Delaware school boards operate under many rules, including having public meetings that have been advertised in advance to comply with state Freedom of Information requirements. That was one of the details that came up during a First State Educate webinar Monday night focused on how school board agendas work, the legal requirements of boards, the importance of communication and more. …
School board members: Newly elected can have swift impact
School board members in their first term say parents who hesitate to run for school board should know that new members can make a difference right away. Don Patton was one of the drivers of Christina School District establishing a fresh method of evaluation for Superintendent Dan Shelton to hold him accountable for the district goals he sets each year. …
Should Vo-techs do away with the SAT tests?
Delaware Secretary of Education Mark Holodick wondered aloud Thursday night about whether it’s effective for Vo-tech students who are focused on a pathway to a job to have to take the Scholastic Assessment Test. The State Board of Education was discussing assessments and accountability when Holodick began talking about the SATs. The SATs have been around for almost a century …
2022 Rewind: Interest rises in A.I. du Pont going green to stem enrollment drop
This story was originally published in November 2022. The leader of a Red Clay task force wants to reinvent Alexis I. du Pont High School as a magnet school with a green campus that offers environmental science classes to prepare students for jobs in the eco-industries. The rebranding move, which has been warmly endorsed by government officials and others, is …
As A.I. du Pont High enrollment dropped, so did test scores
As enrollment declined at A.I. du Pont High School starting in 2008, the percentage of minority students and English Language Learners rose dramatically while test scores dropped steadily. That year, the school enrolled 1,492 students. Today, just 680 students are enrolled at A.I. In 2008, the student body was 24.1% Black, 11.8% Hispanic and 60.2% white, according to state report …
Red Clay to evaluate phone, attendance and bus policies
Cell phone use, attendance requirements and items allowed on school buses will be on the agenda this year for Red Clay Consolidated School District’s Code of Conduct Committee. In their first meeting of the year Monday night, the committee reviewed the changes to last year’s code and discussed what it would focus on as it tries to make improvements to …
Red Clay, Capital school board candidates answer forum questions
Left to right: Ashley Sabo (Red Clay), Jim Casper (Red Clay), Vic Leonard (Red Clay), Felicia Duggins (Capital), Joan Engel (Capital). Tuesday night’s forums designed to introduce school board candidates to their communities in the Red Clay and Capital school districts featured no fireworks, arguments or debate. The closest either forum got to controversy was when Red Clay candidate Jim …
Conservatives marshal forces as school board elections near
Republicans are going all in this year to support their candidates for school board elections that take place in three weeks. The Delaware State Republican Party is sponsoring a “Super Saturday Day of Action” Saturday to encourage volunteers to meet candidates and help them campaign The right-wing Patriots of Delaware this week sent out an email saying “it’s time to …