Racing to Deliver conference: A meeting of the greatest minds in education

On September 28, all UD’s Clayton Hall will be buzzing with education types – teachers, principals, superintendents, department officials, reformers, higher ed representatives, business supporters, elected leaders, and other interested citizens. The focus of their gathering? The third-annual Vision 2015 leadership forum, “Delaware’s Race to Deliver.”

This is a don’t-miss event – last year, when U.S. Secretary Duncan gave the keynote, the conference sold out in advance and had to go into overflow space. This year, NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein will provide the keynote address, and it’s sure to be inspiring, potentially controversial, and something we’ll all be talking about for months.

And there are dozens of other reasons to be there. In the morning, you’ll hear from Brad Jupp, a senior advisor to Secretary Duncan, about the Obama administration’s goals in education and how Delaware is leading the way. You’ll also see a live reprise of the Delaware team’s presentation of our winning Race to the Top (RttT) plan. Their interview with USED officials earned Delaware the winning points in the first round of the RttT competition. Check out the video of the full original presentation and Q&A session with Governor Markell, Education Secretary Lowery, Vision 2015 Chair Skip Schoenhals, DSEA President Diane Donohue, and Red Clay Superintendent Merv Daugherty.

After you hear about Delaware’s RttT plan and commitments, there will be a focus on what’s possible. With RttT and School Improvement Grant funding from the federal government, paired with bold leadership and dedication to excellence in education, there is an unprecedented window of opportunity to truly make Delaware schools the best in the nation and the world. You’ll hear about what’s happening in great schools around the country, and also about what’s already happening right here in Delaware that we can be truly proud of and learn from.

Next is lunch time, which – in addition to Klein’s remarks – will feature the 2010 Delaware Teacher of the Year, Mary Pinkston, and Delaware’s Governor Jack Markell. And the day’s only half over!

In the afternoon, you can attend a session of your choice where we’ll really dig into how we are going to do the hard work of making our schools world-class. It’s possible, but it will be hard. Sessions will include Delaware folks that are actually doing the work on the ground, as well as some national voices that can share what’s worked – and hasn’t – elsewhere. Later in the afternoon we’ll close the day with a session focused on Delaware’s early childhood education – because getting this all right depends on giving every child a great start.

This conference agenda is packed full, and every portion of the day will be well worth your time. Check out the full conference agenda, and be sure to register now before it sells out!