Last month, I wrote a letter to Secretary Arne Duncan expressing support for the U.S. Department of Education's ambitious education reform agenda. With respect to the $4.35 billion Race to the Top grant fund, I encouraged Secretary Duncan to award funds to only the most aggressive states, as has been the intention since the competition was announced. I also urged him to keep the bar very high in terms of what is expected of states, and not allow political whims to get in the way of what is best for our students. Read the full letter here.

In a recent letter, the National Education Association (NEA) expressed concerns about major components of President Obama’s $4.35 billion Race to the Top (RTTT) grant competition. The union thinks the size of the program will inhibit effectiveness, opposes basing teacher evaluations in part on student performance, opposes expanding alternative teacher certification programs and dislikes RTTT’s emphasis on charter schools.

Amidst all the test scores and data indicators, there is a startling truth: if you’re a Delaware high school student, your school is probably underperforming—and not just for a few students.

When the Delaware General Assemble passed a resolution in support of “Race to the Top” funding from the federal government, it recognized the historic funding opportunity available to states and encouraged our Governor and Secretary of Education to create a competitive application for a share of the $4.35 billion federal fund. US DOE Secretary Duncan has set four broad assurances (in key speeches) that states will have to meet to be considered for funds:

In a final push before the summer recess, several pieces of the Markell-Denn education reform agenda were passed by the General Assembly, notably bills addressing school performance awards, Delaware’s student assessment system, and financial oversight and transparency for districts. With the passage of these bills, policymakers are well-positioned to pursue an even more aggressive education agenda when the General Assembly re-convenes in January. Below is a re-cap on each of these efforts.

Teach For America (TFA) recently selected Delaware as an expansion site and has a 20-year history of recruiting outstanding individuals into teaching and effectively training them to raise the achievement of the most needy students in the nation.

Yesterday, Vision 2015 announced that seven more schools are joining the Vision Network. These schools—one elementary, three middle, and three high schools—join 21 others that are implementing the principles of Vision 2015 in their classrooms.

The National Institute for Early Education Research just put out their annual ranking of state early childhood programs.  See the full report here, some Delaware highlights below, and the full Delaware summary here.

Delaware, like most states, is abuzz with talk about what the education stimulus package will mean for us.  This is shaping up to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our schools, and we must make sure these resources are used to their full potential.