December 28, 2022

Editor's Note: As we look toward 2023, this month's issue of Take Note highlights some of our favorite stories from the past twelve months. The end of the year is an opportunity to celebrate the great work of our students and educators in 2022. Space has limited our selections - there are so many other great stories to revisit! - so don't consider this list exhaustive. Enjoy these highlights from 2022 and let us know what we should be celebrating in 2023 by emailing us your story ideas at Take.Note@doe.k12.de.us. Find past issues of Take Note here. Have a wonderful and safe holiday season, and thank you to the educators, families, community partners and others for the hard work you do every day to support Delaware students.

Wilmington Learning Collaborative moves forward for city schools

Video: Why the Wilmington Learning Collaborative matters

On November 1, 2022, superintendents of the Brandywine, Christina, and Red Clay school districts and the Delaware Secretary of Education signed the Wilmington Learning Collaborative (WLC) agreement.

The WLC Agreement includes robust feedback from educators, community members, parents, students, and community leaders. Over the past year, Governor Carney and his team conducted meetings with these groups to hear what they would like to see in Wilmington schools. The final agreement is based on these meetings and discussions along with negotiations with school districts.

The first action of the agreement is to appoint the WLC Collaborative Council, the governing council established by the WLC agreement. The WLC Council will then search for and hire an executive director. 

The Wilmington Learning Collaborative is a voluntary network of schools in Wilmington across multiple school districts. The Collaborative’s goal is to create consistency for students, empower educators, school leaders, and communities, and improve outcomes for students in City of Wilmington schools.

Milford Teacher Named Delaware 2023 Teacher of the Year

Milford School District Teacher Ashley Lockwood was named Delaware's 2023 State Teacher of the Year at a celebration earlier this month (more pics).

A fifth-grade teacher from the Milford School District is Delaware’s 2023 State Teacher of the Year.

Ashley Lockwood of LuLu Ross Elementary School now is Delaware’s nominee for National Teacher of the Year. She will use her position to advocate for historically underserved populations of students.

With the mindset “We repeat what we don’t repair,” Lockwood said our school systems collect many forms of data, but educators too often don’t discuss or understand the “why” behind certain data trends.

“When we break down data by racial demographic, we see year after year that a significant number of students of color are performing below proficiency levels in both reading and math despite high attendance rates and having parental support,” Lockwood said.

Lockwood started a committee in her district to bring colleagues together in this work.

“Over the course of my career, I have had the privilege of meeting and working with some of the most dedicated educators. I have learned that most of them want equitable outcomes for students of color but do not know where to begin,” she said. “In the work of educational equity, the most important point to realize is that you do not have to look like your students or have the same background in order to advocate for their needs. When I started the Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee in my district, I made it clear that the committee was not going to be made up of only staff of color but of staff who teach students of color.

“We all have the responsibility to close the opportunity gap. The first step is to understand how our own biases and past experiences may show up in our classrooms. Even in our best attempts at inclusion, we must recognize implicit biases in schools do play a significant role in the outcomes of students of color,” Lockwood said. “Recognizing our own biases through professional development, committee involvement, or self-study proves we are committed to removing the barriers that have kept students of color from advancing academically, socially and emotionally.”

Governor John Carney made the announcement during a Dover ceremony to honor the 20 district/charter teachers of the year.

Lake para named 2023 Educational Support Professional of Year

The Delaware Department of Education celebrates Heather Hitchens, the 2023 Educational Support Professional of the Year.

A paraprofessional from Lake Forest School District’s Lake Forest Central Elementary School is the state’s 2023 Delaware Educational Support Professional of the Year. 

Heather Hitchens supports students with disabilities within their small classroom and inclusion settings. 

“I ensure students with disabilities participate to the best of their ability, whether that be maneuvering their wheelchair to score a goal or learning a picture communication system to vocalize their needs,” Hitchens said in her application. “I strive to embody the least dangerous assumption to guide students to succeed. The needs of my population vary daily, and I am a crucial part of figuring out what they need. 

“Students must trust me so that I can challenge them while embracing their strengths, and they know that, no matter their abilities, I accept them,” she said. 

Hitchens, who has 13 years of experience as an educational support professional, oversees the Special Olympics program for her entire district. In addition, she organizes inclusion events throughout the school year to bring awareness, acceptance and unity of those with special needs, such as Spread the Word to End the Word campaigns and bocce ball and soccer unified tournaments. She also participates in community events supporting those with special needs and volunteers at state unified tournaments.   

Milford school psychologist named Delaware 2022 BHP of Year

A school psychologist from Milford School District is the state’s first ever Delaware Behavioral Health Professional of the Year (more pics).

Congratulations to Milford School District's Rosa DiPiazza, Delaware's first ever Behavioral Health Professional of the Year!

Rosa DiPiazza of Mispillion Elementary School said she approaches all of her relationships – with students, families, community members and colleagues – with genuine curiosity and interest.

“I want to understand the experiences, feelings and perspectives of the people with whom I work. I want to facilitate safe meeting spaces for people to share their stories. When we understand the why behind others’ actions, we are often more empathetic towards situations that might have otherwise angered us,” she said. “When we are more empathetic, we are better able to work together to solve problems. People want to feel heard, validated, and respected (even little ones).”

Secretary of Education Mark Holodick made the surprise announcement at the school earlier this month during a school-wide staff meeting.

“Rosa is an excellent representative for the critical work that behavioral health professionals perform in schools across our state every day,” he said. “Mental health is health. Our students need to be healthy to learn, and I am proud of the work Rosa and BHPs across Delaware are leading for the wellness and growth of our students, families and communities.”

DiPiazza said she is known in her school for being able to build relationships with all families, including those who don’t yet have strong relationships with the school staff.

“I think this is because I am able to interact with them openly and non-judgmentally. I work hard to understand others’ backgrounds and situations and have no problem seeking out cultural brokers to facilitate that understanding,” she said. “I do not expect people to respect me simply because of my position. I earn the respect of adults and students by being honest, professional and staying focused on solving the problems at hand … When I interact with students, I prioritize presenting myself as a safe person who is there to help them with whatever they need help with. I am kind, keep my promises and build trust.”

Delaware celebrates Summer of Opportunity for area students

Video: Check out how Delaware's Summer of Opportunity strategies are impacting Delaware students.

Recognizing that all students deserve opportunities for robust learning during the summer break, Delaware developed a series of strategies this year to enhance academic, social and emotional programming throughout the state.

Coined the Summer of Opportunity, the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) worked in tandem with individual school districts and charter schools to ensure that summer learning plans are in place throughout the state. Governor John Carney developed Delaware’s first-ever Governor’s Summer Fellowship Program for Delaware high school students to become paid camp counselors at community-based summer programs in each county. And DDOE launched a new Summer of Opportunity website, a searchable database to help families find school- and community-based learning opportunities for their children.

Delaware Department of Education I education.delaware.gov