The following guest column was written by Delaware Secretary of Education Mark Holodick.

Recently, the UCLA School of Law released a database showing that Delaware is the lone state to have zero measures enacted or even introduced that would ban instruction on how race and law have been used to produce systemic discrimination, more commonly known as critical race theory (CRT). Delaware does not teach CRT. Never has.

But the information got me thinking – and reflecting – about my time as an educator in our state three decades ago, and how much we’ve grown in the space.

During the 1990s, I taught sixth grade social studies, eighth grade U.S. History, and 6-12^th grade world history and sociology in New Castle County public schools. I loved my job. I was a young, excited, and – I believed – thorough educator, relying on so much more to instruct my students than the history books and curriculum I had been provided. I focused on teaching the complete history of our country, including slavery. I wanted my students to understand slavery’s impact on our nation’s economic growth and current U.S. economy, and also the hardships those who were enslaved endured as they helped build this country. I even used the internet to access websites that many of my colleagues did not yet know existed in this emerging space. In that moment in time, during that period of my life, I believed I was creating an excellent educational environment for each and every one of my students.

I was wrong. In retrospect, I fell far short of teaching about the complexities of our country’s past, and I missed even more opportunities to connect historic events to current situations. Black history is about more than slavery; it includes an understanding of racial injustices that continue to happen today while also celebrating and honoring the accomplishments of so many in the face of these injustices. For my students, it meant that I never fully opened the door for the type of thought-provoking and reflective conversations that were needed in the classroom. More importantly, I failed to allow so many of my students an opportunity to see themselves in our country’s history, to learn from our nation’s prior mistakes, and to be inspired by the amazing, diverse figures that could have made them dream bigger in their own lives.

I have always known that great teachers take time to self-reflect and analyze their curriculum and pedagogy. I have done this repeatedly in my own career and continue to do so with the understanding there will always be areas I can improve upon. And even with that knowledge, I also recognize that teachers are only one part of a larger educational system that too often fails to reach every student. Equitable practices and culturally responsive education have become helpful instructional strategies, but educators can still only teach what they know and learn.

For this reason, the passage of House Bill 198 – incorporating Black History in every Delaware student’s education – holds such promise in our classrooms, for our future and for a more accurate and thorough awareness of where we have been as a country, where we are now, and where we are going.

While other states and local governments were attempting to ban race-related instruction, Representative Sherry Dorsey-Walker and a host of other legislators, students, educators and advocates were actively promoting Delaware HB 198, which requires every district and charter school to establish and implement Black history curriculum each year from kindergarten through graduation.

In June 2021, HB 198 became Delaware law. This January, the Delaware Department of Education released its first annual Black History Education Report detailing how schools are faring so far with implementation.

HB 198 has placed Delaware’s educational system in a position to help our community grapple with past mistakes, celebrate the successes and contributions from communities of color that are often overlooked, and gain a better understanding of why situations are the way they are across different areas of Delaware and the country.

The opportunity rests and waits for us to use this information to inform our thinking about current events. This is what we hope to mirror in our classrooms. While other federal, state, and local school boards across the U.S. are hyper-focused on CRT and avoiding racial conversations altogether, Delaware is proactively bringing educators together to listen, learn, develop and then teach. This is the type of adult growth required any time we expect our students to grow. HB 198 is historic. It is not about guilt or villainizing. It is not political. It is not an experiment or an attempt to appear genuine. By no means will it ever be a quick fix. HB 198 is really about instructional progress and allowing educators to gain a deeper understanding of our country’s past. By design, students then also gain a deeper understanding of where we have been as a society, why this history matters, and how we can all use this information to help inform a better future.

HB 198 is long overdue. We are doing it alone, but we are finally getting it right.

Read all updates from Secretary Mark Holodick.

Media contact: Alison May, alison.may@doe.k12.de.us, 302-735-4006

Attorneys General from 20 states, including Delaware’s Matt Denn, sent a letter to U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos expressing their concern over reports the U.S. Department of Education is preparing to roll back important protections for survivors of sexual assault on college campuses and urging her to keep these protections in place. The Attorneys General also called on Secretary DeVos to work collaboratively with them to take action to end the scourge of sexual violence on our campuses.

“For the current administration in Washington and the federal Education Department to consider undoing protections currently in place for those who have survived sexual assault on a campus flies in the face of the progress the country has made – and that remains to be made – in confronting this serious issue,” Attorney General Denn said.

The Department of Education’s current guidance was first issued in 2011 and later clarified in 2014. The guidance instructs colleges on how they must address sexual assault incidents under Title IX. These steps include appointing a Title IX coordinator, requiring mandatory reporting by responsible school officials, and implementing procedures for handling investigations and hearings.

Of particular concern to the Attorneys General were the comments from Acting U.S. Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Candice Jackson, who claimed that 90 percent of campus sexual assault allegations “fall into the category of ‘we were both drunk,’ ‘we broke up, and six months later I found myself under a Title IX investigation because she just decided that our last sleeping together was not quite right.’”

The letter reaffirmed the Attorneys General’s commitment to working collaboratively with Secretary DeVos and the Department of Education to address the problem of sexual assault, including suggesting the Secretary engage with a bipartisan group of Attorneys General and other stakeholders to discuss collaboration.

Read text of the letter and list of signatories here.

Krzanowski to begin April

DOVER, Del. – Governor John Carney announced today Kimberly Krzanowski, a long-time leader and advocate for early learning in the state, as the new executive director of the Delaware Department of Education’s Office of Early Learning.

Krzanowski has more than 16 years of experience in early learning as a former early childhood teacher, center administrator and higher education faculty member, most recently as instructional director/Education Department chair at Delaware Technical Community College.

“We must ensure all children get to kindergarten ready to learn. Kim is the right leader to help us do this,” said Governor John Carney. “Kim will help our state build stronger connections between early learning and our K-12 schools.”

Krzanowski will join the Office of Early Learning on April 3.

As executive director of the Office of Early Learning, Krzanowski also will maintain support for Delaware Stars, the state’s quality rating system for early childhood centers, and help Delaware provide children and families with the early intervention and coaching they need to ensure the children are ready for school.

“Kim has dedicated her career to advocating for our youngest learners, ensuring they receive access to high quality care and education. I am excited to welcome her to the Delaware Department of Education,” said Secretary of Education Susan Bunting.

Krzanowski also has served on numerous advisory boards and statewide committees to implement policy changes that are needed to ensure all children have a strong foundation from the beginning. These committees include T.E.A.C.H® Early Childhood Delaware, Delaware Association for the Education of Young Children Professional Development, New Castle County Vocational School District Early Childhood Career Program and the Delaware Early Childhood Professional Development Strategic Planning Committee.

As instructional director for Education Programs at Delaware Technical Community College, Krzanowski has collaborated with community stakeholders to develop partnerships amongst numerous school districts and early learning organizations. Additionally, she has provided executive leadership to faculty, students and a nationally accredited child development lab school.

Krzanowski holds a Bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Delaware, a Master’s degree in instruction from Wilmington University and is currently working toward her Doctorate degree in educational leadership with a concentration on the early childhood workforce at Wilmington University.

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The Delaware Department of Education is under new leadership after the swearing-in this morning of Secretary Mark Murphy. Governor Jack Markell officiated at the ceremony at DDOE offices in Dover. Secretary Murphy was surrounded by his family — including wife Erika, a teacher, and his parents — and DDOE staff for the official event.

Secretary Murphy was nominated by Governor Markell on April 27, 2012. He was confirmed by the State Senate on May 9, 2012.

Murphy, a former teacher and principal, most recently served as executive director of the nonprofit Vision Network, supporting 26 schools across Delaware to build teacher capacity and improve education outcomes. Prior to that role, he was executive director of leadership development at New Leaders for New Schools, a national non-profit.
There, he designed and implemented cutting-edge school leadership standards and assessments. He also led the successful development of more than 200 school principals across 10 cities.

The time he spent working in schools as a teacher and principal orients him to thinking about policy from the ground level, knowing how what is written on paper translates in reality. The time he spent working in hundreds of schools across the country during his nonprofit leadership work also gives him the perspective of how educators are working in other contexts. And as a father of children in Delaware public schools, he also sees the system from a parent’s point of view.

He was honored to accept the Governor’s nomination and the Senate’s confirmation because of the opportunity to support and improve public education.

“Some of the most exciting work that I’ve seen is here in Delaware – educators working together in innovative ways,” Murphy said. “We must continue to look for ways to ensure Delaware’s system is supporting — and not encumbering — the people closest to our children, empowering them to do their work.”

Murphy will continue to lead the Delaware Department of Education to implement the aggressive school improvement work in the state’s top-ranked federal Race to the Top plan.

“The focus for me is on implementation. That’s about sweating the details,” Murphy said. “We must make sure that all we are doing is touching our teachers and children in a way that is positive and supportive.”

“Strong public schools remain critical to our long-term economic success. Secretary Lillian Lowery and her team have created a strong foundation. We must continue to build upon that work in order to keep moving Delaware forward,” Markell said. “I know Mark Murphy will hit the ground running. He brings a teacher’s heart, principal’s perspective and years of data-driven experience to his new role.”