Release Date: Dec 14, 2012 1:15 PM  

The Delaware Department of Education today announced 49 schools that are eligible to participate in the Delaware Talent Cooperative, an initiative designed to attract and retain highly-effective educators serving Delaware’s highest-need schools.  Educators may be eligible to participate in the initiative if they teach in or move to a high-need school. District and charter school leadership have the opportunity to decide whether their eligible schools participate.

The Cooperative features two programs:  the Talent Retention Program, which provides financial awards and leadership opportunities to highly-effective educators who continue to work in participating schools, and the newly launched Talent Attraction Program, which seeks to attract select, top-performing educators to the state’s highest-need schools.  Studies have shown that financial incentives can help attract and retain effective educators in high-need schools, which can positively impact student learning.

"This is a unique opportunity to recognize and reward our educators while supporting our highest-need schools," Secretary of Education Mark Murphy said.

Laurel School District's Laurel Middle School joined the roll out of the retention program last year. 

"A great teacher makes all the difference in education. Every school district in the state and the nation is working hard to make sure they support and retain their best educators," Laurel School District Superintendent John D. Ewald said. "I appreciate the state of Delaware's support of our educator retention efforts and our commitment to providing a great education to every student in Laurel."

Eligible Schools:

The initiative’s eligible schools for the next two years are:

· Brandywine School District's Harlan Elementary

· Cape Henlopen School District's Brittingham Elementary

· Capital School District's South Dover, Towne Point and East Dover elementary schools and Dover High

· Christina School District's Christiana High, Brookside Elementary, Bayard Middle, Elbert-Palmer Elementary, Leasure Elementary, Pulaski Elementary, Oberle Elementary, Glasgow High, Stubbs Elementary and Bancroft Elementary

· Colonial School District's McCullough Middle, Colwyck Elementary, Castle Hills Elementary, Downie Elementary and Eisenberg Elementary

· Indian River School District's Georgetown, North Georgetown, and Clayton elementary schools

· Laurel School District's Laurel Middle

· Red Clay Consolidated School District's Warner Elementary, Highlands Elementary, A.I. du Pont Middle, Mote Elementary, Richardson Park Elementary, Shortlidge Academy, Baltz Elementary, Lewis Elementary, Marbrook Elementary and Stanton Middle

· Seaford School District's West Seaford and Blades elementary schools

· New Castle County Vo-Tech School District's Howard High School of Technology

· Charter schools: Positive Outcomes, Thomas Edison, EastSide, Prestige, Academy of Dover, Family Foundations, Delaware College Preparatory Academy, Kuumba Academy, Pencader, Moyer and Reach

The Delaware Department of Education chose the eligible schools, which have at least 100 students, based upon the following criteria:

· A school's inclusion in the state's Partnership Zone

· A school's appearance in the "Top 15 schools" in at least two of the following three categories: highest percentages of minority students, highest percentages of students from low-income backgrounds (students on free- and reduced-price lunches), and highest percentages of English language learners.

· In addition, schools could be eligible if they have at least 75 percent of their students in any of the three above categories.

District and charter leadership will decide whether to join by Jan 14.

Retention Program:

In Year 1 of the Retention Program, 28 top educators earned a $10,000 incentive from DOE for committing to teach in their schools for at least two more years.

The Retention Program is open to highly effective educators across all grades and subjects who work in a participating school. (Click here for details on how the state determines eligibility.)

Select principals, assistant principals, English language arts (ELA) teachers, and math teachers (in grades 3 to 10) will receive up to $10,000 paid over two years. Educators in other subjects will receive between $2,500 and $10,000 paid over two years. The exact amount will be based on the number of eligible educators in each school. Educators can earn retention awards two years in a row for a total of up to $20,000 over this period.

Attraction Program:

In its first year, the Attraction Program is open to highly effective ELA and mathematics educators in grades 3 to 10 and highly-effective principals and assistant principals. (Click here for details on how the state determines eligibility). 

If accepted into the program, educators may be hired for openings at participating schools. Schools and districts have final authority to determine whether to hire an educator participating in the initiative. Delaware Talent Cooperative participants who accept positions will receive up to $10,000 in their first year and up to $10,000 in their second year, for a total of up to $20,000.  Participants will also receive initial training and ongoing professional development to deepen their leadership skills and build collaborative learning communities at their schools.

Additional Information:

Educators participating in both the Attraction and Retention programs will have leadership opportunities, including the chance to serve as mentors to other teachers, lead trainings, and participate in one of the state’s Teacher Advisory Councils.

The program also provides opportunities for additional support for participating schools. Each building can apply to receive a one-time grant for school-wide improvement efforts. To be eligible to apply, schools must have at least two educators participating in the Cooperative and must meet at least 50 percent of their student growth targets.  Because they already receive significant state resources and support, Partnership Zone and Focus schools are not eligible for this additional grant, and the state reserves the right to review grant applications based upon available funding.

An advisory council helped develop the program over the past three months. Members included Delaware State Education Association (DSEA) leadership, Delaware Charter Schools Network representation, community partners, district and building administrators and DDOE staff members. DDOE also held focus groups with educators from across the state, using their input to shape the program. For example, feedback from the Advisory Council and focus groups prompted the idea of including grants for schools.

A website, www.DEtalentcoop.org, will launch Dec. 19 with more information, including Attraction Program applications in January. There is no application for the Retention Program; invitations will be sent to those who qualify.  For more information, click here.

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Delaware's Department of Education is committed to promoting the highest quality education for every Delaware student by providing visionary leadership and superior service.	Contact Info. Alison Kepner Delaware Department of Education 401 Federal Street, Suite #2 Dover, Delaware 19901 Phone: (302) 735-4035 Fax: (302) 739-4654 Email: akepner@doe.k12.de.us
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