Changes in the final version of the agreement to create the Wilmington Learning Collaborative include giving schools hiring power, tasking site-based councils with curricula recommendations, and outlining requirements for individual membership. Those changes were designed to address concerns that board members of the participating districts – Christina, Red Clay and Brandywine – discussed over the past five months, delaying the …
Boost ‘22 collab results in 88% of city students graduating
Boost ’22, an initiative to raise graduation rates among seniors in the city of Wilmington, resulted in 88% of those seniors crossing the graduation stage last May, nearly 20% more than 2015. The initiative is a joint effort of five school districts, used one-on-one tutoring and mentoring, college visits, counseling services and more to make sure 435 out of 496 …
Christina first district to agree to join Learning Collab
After five years of planning and months of discussions around the agreement, Christina School District’s school board voted unanimously Monday night to sign the Wilmington Learning Collaborative agreement. The vote came just after 9 p.m. Monday, two hours after the meeting started. “If in some period of time, all of our third graders can read proficiently at grade three, it …
Learning Collab officials want deal signed before November
Wilmington Learning Collaborative officials are asking its member districts for a definitive vote by the end of October. “We have asked for a vote in October because we really need to get the board appointed, get the executive director hired, and that’s going to take some time,” said Jon Sheehan, chief of policy and senior advisor to the governor, during …
A look at Brandywine’s city vs. suburban test scores
A look at the test scores of Brandywine School District’s elementary schools shows why the state is focusing only on Wilmington children in its proposal for a program to raise student achievement in the city. Brandywine school board member Kristin Pidgeon this week questioned why Brandywine’s other eight elementaries – all in suburban schools – are not included in the …
School boards lay out worries, support for Learning Collaborative
A joint meeting Tuesday of the Brandywine, Christina and Red Clay school districts about the Wilmington Learning Collaborative featured a lively discussion, but still no vote. The 21 board members were joined by Gov. John Carney, Education Secretary Mark Holodick and other key education officials. While no one outright opposed the learning collaborative, some expressed concern about the …
5 lucky districts may get help with new eco-friendly buses
Bruce Ashby, transportation supervisor at Capital School District, said his office didn’t ask for state help in getting three new electric buses and one propane one. But he will be delighted to get them. Electric and propane buses are said to be more environmentally friendly than gasoline-powered ones because they release less carbon dioxide as the fuel burns. Ashby said …
Wilmington Learning Collaborative: Executive director by fall
Wilmington Learning Collaborative organizers say they hope to have an executive director in place by early fall. That was one of the new details about their operating draft agreement that came out Tuesday in a community meeting at Warner Elementary School in Wilmington. It was the second meeting since the collaborative published its draft agreement outlining the roles and responsibilities …
State Ed. officials plug Wilmington Learning Collaborative agreement
The Wilmington Learning Collaborative will hold its second community meeting since it released its draft agreement on on Tuesday, June 21. The event will be at Warner Elementary School in Wilmington from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. It’s billed as an opportunity for people to learn more about the agreement that will guide the efforts of the state and the …
Delaware schools pushed to declare Diwali a holiday
A Hindu activist last week praised Brandywine School District as the first in Delaware to close so students could celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of light. Students will be off, but only because that is a day the district designated for parent-teacher conferences. Staff members will be working. In 2023, Diwali falls on a Sunday. But the system has not …