Six Delaware teachers have won the PAEMST Award.

6 First State teachers win Presidential math/science teaching award 

Staff WriterNews Briefs

Six Delaware teachers have won the 2021 – 2023 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). It’s the highest recognition that a kindergarten through 12th grade science, technology, engineering, or mathematics teacher may receive for outstanding teaching in the United States.  Here are the First State teachers who won: 2021 Michael Reitemeyer – Math teacher at Mount …

Cindy Marten has been selected to be the next Delaware Secretary of Education.

Cindy Marten named new Delaware Secretary of Education

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

The state of Delaware has a new secretary of education, and she’s been plucked from her role as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. Cindy Marten will replace current secretary Mark Holodick, leaving an agency that President-Elect Donald Trump has sworn to close. “I am honored to join Governor-elect Meyer’s team and help lead Delaware’s public schools into a …

The latest Delaware Excellent Educator Hiring Practices Survey shows educator shortage numbers improving. (Photo from rukxstockphoto/Adobe Stock)

Report suggests educator shortage slowly improving in Del.

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

  The nationwide educator shortage has been a thorn in the side of schools, but the burden is easing in the First State.  Delaware’s public schools have 259 vacant staff positions (2.5% of the total educator workforce), a 52% decrease compared to the previous hiring season.  Delaware has more than 10,000 instructional and non-instructional workers. However, not all openings are …

Fixing the state's underperforming school districts is not unlike pushing a boulder up a hill.

Educators agree high absenteeism drives poor performance in 4 northern NCCo districts 

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

Delaware’s four most northern schools  – which make up four of the six largest districts in the state – have data metrics that can tell a number of stories, all of which keep parents, teachers, administrators, and even students awake at night. One story is about absenteeism. Another is about resources, another about the challenges of special student populations, and …

Melissa Wilson was joined by her therapy dog Rebel as she accepted the award as Delaware's 2025 Educational Support Professional of the Year Monday night.

Smyrna’s Melissa Wilson praises her pup after winning 2025 Educational Support Pro of year

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

Melissa Wilson, a registration administrative assistant at Smyrna School District’s Smyrna Elementary School, has been named the Delaware 2025 Educational Support Professional of the Year. “Thank you for the opportunity to represent Delaware, and I hope to make you all so proud,” she told the audience of other nominees and families at an award ceremony Monday night in Dover. This …

Improvement plans

50 Delaware schools on improvement plans to reverse poor performance

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

In Delaware, 50 of the First State’s 200+ schools are on state-monitored improvement plans due to consistent underachievement. There are four categories of improvement plans depending on the number of years of poor performance, student demographics, and more. “I appreciate the intent of the report, but many of the struggles in our schools come from misguided policy at the legislative …

AP participation and scores increased in the First State this year. (Photo from Winward Academy)

State sees more students taking – and scoring well – on AP tests

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

Delaware schools this past spring showed a double-digit percentage increase in both the number of Advanced Placement (AP) tests taken and the number of students taking them. Students took 12,731 exams in May 2023, representing a 16.6% increase from the prior year, with 738 additional students – 11.3% more – taking AP exams. “Red Clay’s Strategic Plan has prioritized students …

The 2025 Delaware Teacher of the Year will be announced at a ceremony Oct. 15.

Here are the nominees for Delaware Teacher of the Year

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

The premier teacher in the First State will be named next month.  On Oct. 15, the state will announce the 2025 Delaware Teacher of the Year.  All 19 school districts will nominate a teacher, who submits a detailed application exemplifying their teaching philosophy.  One teacher will represent the state’s 24 charter schools. Five Delaware Department of Education staff members and …

Maurice Pritchett, Sr. Academy opened Friday to a huge, lively crowd. (All photos from Jarek Rutz/Delaware LIVE News)

Pritchett Academy opening rocks Wilmington with celebration

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

Hundreds of Wilmingtonians screamed the last name of a local legend in a “call and response” rhythm on the corner of East 7th and North Lombard streets Friday afternoon. Speakers screamed “Maur-ice” as the crowd howled “Pritch-ett” back to celebrate the opening of the first school in the city of Wilmington in five decades. Longtime Wilmington educator Maurice Pritchett Sr., …

Test scores remain virtually unchanged from last year, but SAT scores took a dip in a couple categories.

State test scores show 33% proficiency in math, 40% ELA

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

This is a developing story. Check back for updates. Delaware’s state-wide test scores from the 2023-2024 school year were released Thursday, and while they are still very low, they did not get any worse than last year. That might not be saying much, as education experts across the state have been calling the low scores a “crisis” for multiple years …