Models of Excellence in Education

Dover – Lt. Governor John C. Carney, Jr. announced the first Models of Excellence in Education schools today at the Mill Lane Schoolhouse at the Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village in Dover. Each of the six schools will be awarded $5,000 and have been invited to participate in a forum for sharing their model programs later this fall.

The six honorees are: Brandywood Elementary School’s Instruction Consultation/Support Team Model in the Brandywine School District; the Indian River School District’s Elementary Math Curriculum and Implementation model; Lulu Ross Elementary School’s Baldrige Model in the Milford School District; the Harry O. Eisenberg Elementary School’s Accelerated Reader in the Colonial School District; Sussex Tech’s High Schools That Work; and The Early Childhood Center at McIlvaine’s all-day kindergarten.

“The schools selected as Models of Excellence in Education have developed innovative ways to raise student achievement and are great examples of the many good things that are happening in Delaware’s schools,” Carney said. “I’m very happy that we’re able to shine a light on these programs and provide them with a platform later this year to share their methods and successes.”

The Models of Excellence in Education project was developed by Carney to serve two purposes. With education reform holding real consequences for the first time in the 2001-02 school year, it was clear that much of the initial focus on the results of the Delaware State Testing Program would center on those schools and students that did not meet or exceed standards. Carney wanted to find a way to celebrate the schools and programs that successfully raised student achievement – a major goal of education reform in Delaware.

In addition to identifying those schools, Carney wanted to learn from their success in improving student achievement and to identify a forum for them to share their models and practices with other schools, teachers and parents. Plans are underway for such a forum later this fall.

Carney put together a steering committee to help develop a selection process and design. Members of the committee include representatives of several school districts in Delaware, state government, community organizations and the business community.