Delaware Joins Multi-state Education Consortium
- March 10, 2009
By: Delaware Department of Education

DELAWARE JOINS "TOUGH CHOICES OR TOUGH TIMES"MULTI-STATE CONSORTIUM  

(Dover, DE.) Earlier this morning at the National Press Club in Washington D.C., the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) announced that Delaware would become one of a handful of states to partner with a multi-state consortium aimed at bettering America's public education system.  

Late last year, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Utah became the initial states to announce their commitment to pursuing recommendations of the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce in its Tough Choices or Tough Times (TCTT) reform agenda.  Today, Delaware, Arizona and New Mexico announced that they too will pilot aspects of this agenda for education reform.

In a letter to NCEE last month, Governor Jack Markell requested Delaware be considered for inclusion into the consortium.  The Governor gave credit to the coalition for their "commitment to producing and retaining the highest quality teacher and school leaders, compensating them for their success and holding them accountable for their outcomes; and, crucially, investing in early childhood education."

"Education is the most critical investment a society can make in its future. We are ready to work with NCEE over the next year to help ensure that we get the greatest return for that investment," Markell said. "No single person has all the answers to the critical questions facing our education future. By joining this consortium we will gain greater access to outside experts committed to making the most of public education. We can leverage what has worked around the country to make the most of our own reforms."

Secretary of Education Lillian Lowery also corresponded with NCEE asking them to consider Delaware in the consortium.  "Tough Choices or Tough Times provides a methodologyto test many critical changes to our system of public education in Delaware, changes that we have already committed to and that we must be willing to risk." 

"Governor Markell launched his own education reform agenda that rewards excellence in teaching, eliminates obstacles to school district success and ensures accountability for results," Lowery said. "We are holding meetings within the state to develop these plans and are excited by the opportunity to have several states we can look to within the coalition to examine their results.  Joining this coalition is simply a way to accelerate the four priorities that Governor Markell, Lieutenant Governor Denn and I released just last week."

Richard Struthers, Chairman of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce also wrote for support of inclusion into the consortium.  "We believe that Delaware's vision for world-class excellence in public education will be greatly enhanced by joining the national network you are constructing."  

The Commission proposes some practical approaches to improve the performance of the nation's students based on the highest international standards that the most successful countries have used for many years.  Tough Choices or Tough Times, which was the focus of a 2006 TIME magazine cover story, examined many features of the world's most successful education systems. 

Project direction will reside within Delaware's Department of Education (DOE) and will draw on experts and practitioners in public and private sectors.  Business and philanthropic leaders, district administrators, legislators and the Delaware State Education Association have been involved in discussing how the NCEE affiliation can accelerate the work already underway.  Staff support will be provided by DOE with private sector support covering the majority of direct costs, such as meetings of Delaware representatives with their peers from other states.

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