First State Times

The Delaware Department of Education today released 2021 biennial reports on the state’s teacher and specialist educator preparation programs, part of a comprehensive effort to strengthen educator preparation programs in the First State. These reports were originally intended to be released in the fall of 2020; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, reports were delayed by one year.

The reports provide information ranging from the diversity of programs’ candidate classes to student performance outcomes of graduates, to employment placement and retention within the state. The reports show progress on some fronts, most notably that the state’s institutes of higher education are making some progress in attracting a more diverse class of future educators.

In 2021 program reports, across all educator preparation programs in Delaware, 1 in 4 candidates identified as an individual of color. There has been a continuous increase of diverse candidates in Delaware EPPs (16% in 2016 being candidates of color, 27% in 2018, and 32% of candidates in 2020). While about 58 percent of Delaware’s student population identifies as a race other than white, only 18 percent of the educator workforce does.

“Ensuring all of Delaware’s students have equitable access to excellent educators require equipping the next generation of educators with the necessary knowledge and skills to meet the various needs of the students they will educate,” Associate Secretary of Education Jon Neubauer said. “We must continue growing a highly skilled and diverse educator workforce.  The continued efforts made by our colleges and universities to prioritize quality preparation of educators will play a key role in providing our students with access to the very best educators.”

The program reports garner programs continued approval to operate based on data from the last five years. Programs are classified into the following categories based on their performance – Renewed, Renewed With Conditions, or Probation. Some particularly small programs are noted to be a Program Under Further Review due to extremely limited data.

The reports provide prospective students considering educator preparation programs in Delaware a resource for learning about their options while the state’s districts and charter schools have additional information on the strengths of each program.

About half of Delaware’s novice educators are prepared by Delaware preparation programs; the reports are a part of the state’s overall strategy to strengthen such programs throughout the state.

All available performance data is used to classify all programs, whether or not they generated a program report. Overall, the 2021 results show 29 programs categorized as renewed, and 13 programs renewed with conditions. Additionally, 14 programs are classified as a program under further review due to insufficient data. Programs that are renewed with conditions or placed on probation will be required to submit a plan of action for improvement to the Delaware Department of Education. Programs under further review must demonstrate the workforce need the program is meeting and additional evidence of meeting program standards. A state summary of all programs is also included in the release.