More than $10,000 in grants awarded to 13 Delaware teachers

Rehoboth Elementary first-grade teacher Dawn Dorman will receive a $1,000 grant from the Delaware Retired School Personnel Association to support her Books for Bright Beginnings project, the DRSPA announced Jan. 6.

Dorman is one of 13 recipients of the organization’s 2025 Partners in Education grants, which are awarded to Delaware public school teachers to support a variety of creative projects across school districts and classroom settings.

“The Partners in Education program not only celebrates excellence in teaching but also invests directly in Delaware’s educational future by empowering teachers to realize their visionary ideas and inspire the next generation of learners,” DRSPA President Denise Schwartz said in a release. “We continue to be deeply impressed with the creativity and dedication of Delaware teachers.”

More than $10,000 is being awarded in total, with each grant ranging up to $1,000. 

The recipients, which were selected from a pool of 39 applicants, include elementary, middle and high school educators who teach a wide range of subjects, from social studies and science to culinary arts and music. The grants provide educators with essential resources for projects that enhance classroom learning, such as literacy initiatives, STEM programs and creative arts enrichment.

Dorman’s grant will allow her to add specially designed decodable books to her classroom library. These texts are carefully aligned to the phonics skills students are learning, enabling beginning readers to successfully sound out words and read connected, meaningful stories. Decodable texts play an important role in helping students transition from practicing phonics skills in isolation to applying them in authentic reading experiences.

“Decodable texts give students the opportunity to experience success with reading,” said Dorman. “When children can read the words on the page independently, they become more confident, more motivated and more engaged.”

By reinforcing letter-sound relationships and supporting automatic word recognition, the materials align with the science of reading, and help build strong foundations in fluency and comprehension. The books will be used regularly during daily reading instruction, especially following introduction of new phonics skills, to provide targeted practice for all learners and extra support for students who need it most.

“We are incredibly proud of Ms. Dorman and her commitment to meeting the needs of her students,” said Dr. Doris Person, Rehoboth Elementary principal. “This grant will have a lasting impact on early readers by providing high-quality resources that support both skill development and a love of reading.”