This is the first in a three-part series related to Teach For America in Delaware. Click the following link to read part two written by Teach For America- Delaware Executive Director, Joe Moorman.

In the early months of 2009, it didn’t seem possible. Many warned that it would take years to launch a Teach For America site. So, our goal to have some of the nation’s top college graduates teach in high-need Wilmington schools by the start of the 2009-2010 school year seemed only a pipe dream.

Certain pieces of the puzzle were in place – there was definite commitment and support from local community and business leaders. Delaware’s congressional delegation was on board. In fact, a very strong public-private coalition of supporters for TFA had emerged, including the City of Wilmington, the state Department of Education, Wilmington University, the Delaware Business Roundtable, and local foundations.

Yet, there were still some hurdles. The strength of the emergent coalition put its weight behind a legislative initiative that modernized Delaware’s Alternate Routes to Certification (ARTC), thereby enabling Delaware to attract nationally-recognized programs – like TFA and Teacher Residency Programs – to recruit and support more of the “best and the brightest” to teach in our public schools. On April 20, 2009, Governor Markell signed this legislation.

The puzzle was coming together, but the start of school was only a few months away. So how did Delaware manage to pull it off? The clear commitment and determination of Delawareans backing this effort helped the national TFA office to fast-track the program. By this point leaders of the Christina School District, Red Clay School District, and Wilmington-area public charter schools were eager to have TFA corps members in their schools. Educators and policymakers, alike, wanted this to happen. And, true to the “Delaware Way,” their collective voices convinced TFA to come to Delaware. Seed funding was raised, with leadership contributions from the Longwood Foundation, the Delaware Business Roundtable Education Committee, and the Rodel Foundation.

On May 27, 2009, TFA formally announced its expansion to Delaware and outlined plans to place at least 20 top college graduates in the area’s highest-need schools beginning in the 2009-2010 school year. Things were happening very quickly – the 21 Delaware TFA corps members received intensive training and began teaching, with the support of mentors, in fall 2009.

As we close out the second year of the program, 38 corps members are working in twelve schools and the Latin American Community Center, benefitting more than 2,500 students. Beginning this fall, an additional 20+ corps members will join Delaware schools.

TFA requires corps members to set an ambitious achievement goal for their students: 80 percent mastery of state standards by year’s end, as measured by in-school assessments and Delaware’s standardized tests. 2500 students in Delaware have benefitted so far, and more will in the coming years. Final data for Year One (Year Two data is still to come) demonstrated that Delaware corps members led their students to achieve, on average, 1.4 years of growth in reading and 1.3 years of growth in math on the NWEA MAP test. At the LACC, in less than 6 months, not only have TFA corps members’ 3-year-olds surpassed the year-end (10 month) achievement levels of last year’s students by over 70%, but their students also are at the same level as, or have surpassed, current 4-year-olds (last year’s 3-year-olds).

There is a lot to be excited about related to TFA in Delaware – for what it means for students today and for all of us in the future.

I recently became very optimistic after reading this Ed Week blog, which makes it sound like Congress may actually move forward on reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) this year. (For a quick history on ESEA and its postponed reauthorization, see our November 2010 post-election write-up.)

Delaware is one year into implementation of its #1-ranked Race to the Top plan, with schools and students already feeling positive impacts. The Obama Administration’sproposal for ESEA reauthorization includes many important elements of Race to the Top, and we hope congressional leaders can work together – this year – to implement education reform plans that recognize and accelerate the work underway here and throughout the nation.

This reauthorization is a huge, daunting task for Congress – no wonder it’s been put off since 2008! – yet one that is extremely important and timely. Perhaps it’s realistic to presume that lawmakers will make smaller changes to the law this year, rather than undertake the full authorization. While not ideal, we’d be happy with some changes if they were in the right areas. For example, 57% of Delaware schools didn’t make AYP last year based on NCLB targets, and that number will increase as the NCLB 100% target approaches in 2014. Updates to ESEA could address this gaping hole in our nation’s accountability system and provide more meaningful goals for our schools.

Now is the time – as schools throughout the nation are moving past traditional boundaries in order to provide every student with an excellent education. I hope this is the year for ESEA.

We’ve featured a few reports on this blog from recent site visits that the Delaware Department of Education has offered to educators statewide as part of its LEA support program. On Thursday, March 3 I had the opportunity to join the group that traveled to the High School of Engineering and Science (HSES), a public, magnet high school in Philadelphia.

In two separate conversations, I heard staff members from HSES explain that they try to provide something that will make every single student want to get out of bed and come to school every day. One of their main offerings is their strong curriculum in engineering and science. HSES is a Project Lead the Way certified school, and offers courses in digital electronics, civil engineering and architecture, and more. The building houses seven state-of the-art, newly renovated labs, including an Environmental Science lab and a greenhouse. Students can even apply to participate in a Biomed Program, and many of the 10th and 11th graders I talked to already had specific aspirations to be pediatric surgeons, physician assistants, and medical doctors.

All students that attend HSES have a demonstrated aptitude for math and science, yet some aren’t necessarily planning careers in those fields. To provide extra motivation and enrichment, the school offers a wide variety of clubs, activities, and athletics that provide an opportunity for engagement to nearly every student. There is a clear philosophy to encourage students to become citizens of their school, and therefore have ownership of and enjoyment in their school experience.

Students at HSES are excelling, and boast a 100% graduation rate and a 100% college acceptance rate. Grade 11 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) results show that 85% of students are advanced or proficient in math, 88% in reading, and 94% in writing. The school, the population of which is 57.4% economically disadvantaged, has been designated a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.

HSES is getting it right – offering stellar academic programs and preparing well-rounded leaders that are excited about going to school.   

On Tuesday I had the pleasure of meeting a group of fascinating people working in Delaware schools. They are the first cohort of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) residents, and they are dynamic, excited, and a great example of how Race to the Top is actually benefitting Delaware classrooms.

This year, the STEM residency program is being piloted at Delcastle and Howard High Schools, both in the New Castle County Vo-Tech School District (and both part of the Vision Network). The program is coordinated through the University of Delaware, where the eight residents are completing a Master’s degree in teaching.

But this is more than a student teaching experience; this program is intense. The residents work side-by-side with “field instructors” (collaborating teachers) in classrooms every day, since the beginning of the school year. In the evenings – sometimes up to four days per week – they attend classes at UD in pursuit of earning a full 33-credit Master’s degree in 10 months. The residents’ backgrounds vary widely – one is a 20+ year veteran chemist from AstraZeneca, one interned with NASA, and several are recent college graduates who were drawn to teaching after studying a STEM-related field in-depth.

The classroom at Delcastle High School where we met was abuzz with excitement and enthusiasm at yesterday’s gathering. The residents explained how thrilled they are to be the on the ground floor of the residency program, and help shape it as it grows (next year’s cohort will grow to 15-20 STEM residents, and the program aims to eventually spread statewide). They also are grateful for the experience of being at the school for a full year, so they can really get to know the students and get involved in professional development and school administration activities – some Howard residents have even taken part in Partnership Zone planning efforts. The “field instructors” are also huge fans of the program, explaining that the residents bring so much content-knowledge into the classroom and are able to augment class discussions and bring real-world experience to every lesson. One of these collaborating teachers also even commented that working with a resident has helped him reflect on his own teaching and allowed him to grow as a teacher. And students can’t seem to get enough from the residents – they look to them for advice on how to prepare for 21st Century jobs, on what courses to take in college, and to explore STEM fields they previously didn’t know existed.

The state, obviously, couldn’t be prouder of this program and its initial pioneers. These residents all have Delaware roots, and plan to teach in the state for many years to come (the program requires a one-year commitment, but all the residents expressed their intention to stay beyond that … after all, this is home to them). As this program grows, it will be an important tool for attracting great STEM teachers to schools that traditionally have a hard time recruiting folks with science and math backgrounds.

As I left Delcastle, I was totally energized by this program and the people in it. This is an example of what Race to the Top is about – building innovative, collaborative ideas that have real positive impacts on Delaware’s students – our 21st Century leaders.