 "Photo: Ashley Biro")
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan spoke to an audience of more than 500 Delaware educators about Vision 2015 on Oct. 27 at Clayton Hall.
According to its Web site, Vision 2015 was developed by a 28-person committee of senior public, private and civic leaders from throughout the state. The program was established to assure a high-quality education for every student in Delaware by 2015.
Duncan addressed the issues facing students in grades K-12, as well as students in college.
“The president has drawn a line in the sand. He has said by the year 2020, we have to lead the world in the percent of college graduates,” Duncan said. “We used to lead the world probably two and a half decades ago. We’ve flat-lined. We’ve stagnated. Many other countries have passed us by, and, collectively, we pay a price.”
He said this is a time of great opportunity for the country and for the state of Delaware to breakthrough and improve in early childhood education, grades K-12 and higher education.
“We have to get dramatically better in all of those areas,and we have to do it now in order to get where we need to go,” Duncan said.
The establishment of a strong educational background starts at the early childhood education level. He said the country has been trying to keep up with the different levels of education, and every child should have the chance to be given a great foundation.
“In education, we have to get out of the catch-up business. Every level, we’re catching up,” Duncan said. “Universities have too many remedial classes. High schools are doing too much of what doesn’t happen in middle school. And, ultimately for us to get out of the catch-up game, it goes all the way back to early childhood education.”
The Obama administration is also invested in the community college system. Duncan said he thinks community colleges are the unrecognized jewel of the education system continuum.
“Whether it’s healthcare jobs or tech jobs, if the country gets back on its feet, families get back on their feet, we think community colleges are going to play a huge role there,” he said.
University president Patrick Harker said the university, along with former Provost Dan Rich, has been involved with Vision 2015 from its beginning in Oct. 2006.
“As a result of the Vision, we have moved our school of education toward aligning our future training practices with the vision of Vision 2015,” Harker said.
Duncan also addressed the issue of making college more affordable for students and parents, and said the Obama administration has created new resources to aid in that process.
“A historic increase in the Pell Grant, Perkins Loans and tuition tax credits, over $30 billion already there, another $70 billion coming in this package that could pass at the Senate, to really make sure that every child has a chance to go to college,” Duncan said.
Specifically, Duncan focused on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
“I want a huge push to dramatically simplify the financial aid form, the FAFSA form, and those of you who have gone through that form know that the form itself is a barrier to entry,” he said. “You basically have to have Ph.D. to figure it out.”
Alison Taub, Red Clay district parent advisory council president, said she thought what Duncan had to say was beneficial, and she is happy with the direction the country is headed with education reform.
“His thoughts were very down-to-earth and realistic, but with high expectations, which is what we need,” Taub said.
Jill Simonds, member of the Parent Information Center of Delaware, said she thought it was great to hear different perspectives on the issue.
“I thought it was phenomenal,” Simonds said. “The information was great. It was great to have different people here.”
Delaware Gov. Jack Markell said the state is working toward achieving a high level of success in the education reform.
“Failing school reflects struggling communities and parents, and until we face this reality head on, we’re unlikely to achieve the level of success we demand of ourselves,” Markell said. “These struggles are not an excuse of failure, but they must serve as a wake-up call for more urgency.”
Harker said the university is working with other institutions in Delaware to achieve the goals of Vision 2015. He said he also feels the university’s education students would perform well working as teachers in other states, due to the standards of the education program.
“We’ve recognized that part of our mission, as the flagship university of the state, is not just for us to produce great students, but also for working with the other institutions in the state so we can learn from each other,” he said.
Taub said she appreciated Markell directly addressing the issue of the lack of funds for education in Delaware.
“When Markell said, ‘I don’t have a Plan B. I’m not going to talk about what happens when we don’t get the money because we’re going to get the money,’ I think there’s a huge spotlight on education in Delaware right now, which is great because it’s been broken for a long time,” she said.
Duncan said he and the Obama administration are working hard to improve and restructure education across the country.
“The president’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, has a great line – ‘Never waste a good crisis.’ Well, we have a couple good crises on our hands, and it’s often in times of crisis, whether we like it or not, that we get the kinds of breakthroughs we need,” Duncan said. “So, we really do see this as a huge opportunity.”
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