The Committee of 100 | FYI Archives

There is good news and bad news in public school education in Delaware. The good news is that in nearly every measurable category at every level, Delaware students continue to improve. The bad news is that many Delawareans haven't been paying attention and still think Delaware's schools are below par.

The additional good news is that Delaware is getting national recognition for its great success. The discouragingly bad news is that it is too often members of the business community, especially realtors and location specialists, and, of course, the media, who continue to spread the outdated story that Delaware's public schools aren't good enough.

The latest good news came in Education Week's Tenth AnnualQuality Counts Report, Quality Counts at 10: A Decade of Standards Based Education. In this annual “States of the States” report card in public education, Education Week gave Delaware's public education system some of the highest marks in the country and featured it as “A Small Wonder.”

Published by Editorial Projects in Education, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness of education issues among the public and education professionals, Education Week's Quality Counts Report has consistently ranked Delaware's academic standards as among the highest in the nation. And unlike other states which set low standards or lowered existing standards to look better under the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), Delaware set its standards high before NCLB and has refused to lower them in spite of the pressure from NCLB. Indeed, the Quality Counts Report notes that, “Delaware has won national recognition for making its standards academically rigorous.”

Delaware's overall grade from the Quality Counts Report is above the average state score, and Delaware scores above the average state score in 3 of the 4 categories (Standards and Accountability, School Climate, and Resource Equity) and at the national average in Efforts to Improve Teacher Quality. The Quality Counts Report noted that, “in standards and accountability, Delaware performs well because it uses assessments aligned to state standards for all grade spans in all of the four core subjects.” Delaware gets the highest score possible in Professional Support and Training because of state financing of professional development for all its districts and of mentoring for all its new teachers. Delaware ranks high in nearly all categories making up School Climate, but gets the top possible scores for the subcategories Choice and School Facilities.

In a special profile, “A Small Wonder,” the Quality Counts Report notes that, “in 1992, the First State was among the first states to adopt teaching standards in key academic subjects, craft tests aligned closely with them, and create sticks and carrots to ensure that schools would use them. Delaware was well ahead of the push for state accountability that is the focus of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which President Bush signed into law in 2002.”

Significantly, the Report notes that, “judging by the numbers alone, the state's efforts seem to have borne fruit. On national tests in reading, Delaware moved from the lower tier of states in 1992 to well above the national average in 2005.” The Report further notes that, “at the elementary school level, the state chalked up the nation's highest reading gains over that period. For instance, the state increased its 4th grade reading score on the National Assessment of Education Progress by 12.9 points, compared with a national gain of 2.5 points.”

Even more notable is the fact that, “the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center's analysis shows much of that growth has come among hard-to-reach, low-achieving students and minority students.” Delaware “outpaced the nation” by lowering the percent of 4th graders scoring “below basic” by 16% between 1992 and 2005 compared with only 3% nationally. With 29% of Delaware's students in private or charter schools, that accomplishment is even more stunning.

The Quality Counts Reports notes that Delaware's accomplishment is “all the more striking” because it has raised its test scores at the same time that “the number of traditionally lower-scoring minority students has grown.” Between the 1993-94 and 2002-03 school years, Hispanic student enrollment increased by 134% and black student enrollment grew by 22%.

There is more good news in the Quality Counts Report. While at the national level reading scores have “barely budged,” Delaware has made “double-digit gains in both 4th and 8th grade reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress” (NAEP). And Delaware was one of only 3 states “to make statistically significant gains in 8th grade reading between 1998 and 2005, including substantial progress for black and low-income students.”

While there clearly continues to be room for improvement, the disappointments are outweighed by the successes. The graduation rate remains a problem, with Delaware's 2001-02 rate at 61.9% compared with a national rate of 69.4%. And Delaware's Scholastic Assessment Test I (SAT I ) scores remain below the national average (2005 Verbal Delaware 503/US 508 and Math Delaware 502/US 520). However, there is success for Delaware's high schoolers. While the national scores showed no increase over 2004 in the verbal portion of the SAT I, Delaware's students scored a 3-point increase; the national increase in math was 2 points vs. 3 points for Delaware students. More significantly, the national SAT participation rate was only 49%, whereas Delaware's SAT participation rate was 74%, tenth in the nation.

Delaware high schoolers are making great strides in Advanced Placement (AP), as well. The Department of Education reported that the number of Delaware public school students participating in AP examinations in 2005 increased 41.6% and the total number of exams by 46.4%. Of the 4,916 AP examinations given to Delaware public school students, 2,395 students received a score of 3 or higher, an increase of 26.9% over 2004 results. Secretary of Education Valerie Woodruff noted that the 41% increase in public school AP test takers is nearly 4 times the U.S. growth rate. There was an astounding 99% increase in the number of African-American students participating in AP courses, nearly 5 times the U.S. growth rate. And scores in the 3-5 category increase 26.9%, triple the national average.

Are we there? No. Are we on our way? Absolutely. The advancement in the quality of education in Delaware is a remarkable story that isn't being sufficiently told. While those who don't know the story and cling to outdated assumptions may seem quaint, this lack of understanding can hurt economic development. Companies, and those who make decisions within companies, put quality education at the top of the list of location requirements. We, in the business community, while continuing to work for improvement, need to understand how significantly our education system has improved and help to spread that good news.