I am a member of the Senate Education Committee, and I would like to offer what I believe are 10 best practices for improving educational performance in Delaware. These practices are not complicated and rely more on common sense than bureaucratic studies. These practices do not require extra funds, are time tested and will produce an immediate positive impact on student performance.
- IEP and 504 plans are double-edged tools. Properly diagnosed IEP/504s are vital for helping students in school. The same cannot be said when a child is misdiagnosed. This diagnosis can set a path of unnecessary accommodations and limitations. Adding students to this space takes away funds and human resources from students in need.
- Age-appropriate learning/technology. Our youngest learners need a balance of technology and old-school interaction, including free play. Kids who are 7 to 8 years old at a desk with headphones on staring at a computer should not be the norm.
- Little things matter. Coming to school in person, on time and on a regular basis matters. It's hard to do the big things well until you do the little things right. Schools need clearly defined rules and expectations with consistent consequences, and parents should be held accountable as well.
- Start on time, not early. Educate parents on what it means to start a child in school on time versus too early. Veteran K-3 educators will confirm the problem is not starting a child too late, it is starting them too young.
- No cellphones. Common sense tells you that students on cellphones during class learn less, cheat more and get involved in drama more than students who do not.
- Make failure an option. Eliminate no-fail policies that require teachers to assign a minimum grade of 50% on a report card regardless of effort. Failure can be necessary to ensure a child learns and is not moved along.
- Credit recovery is not classroom time. Recovery tools are for students with clear hardship and medically defined circumstances. They are not a replacement for classwork/seat time. Additionally, summer school should be in a classroom, not on a computer screen.
- Poor decisions equal consequences. Less than 10% of a school's population is involved with 90% of behavior issues in classrooms. A code of conduct with accountability for chronic offenders, including a fully funded Tier 3 support system, must be in place.
- Quantity versus quality credits. A quality basic track works for many who have a career path that does not benefit from two years of language, chemistry or Algebra 2. Financial literacy and options for COOP may be more useful than the number of credits on a transcript.
- Undecided is not a bad word. Middle school students choosing a career path looks good on paper but creates anxiety and leads to misguided academic choices.
These practices come from my experience as an educator, parent and now senator, and are not presented as perfect in their wording. Some will find fault with the list, and that is OK. My hope is this list provokes a discussion about best practices we agree on and how we can move closer on practices we don't.