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5 school districts, 9 charters join Delaware Talent Cooperative, www.doe.k12.de.us/news/2013/0225.shtml

Release Date: Feb 25, 2013 9:40 AM  ShareThis

The Delaware Department of Education announced today that five school districts and nine charter schools have confirmed their participation in the Delaware Talent Cooperative. In addition to Capital School District and Laurel School District, two districts that participated last year, Brandywine School District, New Castle County Vo-Tech School District and Seaford School District also will participate in the initiative, which offers state-sponsored retention awards and recruitment incentives for educators in their highest-need schools. Additionally, nine eligible charter schools have confirmed their participation in the initiative.

The following 18 schools have committed to participating: Brandywine School District’s Harlan Elementary; Capital School District’s South Dover, Towne Point and East Dover elementary schools and Dover High; Laurel School District’s Laurel Middle; Seaford School District’s West Seaford and Blades elementary schools; New Castle County Vo-Tech School District’s Howard High School of Technology; and charter schools Positive Outcomes, Thomas Edison, EastSide, Prestige, Academy of Dover, Delaware College Preparatory Academy, Kuumba Academy, Moyer and Reach.

 “When we brought this opportunity to our educators at Harlan, they discussed what it would mean for them and for the school's culture,” said Mark Holodick, superintendent of the Brandywine School District, "Ultimately, their voice in this decision-making process was the most important voice.

 “It was important to us that educators had all of the details of the program and heard directly from state officials who we invited to the building faculty meeting. The Harlan school community is a tight-knit group with a rich history, and retaining our educators who contribute to student development and outcomes is certainly a high-priority for us as a district,” he said.

 The state has extended the deadline for several school districts to respond regarding their participation since their December invitation. The Indian River School District will make a final decision this week, and the Christina School District's invitation to join the Delaware Talent Cooperative remains open given their local commitment to participate as part of their district Race to the Top (RTTT) plan.
The Delaware Department of Education notified districts and charters of their eligible schools, each of which has at least 100 students, based upon the following criteria:

 ·A school’s inclusion in the state’s Partnership Zone
· A school’s appearance in the “Top 15 schools” in at least two of the following three categories: highest percentages of minority students, highest percentages of students from low-income backgrounds (students on free- and reduced-price lunches), and highest percentages of English language learners.
· In addition, schools could be eligible if they have at least 75 percent of their students in any of the three above categories.
Funded with part of the state’s federal RTTT grant, the Delaware Talent Cooperative features two program arms: the Talent Retention Program, which provides financial awards and leadership opportunities to highly-effective educators who continue to work in participating schools, and the Talent Attraction Program, which seeks to attract select, top-performing educators to the participating schools. The initiative also provides opportunities for additional support for participating schools. Each building can apply to receive a one-time grant of up to $10,000 for school-wide improvement efforts.
The Retention Program, one arm of the Cooperative, launched last year with 28 distinguished educators earning a $10,000 retention incentive from the state for committing to teach in their respective schools for at least two more years. This year’s program is open to highly-effective educators across all grades and subjects who work in a participating school.
A website, www.DEtalentcoop.org, includes more information, including the application for the Attraction Program that educators in non-participating schools can access. There is no application for the Retention Program, as invitations will be sent to those who qualify.

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