Last Friday, Delaware Governor Jack Markell signed SB 263, legislation that requires student academic growth to be a factor if teachers are to earn tenure-like protections. You might have missed this landmark legislation officially going into law, since it was overshadowed by Delaware’s accountability ratings, released the same day. But it is very significant and something about which our state should be very proud. In passing and signing this legislation, Delaware becomes one of just two states to require teachers to demonstrate teacher effectiveness before they can earn tenure (the other is Colorado). Stay tuned for updates on how this rolls out in the coming years.

Most of the federal funding talk over the last few months has focused on Race to the Top, but there are some other significant federal funding opportunities that have the potential to help Delaware’s schools.

First off is the School Improvement Grant (SIG) funding that will begin flowing to our state in the next month or so. The federal stimulus package, or ARRA, increased Delaware’s share of these funds to a bit more than$10 million for this year.  This funding is targeted toward the lowest performing 5% of schools, making significant resources available to those schools to make significant improvements over the next few years.

Next is the Investing in Innovation fund (i3).  A total of $650 million in competitive grants is available for states, school districts, and non-profits working with districts to create and grow innovative programs that lead to increased student achievement.  The final guidance for this has just come out and applications are due in mid-May.

Finally, the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) has been reinvigorated with about $600 million in funding from ARRA and the FY10 federal budget.  This program supports states and school districts that want to implement model teacher compensation systems thatfocus on improving student achievement.  Draft guidance was released a few weeks ago and applications are expected to be due in July.

In last night’s State of the Union address, President Obama focused on one of his top priorities — the creation of jobs for the American people. He also made it clear that in order to be competitive, attract new industries, and spur great innovations in America, “we need to invest in the skills and education of our people.” Education reform is a huge focus for the Obama Administration, and he used the SOTU to outline his goals: “instead of rewarding failure, we only reward success. Instead of funding the status quo, we only invest in reform.” He continued, “In the 21st century, one of the best anti-poverty programs is a world-class education.”

Sound familiar? Earlier this week, Delaware Governor Jack Markell committed to creating “an environment for new prosperity. We will … provide our children a world-class education so they can work in first-class jobs.”

In Delaware, we know how to create world-class schools, but we need to prove we have the will to make it happen. Vision 2015 gave us a widely-accepted blueprint, and the Markell Administration has recently committed to bold reforms in its education agenda and Race to the Top proposal. Do we now have what it takes to improve schools and benefit generations to come?

Just a day before the state’s $107 million Race to the Top application was submitted, Governor Markell spoke to groups around Delaware that were celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. He spoke of the collaborative efforts that are necessary to strengthen our public schools, calling education one of the moral imperatives of our time. His words were strong, sincere, and compelling; read his remarks here.

I’m looking forward to the State of the State tomorrow, and anticipate more bold, resolute words from our Governor about the need to ensure every child in our state has access to an excellent education.