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...

Just a few years ago, Calverton School was the poorest performing middle school in Baltimore and “rape and murder capital of West Baltimore” . Today, Principal Tanya Green believes miracles happen, and she has witnessed three; (1) her leadership team is still in place (2) kids believe they can go to college and (3) teachers believe...

March has arrived, signaling not only the approach of Spring, but Music in Our Schools month, as well.  According to The College Board’s Profile of College-Bound Seniors National Report for 2006, students who studied music for four or more years scored 57 points higher than their peers on verbal Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT) and 43...

Here is a quick update from last week’s State Board meeting on how student growth measurements will be used to evaluate teachers (in the new DPAS II system). There has been some concern that evaluations will be based on just one, cut-and-dry measure of student performance, which causes concern among teachers and others who know that there...