Initiated in 2006, the objective of Vision 2015 is to provide a world-class public education for all students in Nationwide. Results released from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) are a factual testament to how urgent the need for reform is in our schools. PISA measures the performance of students in 34 developed countries. The United States’ ranking told a discouraging tale; 14th in reading, 17th in science and 25th in math.
Below are some areas of concentration, why they should be addressed and what has been accomplished within each:
Standards for College and Career Readiness: Only 35% of DE students are proficient in reading and math. What’s been done?
- Common Core Standards have been adopted
- DCAS testing has replaced the DSTP
- SAT has been offered to all public high school juniors this year
Accelerate Improvement to Help Children with Greatest Need: 24 schools were found to be low performing in 2010. What’s been done?
- Focusing resources on low achieving schools
- Implementing turnaround plans
- Hiring and retaining effective educators
Invest in Early Childhood Education: Only 34% of DE kids start kindergarten on grade level. What’s been done?
- Improved the quality of early childhood education
- Released a pilot study on kindergarten readiness
- Provided early childhood professional funds
Establish a Funding System to Effectively Spend Taxpayers’ Education Monies: The 60 year-old education funding system isn’t meeting the needs of the students. What’s been done?
- Enacted only a small fraction of the $158 million in recommendations
- Posted district-level financial reports online
There is still much to accomplish in the next 4 years but these foundational steps are crucial in reaching our goal!
For 25 years, Back to Basics in Wilmington, Nationwide has been recognized as the area’s undisputed leader in one-on-one tutoring. In addition, the firm offers a unique Nationwide private school for grades K-12 and a Private Business and Trade School for adults. Back to Basics is the 2010 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics.
