Delaware is the fourth worst performing state on the National Assessment of Educational Progress while being the ninth highest in spending per student out of all 50 states - spending over $17,000 per student.
According to the Nation's Report Card, in 2019 (the most recent pre-pandemic year):
32% of students were proficient in ELA and 34% of students were proficient in math.
The scores have decreased alarmingly since COVID-19 with Delaware experiencing the largest declines in the country between 2019 and 2022.
Delaware has experienced a disproportionate increase in non-educational spending over the past 20 years. Spending on teachers has increased in proportion to the increase in students - both at 11%. Support services on the other hand have experienced a 49% increase over the same period. Reallocating funds toward teacher salaries instead of non-educational expenses is necessary to improve education in Delaware.
Delaware is seeing an increase in the level of discipline, violence and bullying in schools. This is due in part to “restorative justice” policies that have replaced traditional discipline. School closures, remote learning, and mental health concerns resulting from the statewide response to COVID-19 have also likely contributed to this increase in school discipline problems.
The state is experiencing a shortage of several hundreds of teachers likely due to the lack of discipline, the focus on activism instead of on academics, and the frustration and stress resulting from the state’s response to COVID-19.
Delaware has a very high level of student absenteeism. One quarter of students are “chronically absent” meaning that they miss at least one out of every 10 days of school. A return to consistent recording of absences and follow up with students who are missing can turn this problem around.
In addition to focusing on the above issues, CRI will educate the public about the problems caused by school boards and legislators who are influenced more by teachers' unions than by the local community, as well as advocate for changes in teacher evaluations so they are based on changes in student test scores over time.