Research data conveys that the presence of a highly skilled teacher is the strongest in-school predictor of a student’s academic success, with high quality school leaders being the second most important factor.
To ensure excellence in teaching and learning, Delaware must ensure that all of the educators working in our schools are well prepared to take on the critical job of ensuring their students’ academic success.
As the approver of all educator preparation programs operating in Delaware, the state has the authority to oversee and set the standards for educator preparation, foster innovation, and hold programs accountable.
Strong educator preparation is a strategy that Delaware has been investing in for several years. Delaware is committed to the preparation of teachers in well-designed and competitive programs and to supporting those educators in their early years in the classroom. Senate Bill 51 is one of the vehicles through which Delaware is working to improve teacher and leader preparation.
To date, most of the state’s educator preparation work has focused on the following policy levers articulated in Senate Bill 51 and other policy platforms:
Expanding options for training and creating a competitive marketplace for high-quality training programs (traditional and alternative)
Raising standards for becoming an educator (entry and graduation)
Setting standards for what and how aspiring educators learn (content, residency, etc.)
Increasing accountability in approval and renewal, including outcomes data
Targeting funding in each of these areas to seed innovation and high-quality programs
