More than 180 students brought home medals from this month’s Delaware Educators Rising State Leadership Conference — with more than 80 students qualifying for the national conference this summer.

Winners in the children’s literature competitive events were awarded scholarships from University of Delaware and winners in the Educators Rising Moment, a speech event, were awarded scholarships from Wilmington University.

Rising education professionals engaged in multiple professional learning sessions hosted by University of Maryland Eastern Shore, University of Delaware, and Wilmington University, as well as keynote sessions with Sinead Ronan (2024 Delaware Educational Support Professional of the Year), Representative Sherae’a Moore, Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long, and Cory Hafer, 2024 Delaware Teacher of the Year.

The Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) partnered with University of Delaware to host the event in Newark.

Delaware Educators Rising is a career and technical student organization (CTSO) affiliated with the Delaware Teacher Academy. The organization integrates learning opportunities into existing education and training programs to prepare Delaware youth for future education careers.

Educators Rising students participate in professional and personal development events, engage in state and national educational competitions, and expand their experiences as rising educational professionals. The program is also engaged in Delaware Grow Your Own, which allows school districts and charter schools throughout the state to recruit future teachers early from within their own teacher academies.

For a list of awardees and more photos, visit Educators Rising results.

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

Future educators from Smyrna High School were named national champions at the Educators Rising National Conference.

In total, 18 individual or teams from Delaware were recognized with Top 10 honors.  Smyrna High School had 11 individuals or teams place in the Top 10 and was crowned 2023 National Champion.

Delaware Teacher Academy students and advisors from across the state attended the 2023 Educators Rising National Conference in Orlando.  Delaware was represented by students from Appoquinimink School District’s Appoquinimink High School, Brandywine School District’s Concord High School, Cape Henlopen School District’s Cape Henlopen High School, Indian River School District’s Sussex Central High School, Laurel School District’s Laurel High School, New Castle County Vocational Technical School District’s Howard High School of Technology, Red Clay Consolidated School District’s McKean High School, Seaford School District’s Seaford High School, Smyrna School District’s Smyrna High School and Delaware Technical Community College.

Throughout the conference students were able to engage in professional and personal development opportunities, networking and competitive events.  Educators Rising competitions are performance-based competitive events in which aspiring educators demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and leadership in education.

Seaford High School’s Taylor Jenkins was elected as the national vice president of service.  Jenkins is only the third student in Delaware to be elected as a national officer with Educators Rising.

To learn more about the Delaware Educators Rising visit www.delawareedrising.org  or contact Michael Hill-Shaner at michael.hill-shaner@doe.k12.de.us.

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

More than 200 middle school, high school, and collegiate students attended the annual state conference of Delaware Educators Rising in March. The two-day Wilmington event was packed with competitions and professional learning opportunities for aspiring educators to showcase their knowledge, skills, and leadership in education. The event concluded with 70 students qualifying for the national competition in Orlando in June.

In addition, 12 students received scholarships from Delaware State University, University of Delaware and Wilmington University. Find more information, including conference competition results, at www.delawareeducatorsrising.org.

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

Grant program invests districts in the achievement of Delaware’s academic vision  

The Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) today announced the award of more than $3.8 million to school districts as part of the state’s Reimaging Professional Learning Grants (RPL) program. Nine school districts were awarded a total of 15 grants to support professional learning that will impact 99 schools and more than 60,720 students statewide.

The 2022-2023 RPL grants fund professional learning plans are grounded in the use of high quality instructional materials (HQIM) and create the conditions and structures that enable the state’s academic vision of every student leaving school ready for success in college, career, and life. The DDOE recognizes that to achieve this vision, teachers must provide students with high-quality, standards-aligned instruction every day. For teachers to be fully prepared for every lesson, school leaders must then provide teachers with HQIM and the support needed to use those materials well. RPL grants are one of the state’s many initiatives to support educators in this work.

2022-2023 Grant Details

The RPL grant program started in 2016 and has awarded $12,935,647.50 in funds to a total of 24 districts/charters over the past seven years. The focus of the grant awards has shifted over the past three years to support the state’s efforts to scale professional learning around the adoption and use of HQIM. To further support school systems in the design and execution of high-quality professional learning plans aligned to HQIM, the DDOE has also released the Online Delaware Professional Learning Vendor Guide and annually hosts the Delaware Professional Learning Summit that is open to all districts/charters.

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

The Delaware Division of the Arts has announced the return of the popular transpARTation grant opportunity for Delaware schools. Schools may request up to $500 toward travel expenses, to include buses, fuel, parking, and tolls associated with these trips.

“Access to the arts is pivotal to our students’ creative learning experiences and academic development as well as a well-rounded curriculum,” says Director Jessica Ball. “We encourage teachers up and down the State to apply for these funds in order to open their students’ eyes to the transformative power of the arts.” 

Recognizing the importance of connecting schools with cultural institutions to promote creative learning, the Delaware Division of the Arts is now accepting applications for TranspARTation Grants— a program developed to assist schools with transportation costs to attend arts and cultural events throughout the state. Schools may request funding to cover travel expenses to include buses, fuel, parking, and tolls associated with the trip. Applications are reviewed in the order they are received until all available funds have been awarded. The deadline is six weeks prior to the project start date. Click here for program guidelines and instructions on how to apply.

To be eligible for a TranspARTation grant, applicants must be a Delaware nonprofit K-12 public, private, charter, or parochial school. Pre-K programs affiliated with public schools are also eligible to apply. Please Note: Schools may receive only one TranspARTation grant per school year. Title I schools may be considered for more than one TranspARTation grant per school year if funding is available.

The grant category was developed in response to feedback received during the Division’s strategic planning process in 2014. “Our constituents urged us to consider ways to increase access to arts education in the state through targeted funding that removes barriers to participation,” said then Division Director Paul Weagraff. “This program addresses that concern and helps to ensure access to quality arts education for all Delaware youth.”

For questions related to this granting program, please contact Sheila Dean Ross at Sheila Dean Ross 302-577-8286 or sheila.ross@delaware.gov.

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Contact: Andrew Truscott, Program Officer, Marketing and Communications

302-577-8280, andrew.truscott@delaware.gov

The Delaware Division of the Arts, a branch of the Delaware Department of State, is dedicated to cultivating and supporting the arts to enhance the quality of life for all Delawareans. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. For more information about the Delaware Division of the Arts, visit arts.delaware.gov or call 302-577-8278.