November 06, 2024

BY BEN GAGNON
The County Press, 810-452-2661

DRYDEN — During October, Dryden Elementary School had a three-day professional development session from a representative with the University of Delaware.

Dr. Jaime True Daley, associate director of Content- Specific Curriculum Supports for the University of Delaware’s School Success Center, had the opportunity to spend several days with Dryden Elementary teachers, observing in classrooms, meeting with grade level teams and facilitating building-level professional learning.

“Dr. Daley’s visit was inspiring,” said Dryden Elementary literacy coach Karen Roys. “She supported us with further ways to meet student’s needs and accelerate learning. She gave such positive feedback during the observations. She kept using the word ‘impeccable.’”

Daley’s visit was in conjunction with the elementary’s ELA professional learning plan for the 2024-2025 school year, continuing with existing efforts to shore up student’s foundational skills and enhancing the implementation of Bookworms Reading and Writing K-5 curriculum. Dr. Sharon Walpole from the University of Delaware is a reading researcher and the creator of the curriculum.

Dr. Jaime Daley with the University of Delaware held professional learning sessions for teachers at Dryden Elementary last month. Photos provided

Dryden Elementary adopted Bookworms in the beginning of the 2023-24 school year. After an initial training and a year of implementation, feedback from teachers and students was positive. That’s when a partnership with the University of Delaware was made.

“Bookworms is unique. It has an enormous amount of content-rich texts and the instructional practices are strongly based in reading science,” said Kristal White, a literacy coach and early literacy consultant with the Lapeer County Intermediate School District. “We wanted to continue to support our teachers and continue growing in our instructional practices.”

Dryden Elementary has two other opportunities scheduled this school year to continue learning from Daley and the University of Delaware.

“We are definitely looking forward to it. Powerful learning for students requires powerful learning for teachers,” said White.

UD hosts Policy and Practice Institute for nearly 600 Delaware educators with state and local partners

July 12, 2024

In partnership with the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) and the Delaware Association of School Administrators, the University of Delaware’s School Success Center (SSC) and Partnership for Public Education (PPE), housed within the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), welcomed nearly 600 educators to the 22nd annual Policy and Practice Institute in June at Dover High School in Dover, Delaware.

The conference is Delaware’s premier networking and professional learning event for educators, school leaders and policymakers. With practical tools and resources, this year’s event enabled participants to take action toward creating stronger and more equitable learning opportunities for Delaware students. With sessions focused on building school, family and community partnerships, recruiting and retaining educators and more, the conference aligned with CEHD’s commitment to supporting Delaware educators, improving educational outcomes and diversifying the education workforce.

“The increase in attendance this year and the number and variety of sessions demonstrates the importance of this annual event to Delaware educators,” said Faith Muirhead, director of the SSC. “We are honored to collaborate in bringing educators together to learn with and from one another. This was a year to celebrate, moving from intention to impact, and the conference theme clearly resonated with participants.”

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Nearly 600 educators from across Delaware attended the 22nd annual Policy and Practice Institute at Dover High School in Dover, DE

The event also included remarks from Mark Holodick, DDOE secretary of education and CEHD alumnus, and a keynote address from Jamila Dugan, an educator, coach and author who has spent her career uplifting the experiences of students, families and educators whose voices have historically been marginalized. Dugan’s keynote, titled “The Possible Future of Education: An Invitation to Radically Dream,” invited participants to “radically dream” about a new “future of learning.”

“Even after experiencing time away from schools during the pandemic, we are still clinging to an archaic system,” Dugan said. “Urgency, fear and the pull of the dominant paradigm of schooling have led many educators toward a feverish return to the status quo — reducing schooling experiences to addressing perceived student deficits and learning for the sake of achievement on standardized tests. But what could it look like to make a fundamental mindset shift toward capitalizing on the possibilities of now and the transformative chance to dream?”

The event also featured Delaware TIDE talks, fast-paced and creative presentations meant to trailblaze, innovate, discover and empower. Six educators presented on amplifying student voices, belonging and inclusion, building relationships to address equity gaps, equity in math class and social media use and its impact on schools and families.

“Delaware TIDE talks were designed to elevate the impact of Delaware educators,” said Alison Travers, assistant director of SSC’s Delaware Academy for School Leadership. “Attendees were very responsive to the exciting and engaging presentation style, and we heard several participants commenting on how much they enjoyed the TIDE Talks and how much they learned from the presenters.”

Nancy Ventresca, academic dean at West Park Place Elementary School, shared how valuable she finds the event each year.

“I look forward to the Policy and Practice Institute each year,” Ventresca said. “Coming together with educators and leaders from all over is truly inspiring, and I always come away with fresh ideas and new perspectives to inform and shape my own practice. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to catch up with colleagues and forge new professional relationships. Each year brings interesting keynotes and a wide array of meaningful breakout sessions led by a variety of educational leaders.”

Delaware educators engage in conversation during a poster session at the Policy and Practice Institute.

Annastasia Purninton, associate director of the PPE, expressed gratitude for the ability to partner with Delaware educators and policymakers throughout the state.

“We are thankful for the opportunity to share some of PPE’s work through the Policy and Practice Institute and to learn more about the exceptional work happening in Delaware from the people who have the greatest impact on students: Delaware’s educators, administrators and policymakers,” Purinton said. “The partnerships that PPE has initiated with DDOE, districts, charters and UD faculty will not only enhance local expertise but also provide innovative solutions informed by the expertise of all our partners to address education needs across the state.”

About the School Success Center

Launched in 2022, the SSC partners with teachers and administrators in public, charter and independent schools and offers a systemic approach to improving student and school outcomes. The SSC is unique in partnering with both teachers and administrators on the same improvement strategies to ensure that teachers, schools and districts grow together.

In addition to providing differentiated coaching services for school and district leaders, the SSC offers expert-facilitated professional learning programs in literacy instruction, math instruction and multi-tiered systems of support, focusing on student screening, diagnostic assessment, intervention design, progress monitoring and more.

To partner with the SSC, visit its website.

About the Partnership for Public Education

Since 2015, PPE has leveraged UD expertise, evaluation, professional development and advocacy resources to support Delaware’s public education system and foster sustainable partnerships with Delaware’s public education stakeholders.

PPE aims to expand UD’s research impact, recognizing that research in education is often underused nationwide. To achieve this goal, PPE aims to identify, mobilize and optimize UD research to directly address critical needs in Delaware’s education system in ways that have measurable impacts on Delaware’s P-12 policy and practice.

To learn more about PPE, visit its website.

Article by Jessica Henderson. Photos by Maria Errico.

Header image caption: The Policy and Practice Institute is Delaware’s premier networking and professional learning event for educators, school leaders and policymakers.

The Empowering Black Secondary Math Educators (EBSME) event on June 4, 2024, featured Dr. Toya Frank and was a remarkable success. Organized by SSC School Success Specialists Nicole Draper, Jonathan Dinkins, and Crystal Collier, this event was designed to spread awareness of the inequities facing Black teachers in Delaware. 

The EBSME event aimed to engage and support teachers of color, particularly Black math educators, who often face unique challenges and feelings of isolation within the educational system. Our ultimate goal is to extend these supportive spaces to other Black teachers and leaders, including those in the state’s elementary, middle, and specialty subject areas.

The team expressed that they strive to create a supportive community that acknowledges and addresses the educational system’s specific struggles and racialized experiences. Research indicates that racial affinity professional development can help sustain Black teachers in the classroom and enhance their capacity to effect systemic change.

Dr. Toya Frank’s expertise and unwavering dedication have furnished us with invaluable insights into the inequities facing Black mathematics teachers. You can learn more about Dr. Frank’s work here.

This event was made possible by a generous Delaware Department of Education grant. 

Here are some actionable ways to support Black math teachers in the classroom:

1. Advocate for Inclusive Policies
2. Foster Mentorship and Networking Opportunities
3. Facilitate Professional Development
4. Cultivate Safe Spaces
5. Engage in Active Listening and Learning
6. Support access to professional development 
7. Provide Accessible Resources
8. Recognize and Celebrate Contributions
9. Champion Student Support Initiatives

Through the collective pursuit of these initiatives, we can foster a more supportive and equitable environment for Black math teachers, enriching their capacity to educate and inspire future generations.

UD SSC hosts professional learning conference for nearly 300 Delaware educators on Newark campus

The University of Delaware College of Education and Human Development (CEHD)’s School Success Center (SSC) hosted the sixth annual Women Leading Delaware Education Conference on UD’s Newark campus. On Wednesday, March 13, the SSC welcomed nearly 300 Delaware educators to Clayton Hall Conference Center for an engaging and inspiring day of professional learning.

The Women Leading Delaware Education Conference is a networking and professional learning event for teachers and administrators in elementary, secondary and higher education settings. The event addresses issues specific to women and education leadership and provides a powerful opportunity for current and aspiring leaders to convene for an impactful day of connection, reflection and inspiration. The conference aligns with CEHD’s commitment to diversifying the education workforce, supporting educational leaders throughout their careers and helping Delaware schools address the regional school leader shortages.

“Delaware schools have many strong women leaders who use this annual event as an opportunity to rejuvenate, make connections and learn from one another,” said Faith Muirhead, director of the SSC. “This year’s conference brought almost 300 participants together to support their individual leadership development and work together to find answers to the problems that confront our schools and to develop solutions.”

The theme of this year’s event was “Celebrating Our Resilience,” and the keynote speaker, sponsored by the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE), was Jane Kise, founder of Differentiated Coaching Associates. Kise’s address focused on the concepts of brain energy and bandwidth, moving beyond self care to help women leaders and their colleagues stay energized and passionate about their work.

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“The resounding message from social media is that burnout is the price of leadership, especially for women,” Kise said. “Yet it isn’t inevitable. I love sharing our research that highlights all the areas that go beyond selfcare that let us reclaim our time, our focus, our purpose and our passion. And facilitating these discussions with a group of motivated leaders means they’ll take this information back to their staff and improve everyone’s wellbeing.”

The event also featured whole-group and breakout sessions facilitated by national and local leaders who led thoughtful discussion on topics such as personal and organizational resilience, gender equality, diversity and inclusion, school and district leadership, education policy and overcoming barriers specific to women.

“Intentionally including networking time and opportunities for connection within the conference agenda were priorities for our team,” said Alison Travers, assistant director of SSC’s Delaware Academy for School Leadership (DASL). “We have received feedback from multiple participants of the March 13 conference stating that they appreciated time to connect with colleagues, to network and make new connections and to feel celebrated for their role in education.”

Angela Socorso, education associate in the DDOE, also emphasized the importance of the event and expressed gratitude for the opportunities it offered.

“The conference serves as an invaluable platform for fostering connections, networking and deepening our understanding of leadership dynamics,” Socorso said. “It not only provides an opportunity to reflect on our personal journeys but also encourages us to critically examine our leadership styles and approaches, empowering us to make meaningful impacts for those we lead and support. This conference is a testament to the collective strength and potential of women in leadership, and I’m grateful for the enriching experience it offers.”

About the School Success Center

Launched in 2022, the SSC partners with teachers and administrators in public, charter and independent schools and offers a systemic approach to improving student and school outcomes. The SSC is unique in partnering with both teachers and administrators on the same improvement strategies to ensure that teachers, schools and districts grow together.

In addition to providing differentiated coaching services for school and district leaders, the SSC offers expert-facilitated professional learning programs in literacy instruction, math instruction and multi-tiered systems of support, focusing on student screening, diagnostic assessment, intervention design, progress monitoring and more.

To partner with the SSC, visit its website.

Read this story on UDaily.

Article by Jessica Henderson. Photos by Maria Errico.

UD to host professional learning conference for educators

For the first time this year, the University of Delaware College of Education and Human Development’s School Success Center (SSC) will host the sixth annual Women Leading Delaware Education Conference on UD’s Newark campus. The event will take place on Wednesday, March 13, at Clayton Hall Conference Center.

The Women Leading Delaware Education Conference is a networking and professional learning event for teachers and administrators in elementary, secondary and higher education settings. The event addresses issues specific to women and education leadership and provides a powerful opportunity for current and aspiring leaders to convene for an impactful day of connection, reflection and inspiration.

“Women share a common set of challenges in pursuing leadership in education,” said Faith Muirhead, SSC director. “There is strength in sharing our stories and learning from one another. We invite you to come out and meet authentic, ambitious, intelligent, visionary women who have successfully navigated the ladder to leadership.”

The theme of this year’s event is “Celebrating Our Resilience,” and the keynote speaker, sponsored by the Delaware Department of Education, will be Jane Kise, founder of Differentiated Coaching Associates.

The event will also include information tables from the SSC, the Institute for Public Administration in UD’s Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration and the state of Delaware’s Office of Women’s Advancement and Advocacy.

Individuals of all genders and backgrounds may participate.

To register, please visit: https://www.dasl.udel.edu/women-leading-delaware/

Read this on UDaily.

Article by Jessica Henderson.

UD emphasizes partnership and collaboration with Delaware education leaders at Superintendent Study Council

How can Delaware education leaders partner to best serve the needs of their teachers, administrators and students? University of Delaware’s School Success Center (SSC), housed within the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), convened Delaware school district leaders and members of the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) to answer that very question. 

With enthusiasm for future UD partnerships, district superintendents and assistant superintendents from all three Delaware counties and DDOE representatives met for a special session of the Superintendent Study Council, a component of the Governor’s Institute for School Leadership (GISL), at UD’s Clayton Hall Conference Center February 24. 

The session, themed around next steps for school success, focused on the mission and vision of UD’s new SSC and provided a forum for the participants to voice the most pressing challenges facing Delaware schools, the specific needs in their districts and ideas for future collaboration through the center. 

“In this session of the Superintendent Study Council, we wanted to focus on changing the way that CEHD interacts with schools and districts around the state,” said Gary T. Henry, dean of CEHD and professor in CEHD’s School Education and the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration. “We want to move past a transactional relationship with school districts to form deeper, broader and longer-lasting relationships to support our teachers, school leaders and students. Partnerships with school districts are so vital in the work that we’re trying to do, and we especially want to hear from our districts.” 

Next steps for the School Success Center 

Faith Muirhead, director of the SSC, led the morning’s activities with an update on the SSC. 

Launched in October 2022, the new center combines UD’s Delaware Academy of School Leadership (DASL) and UD’s Professional Development Center for Educators to offer districts a systemic model of leadership and instructional support. 

In this new organization, the SSC operates with four departments under one umbrella: DASL, offering support in educational leadership, Literacy, offering support in literacy instruction, Mathematics, offering support in mathematics instruction, and Multi-tiered Systems of Support, offering support in student screening, diagnostic assessment, intervention design and progress monitoring. 

Rather than focusing on a singular instructional or leadership issue in a specific school, the SSC will offer school districts professional learning and coaching in each of these areas.

“We want to disrupt the siloed approach to leader and teacher professional development by building partnerships with schools across these areas of expertise,” Muirhead said. “Our vision for the SSC includes an approach using school-based teams with expertise from each of these areas. That way, we can offer integrated, systemic support to help you make a difference for the students in your schools.” 

But, Muirhead emphasized, none of this work is possible without partnership and collaboration with Delaware districts and schools. 

“This work has to happen through deep, meaningful partnerships,” Muirhead said. “How can we at the SSC work to best serve your needs? What programs and services would you like to see? How can we start the conversation today and continue to collaborate?”

Needs in Delaware school districts 

After small-group discussions, the Superintendent Study Council participants offered robust answers to the questions that Muirhead posed.

Superintendents and DDOE representatives shared many immediate and future needs, communicating a shared interest in professional learning that is systemic, sustainable, results-driven and grounded in a deeper relationship with UD.

For example, Dorrell Green, superintendent of Red Clay Consolidated School District, emphasized that individual schools look to their districts for guidance and leadership. For that reason, it is especially important to focus on the system and system development as educational leaders work to address challenges. 

Corey Miklus, superintendent of Seaford School District, and others spoke about the challenges of the teacher and school leader shortage. In line with the goals and offering of the SSC and CEHD, they asked for support in generating interest in education careers, building the capacity of their current school leaders and facilitating professional learning in data-driven decision-making.

Many also communicated an interest in applying research-based best practices within Delaware schools, noting an interest in UD faculty and staff research about school improvement, instruction and other topics. 

For example, Christine Alois, superintendent of Caesar Rodney School District, expressed an interest in learning more from UD researchers about successful educational initiatives in schools and districts within the state of Delaware. 

Muirhead concluded the event by expressing gratitude for the participants’ input and interest in future collaboration, noting plans to conduct immediate followup with the superintendents to further address their specific needs. 

More about the Governor’s Institute for School Leadership

GISL is a partnership between CEHD, the DDOE, the Delaware Governor’s Office and Delaware public schools. 

As a component of GISL, the Superintendent Study Council is a collaborative effort among districts, DDOE and SSC’s DASL that meets monthly for discussion and professional learning about topics related to school improvement, equity and improving outcomes for all students.

To learn more about GISL or to participate in one of its programs, visit its website. 

Article by Jessica Henderson. Photos by Shelly Silva.

The College of Education and Human Development names director of School Success Center

Housed in the University of Delaware College of Education and Human Development, the School Success Center (SSC) combines the Professional Development Center for Educators (PDCE) and the Delaware Academy of School Leadership to offer schools and districts a new model of systemic, integrated support for teachers and school leaders.

Beginning November 2022, Faith Muirhead, senior associate director of PDCE, will lead the SSC in this work as its new director.

“As the new director of our SSC, Faith brings exceptional expertise in high-quality instruction and curriculum materials, professional development and school partnership, as well as a commitment to removing the barriers to equitable teaching and learning at the K-12, university and policy levels,” said Gary T. Henry, dean of CEHD and professor in the School of Education (SOE) and the Joseph R. Biden Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration. “I’m looking forward to following her progress over the next year, especially after the glowing comments we received from superintendents, the Delaware Department of Education and other school representatives after our SSC launch event on October 21.”

About Faith Muirhead

Since 2014, Muirhead has served as senior associate director of PDCE, specializing in mathematics instruction. She also teaches courses within the SOE and the Department of Mathematical Sciences and advises within the SOE’s Ed.D. in Educational Leadership program. Muirhead earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum, Instruction, Teaching, and Teacher Education at Michigan State University and has taught prospective teachers for nearly two decades, focusing on practice-based teacher education.

Her research interests include the professional learning of prospective and practicing mathematics teachers, equity in K-16 schools, building thinking classrooms and classroom-based coaching. She currently serves as co-principal investigator on a National Science Foundation-funded DRK-12 grant studying problem-posing-based learning in middle school classrooms. She is also writing a book reflecting on her coaching work, tentatively titled RealTime Mathematics Coaching: A How-To Guide.

“The potential impact of refocusing our work through the SSC in partnership with school districts is exciting,” Muirhead said. “The SSC will work to design models we can offer to school districts to help district leaders identify some possible root causes of systemic instabilities. We can offer to collaborate with districts to facilitate rigorous needs assessments, root cause analysis, district-wide improvement, school improvement and capacity-building for school leadership. We can support school districts to study their successes and bright spots and find ways to share their learning broadly to help other districts bring these successes to scale.”

To partner with UD or learn more about the SSC, visit www.udel.edu/schoolsuccess

Header image caption: Faith Muirhead with attendees at the University of Delaware School Success Center launch event.

Article by Jessica Henderson. Photos by Shelly Silva and courtesty of the Professional Development Center for Educators.

UD emphasizes partnership and collaboration with Delaware schools in School Success Center event

More than 140 Delaware school leaders, district partners, government representatives and University of Delaware faculty and staff attended the launch of UD’s School Success Center (SSC) on Friday, Oct. 21, demonstrating a shared commitment to school success in Delaware.

Housed in the College of Education and Human Development, the SSC brings together UD’s Professional Development Center for Educators (PDCE), known for its excellence in instructional support, and the Delaware Academy for School Leadership (DASL), known for its excellence in leadership preparation. Through a new systemic approach, the SSC will offer comprehensive and integrated support to Delaware’s schools and districts to help improve student and school outcomes.

With an emphasis on partnership and collaboration, the event introduced attendees to the SSC and showcased the college’s teacher and leader preparation initiatives, support services for education students and faculty research addressing critical needs in schools.

Partnering in School Success

In his opening remarks, Gary T. Henry, dean of CEHD and professor in the School of Education (SOE) and the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration, pictured above, welcomed attendees and shared how the SSC will help schools and districts grow together in their school improvement efforts.

Henry noted that PDCE and DASL have helped schools make impressive gains in student and school-level achievement and focus on equity, climate and culture. But, in separating these teams, the college wasn’t optimizing its efforts in school improvement.

“One important key to any school improvement effort — which we’ve seen in both research and practice — is ensuring that both teachers and school leaders are growing together in terms of their understanding of the curriculum and their ability to implement that curriculum,” Henry said. “Research shows that the first step in achieving school success is increasing the capacity of both teachers and leaders, then exercising that enhanced capacity to build a positive environment for teaching and learning and enhance peer collaboration.”

Throughout his remarks, Henry emphasized the importance of partnerships with schools, noting that school success often depends on collaboration among all parts of the education system.

“To be successful, this work will take all educators and staff in the building working together with the support of the district and the state,” Henry said. “Through our SSC, we plan to continue our existing partnerships and develop new and deeper ways of partnering with Delaware public, charter and independent schools to enhance the capacity for instruction and leadership and deliver coaching in literacy, math and leadership. We also look forward to engaging with you in designing and implementing school success strategies based on research and adapted to meet local needs.”

Engaging faculty presentations from Erica Litke, associate professor in the SOE, Roderick L. Carey, assistant professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, and Joshua Wilson, associate professor in the SOE, similarly highlighted partnerships with Delaware teachers and schools as they discussed research projects addressing critical educational needs.

Litke illustrated an alternate way to think about algebra instruction, emphasizing a focus on content, equitable teaching practices and aligning these methods with instructional practices already in place in Delaware schools.

Carey shared insights from his Black Boy Mattering project, a unique school-based research partnership that acts like a think-tank for high school Black boys. This project helps school community members foster positive relationships with Black students who feel marginalized so that these individuals know their worth, importance and significance.

Wilson showed how automated writing evaluation software can help students develop writing proficiency by offering immediate feedback to students and creating more space in teachers’ schedules for writing instruction.

After the faculty presentations and lunch, attendees spent the afternoon in conversation with UD faculty, staff and each other as they learned about CEHD’s teacher and leader preparation initiatives and enjoyed six new ice cream flavors from UD’s UDairy Creamery.

Enthusiastic responses to the School Success Center

With a UD ice cream scooper in hand, many attendees communicated enthusiasm about the event and looked forward to the work of the SSC.

Michael Saylor, director of educator excellence in the Delaware Department of Education, appreciated the SSC’s integrated model of support and emphasized the importance of collaboration in school improvement efforts.

“Merging PDCE and DASL to create the SSC supports current research on improvement,” Saylor said. “We know that we need strong instructional leaders in our schools that can support their teachers in strong pedagogy. The new center models this comprehensive approach. Supporting schools takes collaboration and breaking down silos.”

Jeffrey Menzer, superintendent of Colonial School District, noted that he looked forward to future partnerships with UD through the SSC.

“It was exciting to learn about the University’s effort to transform its support of public education through the realignment of two long standing programs into the SSC,” Menzer said. “Colonial is looking forward to the opportunity to partner with the SSC. The three faculty presenters at the event last Friday were excellent examples of the power of these partnerships.”

As the coordinator of the teacher induction program and teacher recruitment for Red Clay Consolidated School District, Stephanie Armstrong supports novice staff, year-long interns and student teachers in all aspects of their educational preparation. She communicated appreciation about the SSC’s mission and the event’s networking aspect.

“The ability to collaborate with colleagues in a comfortable forum was meaningful and welcomed,” Armstrong said. “Friday’s event allowed me to discuss methods for sustaining year-long student residents in Red Clay Schools through the UD SSC. The vision of the SSC is one much needed in our state as we address the declining interest in the teaching profession. I am excited for Red Clay to continue its partnership with the University and look forward to watching the professional relationship flourish.”

To partner with UD or learn more about the SSC, visit www.udel.edu/schoolsuccess.

Read this article on UDaily.

Article by Jessica Henderson Photos by Kathy F. Atkinson and Shelly Silva November 02, 2022.

UD merges professional development centers to offer systemic teacher and leader support to Delaware schools

Assistant principals and principals in kindergarten through 12th grade schools routinely support teachers by observing their classroom teaching and offering feedback on their instruction. But, what happens when a school leader is unfamiliar with the current best practices in math or literacy? How can he or she offer meaningful feedback on the teacher’s instruction?

The University of Delaware will support teachers and school leaders in growing together through its new School Success Center (SSC), housed in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD). The SSC will bring together UD’s Professional Development Center for Educators (PDCE), known for its excellence in instructional support, and the Delaware Academy for School Leadership (DASL), known for its excellence in leadership preparation.

Through a new systemic approach, the SSC will offer comprehensive and coordinated support to Delaware’s schools and districts to help improve student and school outcomes.

“One important key to any school improvement effort is ensuring that both teachers and school leaders are growing together in terms of their understanding of the curriculum and their ability to deliver that curriculum,” said Gary T. Henry, dean of the CEHD. “Rather than pursuing a partnership with a single UD team to address literacy instruction, for example, the SSC will allow schools and districts to pursue a systemic approach to school improvement so that professional development in content, instruction and instructional leadership all drive toward the same goals.”

UD will officially launch the SSC on Friday, Oct. 21 in an on-campus event that will also showcase CEHD’s teacher and leader preparation initiatives, support services for education students and faculty research addressing critical needs in schools.

A systemic approach

For nearly two decades, PDCE has supported teachers and administrators across the nation in their instructional practices. Through partnerships with schools and districts, PDCE’s coaches in literacy and math instruction facilitate professional development for educators that maximize student learning opportunities through the use of evidence-based curricula and teaching practices.

Similarly, DASL has supported assistant principals, principals, superintendents and other educational leaders in meeting the complex challenges of leading a school or district. DASL coaches in educational leadership assist school and district leaders throughout their careers by providing powerful research-based professional development and differentiated coaching services based on their school or district’s individual needs.

In joining the teams from these two centers, the SSC will partner with both teachers and administrators so that teachers, schools and districts can coordinate and integrate their improvement efforts.

“In a large school, we often partner with an assistant principal who is in charge of math instruction, for example,” said Faith Muirhead, senior associate director of mathematics in PDCE. “We spend time with the assistant principal so that when they observe teachers and give feedback, they can align their feedback with what the teachers are learning about the curriculum. But we’re not always able to do that with the principal. Bringing together the expertise in literacy, mathematics and leadership is really exciting because school culture and instructional leadership cross over all three of those areas. If all of our teams are working simultaneously in a school, that would be incredibly powerful.”

The SSC will bring to fruition a model of support partially implemented by UD with Laurel School District, where members of PDCE and DASL worked to close substantial gaps in student performance.

Before UD’s partnership, there was a 20% gap in math proficiency between Laurel’s third to eighth-grade students and the state average. While there were many factors that affected student achievement during this time, UD’s partnership helped reduce the difference to less than 2%. In reading, seventh graders now exceed the statewide average in proficiency.

Last year, in the Seaford School District, Jaime True Daley, senior associate director of literacy in PDCE, observed similar results in student achievement.

“After a cohort of principals studied and aligned K-8 high-quality instructional materials in literacy across five schools, student achievement accelerated,” Daley said. “The principals’ knowledge and understanding of the curriculum helped contribute to the gains in Seaford, where multilingual learners demonstrated impressive growth.”

David Santore is a senior associate director in DASL.

“We often see a disconnect where one part of the instructional system is not working in concert with the other,” Santore said. “Teachers and leaders can grow individually and therefore affect the system, but if that growth is well coordinated, then it accelerates everybody’s growth. We can do a lot with making sure that everyone is moving forward together to optimize the school improvement process.”

Teacher and administrator shortage

Through its systemic model of support and partnership, the SSC will also work to address the teacher and administrator shortages in Delaware and across the nation. For many schools and districts, the COVID-19 pandemic worsened an existing teacher and administrator shortage as teachers and leaders struggled with school closures, virtual learning, mental and physical health concerns and a shortage of substitute teachers once they returned to in-person learning.

In Delaware, this shortage is further complicated because about 41% of assistant principals and principals are eligible for retirement in the next five years.

“The teacher and administrator shortage in Delaware and across the nation is both multifaceted and complex,” Henry said. “The shortage is both related to a lack of available teachers and an alarming number of educators leaving the field due to a lack of instructional, leadership and, increasingly, public support. Through collaborative partnership, our SSC will provide the support that educators urgently need in their schools, but also facilitate connections to our teacher preparation initiatives in CEHD, including our high school pipeline programs, diversity scholarships, associates and bachelor’s degree programs and innovations in our teacher preparation programs, such as teacher residencies.”

Launching the School Success Center

With school leaders, human resources professionals and government representatives in attendance, UD will officially launch the SSC on Friday, Oct. 21 at the John M. Clayton Hall Conference Center from 10 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.

Through three engaging conversations with faculty members, the event will also highlight research and partnership work that directly impacts the critical issues facing Delaware schools.

• Roderick L. Carey, assistant professor in CEHD’s Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, will share insights and research findings from his Black Boy Mattering project, a unique school-based research partnership that acts like a think-tank for high school Black boys. This project helps school community members foster positive relationships with Black students who feel marginalized so that these individuals know their worth, importance and significance.
• Erica Litke, associate professor in CEHD’s School of Education (SOE), will share an alternate way to think about improving algebra instruction — one that is content-focused, employs more equitable teaching practices and aligns with instructional practices already in place in Delaware schools.
• Joshua Wilson, associate professor in CEHD’s SOE, will share findings from his research in Delaware schools on how a relatively new technology — automated writing evaluation software — helps students develop writing proficiency and highlight his long-standing partnerships with Red Clay Consolidated School District and Colonial School District.

Attendees will also learn about CEHD’s full portfolio of teacher and leader preparation initiatives from the faculty and staff members leading these efforts:

• Delaware Teaching Fellows program, which provides full four-year scholarships to highly qualified Delaware high school seniors admitted to a UD teacher education program in exchange for teaching in Delaware schools for at least four years

• CEHD Dean’s Diversity in Education Scholarship, which alleviates the financial barrier to a UD degree in early childhood education or elementary teacher education for students from underrepresented backgrounds
• Teachers of Tomorrow pipeline program, which introduces Delaware high school juniors and seniors from underrepresented backgrounds to the teaching field and campus life through a two-week summer institute at UD
• Associates in Arts programs in early childhood education and elementary teacher education, which allow students to complete the first two years of an education degree at UD’s Georgetown and Wilmington campuses
• Bachelor’s programs in early childhood education and elementary teacher education — which offers concentrations in elementary education, middle school English, math, science and social studies, teaching English as a second language and special education
• 4+1 programs that allow UD education students to receive a master’s degree with only one additional year of coursework
• University of Delaware Center for Excellence and Equity in Teacher Preparation (formerly the Delaware Center for Teacher Education), which supports all UD education students in their field experiences and certification processes
• Principal Preparation Program, which provides the professional development required for assistant principal and principal certification in Delaware
• Governor’s Institute for School Leadership, which provides professional development and mentoring for assistant principal, principal supervisors and superintendents through a partnership between CEHD, the Delaware Governor’s Office, the Delaware Department of Education and Delaware school districts

Article by Jessica Henderson Photo by Evan Krape

Jake Rutz, Delaware Live

March 14, 2022

Caesar Rodney, Brandywine, and Appoquinimink school districts will welcome a national tour this month that celebrates the high level of mathematics learning in Delaware.

The Knowledge Matters Campaign chose Delaware as the first stop, and it’s the first time the First State has been the subject of a math-focused tour. It previously has been included in English language arts and literacy.

The tour will highlight shifts in classrooms that include new materials and allow more student-led classes, presentations and discussions.

Barbara Davidson, the executive director for the Knowledge Matters Campaign, said Delaware has implemented high-quality improvements to their curricula and instruction in an effort to restore wonder and excitement in the classroom.

The campaign’s mantra is “find the good and praise it.” 

Michelle Hawley, supervisor of mathematics at Brandywine School District, said that the most prominent improvement to Delaware math has come at the middle school level, where they have been teaching “Kendall Hunt’s Illustrative Mathematics 6-8 Math,” published in 2019.

The math book received a perfect score on EdReports, an organization that grades materials that schools use in their curriculum. 

In addition, Hawley said the unique quality of Delaware’s mathematics education comes from enlightening and elevating students in the classroom.

“The curriculum requires students to be an active participant in their learning,” Hawley said. “Students have really taken ownership of the classroom, and teachers have become facilitators that connect the dots.”

This curriculum was provided by Illustrative Mathematics. 

This Delaware ownership comes in the form of students making connections to each other, connections between different mathematical areas, and being more outspoken in the classroom.

“Students are realizing that math makes sense,” said Hawley. “They are seeing how fractions and ratios function similarly, for example, and their ability to be at the forefront of a lesson’s discussion allows them to foster these math connections much quicker.” 

Hawley said that Delaware is unique in that it does not just provide new materials, but it also assists heavily in making sure the instructors know how to effectively work with such materials. 

Mathematics teachers are required to go through hundreds of hours of training to understand the curriculum, review instructional strategies, and figure out how students will comprehend their lessons. 

Part of this professional development requires teachers to present their curriculum in a way that is culturally responsive and inclusive to special needs students and students who speak languages other than English.  

Hawley said that the state’s math curricula “helps the students gain efficacy.”