Delaware News

Governor’s Weekly Message Transcript: Increasing Access to College and Job Training for Workforce of Tomorrow

Former Governor Jack Markell (2009-2017) | News | Date Posted: Friday, February 20, 2015



Hi I’m Arne Duncan. I’m thrilled to be back in Delaware for I think the fifth or sixth time and I’m thrilled to be back here at Howard High School for the second time in four years. I think the progress here at Howard symbolizes the extraordinary progress we’ve seen around the state: the huge investments the state has made in early childhood education, not just in access but in driving quality, seeing high school graduation rates at all-time highs, dropout rates at thirty-year lows, huge increases in dual enrollment, AP participation. Something that the state has done that I don’t know if another state has come close, really ensuring that every student, regardless of financial background or socioeconomic status, every senior who has worked hard and who is college ready has an opportunity to apply to college and be accepted. So, I want to thank the Governor for his extraordinary leadership, but most importantly I want to thank the hard-working teachers and principals, and most importantly, the students themselves for what they’re doing. And in a very real way, Delaware is helping to lead the nation where it needs to go and the progress here is a great lesson that others can learn from.

This progress is driven in no small part by the $119 million we received as part of the Race to the Top funding program led by Secretary Duncan, which allowed us to innovate and transform our schools in many exciting ways. Now the Race to the Top grant is over, but the process of improving our schools is not. And I would not have signed the initial grant application unless we were committed to sustaining our efforts. That’s why I proposed in my budget this year to fund those key things that our teachers and principals tell us are making a difference in their schools every day. We knew much of the Race to the Top funding would be spent on one-time costs. Initiatives that didn’t work won’t continue. But we have a responsibility to step up as a state and support what is working, like the turnaround efforts at Howard High School, work to recruit, mentor, and retain great teachers and principals, support for Professional Learning Communities, and expanding college access. This is not easy work and this is an especially challenging time because the federal money is running out in a tough budget year for our state. But by investing in those initiatives that are helping students succeed in classrooms across our state, we’ll keep Delaware moving forward.

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Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

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Governor’s Weekly Message Transcript: Increasing Access to College and Job Training for Workforce of Tomorrow

Former Governor Jack Markell (2009-2017) | News | Date Posted: Friday, February 20, 2015



Hi I’m Arne Duncan. I’m thrilled to be back in Delaware for I think the fifth or sixth time and I’m thrilled to be back here at Howard High School for the second time in four years. I think the progress here at Howard symbolizes the extraordinary progress we’ve seen around the state: the huge investments the state has made in early childhood education, not just in access but in driving quality, seeing high school graduation rates at all-time highs, dropout rates at thirty-year lows, huge increases in dual enrollment, AP participation. Something that the state has done that I don’t know if another state has come close, really ensuring that every student, regardless of financial background or socioeconomic status, every senior who has worked hard and who is college ready has an opportunity to apply to college and be accepted. So, I want to thank the Governor for his extraordinary leadership, but most importantly I want to thank the hard-working teachers and principals, and most importantly, the students themselves for what they’re doing. And in a very real way, Delaware is helping to lead the nation where it needs to go and the progress here is a great lesson that others can learn from.

This progress is driven in no small part by the $119 million we received as part of the Race to the Top funding program led by Secretary Duncan, which allowed us to innovate and transform our schools in many exciting ways. Now the Race to the Top grant is over, but the process of improving our schools is not. And I would not have signed the initial grant application unless we were committed to sustaining our efforts. That’s why I proposed in my budget this year to fund those key things that our teachers and principals tell us are making a difference in their schools every day. We knew much of the Race to the Top funding would be spent on one-time costs. Initiatives that didn’t work won’t continue. But we have a responsibility to step up as a state and support what is working, like the turnaround efforts at Howard High School, work to recruit, mentor, and retain great teachers and principals, support for Professional Learning Communities, and expanding college access. This is not easy work and this is an especially challenging time because the federal money is running out in a tough budget year for our state. But by investing in those initiatives that are helping students succeed in classrooms across our state, we’ll keep Delaware moving forward.

image_printPrint


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.