov