WilmU and Delaware's school districts are working to recruit and retain teachers in the First State.

WilmU’s grow-your-own teacher pipeline results in fast jobs

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Delaware Live, Education

Angelie Ross-Jimenez is 19 years old with an associate’s degree and a full-time job, and she has Wilmington University to thank for that. The university has created a grow-your-own teacher pipeline program in order to address the teacher shortage in Delaware.  Not only did teachers leave classrooms because of COVID, the state has 4,000 educators eligible for retirement within the …

Through Delaware’s Migrant Education Program, migrant students are supported academically and socially.

Migrant students educated, supported in summer program

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Delaware Live, Education

Children of migrant workers who move to Delaware – whether from a different state or a different country – can spend the summer receiving educational and social emotional support through a state and federal program. Delaware’s Migrant Education Program is specifically for migrants whose parents work in agriculture and who have moved in the previous three years.  “It can be …

Many First State districts had a graduation rate above 90%.

Here are the graduation rates for each district, charter

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Delaware Live, Education

There are wide disparities among Delaware’s public school districts and charters in the percentage of seniors crossing the stage to graduate each spring.  Department of Education officials indicated that the most recent data is from 2021 graduation rates.  Recommended: Colonial’s dropout prevention program shows impressive results This year’s data will likely not be published on the State Report Card until …

Spark campers pose for a photo without a dull smile in sight.

Spark: A premier summer camp with something for everyone

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Delaware Live, Education

Spark Summer Camp and After School Program is quickly asserting themselves as a premier summer camp in Delaware. The camp, formerly a massive karate studio, allows hundreds of energetic children to play their favorite field day games, explore their creative minds, and even learn STEM.  Patrick Preece, a karate master who was already running a summer karate camp, realized that …

Delaware received over $600 million in ESSER funds.

Here’s how $600M in COVID education money was spent 

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Delaware Live, Education

First State Educate, a local education advocacy group, held a webinar Tuesday to outline where COVID-19 relief money went. Relief funds were spent on learning loss, educational technology, building and mental health.  “As we come through, and hopefully out of the COVID-19 pandemic learning loss and recovery, not just academic, but social emotional recovery is a grave concern of mine,” …

At Tuesday's webinar, key officials will discuss where the nearly $640,000,000 in ESSER funds were distributed throughout Delaware's schools.

Webinar to focus on where COVID education money went

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Delaware Live, Education

First State Educate will host a school funding webinar Tuesday to discuss where the hundreds of millions of dollars in COVID-19 education relief funds went.  The federal government allocated $122 billion amongst the states in K-12 pandemic funds, and First State Educate wants the community to know where the money is going. Delaware received a total of $637,239,246 across three …

LYTE celebrated its 5th graduating class at Howard High.

LYTE celebrates its fifth class, 100% graduation rate

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Delaware Live, Education

Families and friends packed the historic Howard High School auditorium in Wilmington Friday to watch this year’s Leading Youth Through Empowerment scholars graduate from the five-year program. Leading Youth Through Empowerment, referred to as LYTE, is an organization aimed at increasing educational access for low-income students through personal mentoring, rigorous lessons, and leadership opportunities.  Students enroll during seventh grade and …

Delaware's Freedom Schools are likely to continue growing in upcoming years.

Freedom Schools likely to stay after successful first year

Jarek RutzDelaware Live, Education, Headlines

Fifty at-risk students, 25 from Capital and 25 from Caesar Rodney school districts, are continuing their schooling into the summer months, courtesy of newly implemented Freedom Schools. Sponsored by the Children’s Defense Fund, there are five key aspects of the freedom schools:  High-quality academic and character-building enrichment Parent and family involvement Civic engagement and social action Intergenerational servant leadership development …

The $3 million in grants will be used to strengthen and expand the art and culture scene in Delaware. (courtesy: Delaware Division of Art)

115 art groups granted $3 million in state funding

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Culture, Delaware Live

The Delaware Division of Arts has announced a $3 million distribution of grants to 115 community art organizations.  They range from $1,300 to Wilmington Wintergrass Inc., which is an annual bluegrass festival, to $246,000 to the Delaware Art Museum. The museum will use the funding to support its exhibits, including the upcoming Pre-Raphaelite show “A Marriage of Arts & Crafts: …

Teenagers at DelTech's science camp examine hair follicles to determine the fake killer.

‘Find the Killer’ in DelTech’s science camps

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Delaware Live, Education

Here’s one way to keep the attention of a class of teenage campers: designate one of them as a “killer” and the rest as prime suspects and make the class figure out whodunnit. That was the assignment this week in a Delaware Technical Community College summer science camp, which plays on the popularity of television’s many crime shows that focus …