By: Delaware Rep. Lyndon Yearick and Sen. Brian Pettyjohn
This article appeared in The Daily State News.
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) was featured in The Daily State News regarding Delaware's public education system in reference to its ranking in ALEC's Education Freedom Report.
Lyndon Yearick is a Republican representing Magnolia. Brian Pettyjohn is a Republican representing Georgetown.
Delaware’s public education system is in dire need of reform and new approaches.
According to the Department of Education, a staggering 6 of every 10 students are not proficient in English language arts. A shocking 70% are not meeting standards for math. One in 5 students are missing from the classroom at least 10% of the time. Teachers have also been chronically absent, leaving students in the hands of substitutes, often for weeks at a time.
As one recent independent assessment concluded: “Based on an analysis of data from the National Assessment of Education Progress, Delaware’s student outcomes lag behind those of other Mid-Atlantic states and have declined over the past decade, even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The American Legislative Exchange Council ranks Delaware 37th in the nation for education. The assessment was based on academic standards, charter schools, private school choice, home school regulation, teacher quality and digital learning.
....
Our schools have been on the decline for too long, and it is past time we acted. We can no longer deceive ourselves into thinking that maintaining the status quo is acceptable.