Simpson Elementary School

“W.B. Simpson Elementary School is a great place for kids!  We pride ourselves on building positive relationships with all of our students and their families.  This is illustrated through our ‘Looping Program’ where all students have their teacher for two years in grades 2-3 and 4-5.  To build firm relationships, you also have to educate the whole child so we subscribe to the Responsive Classroom Approach.  But in the end, it’s always about the kids.  If you continually focus on kids then you’ll always make great gains in student achievement.” – Michael Kijowski, Principal of W.B. Simpson Elementary School.   

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes public and non-public elementary, middle, and high schools where students achieve at very high levels and/or where the achievement gap is narrowing. The Program sets a standard of excellence for all schools striving for the highest level of achievement. The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is part of a larger U. S. Department of Education effort to identify and disseminate knowledge about best school leadership and teaching practices. Each year since 1982, the U.S. Department of Education has sought out schools where students attain and maintain high academic goals, including those that beat the odds.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes public and non-public elementary, middle, and high schools where students achieve at very high levels and/or where the achievement gap is narrowing. The Program sets a standard of excellence for all schools striving for the highest level of achievement. The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is part of a larger U. S. Department of Education effort to identify and disseminate knowledge about best school leadership and teaching practices. Each year since 1982, the U.S. Department of Education has sought out schools where students attain and maintain high academic goals, including those that beat the odds.

- More about this award
National Blue Ribbon Program: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/index.html

Star Hill Elementary

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes public and non-public elementary, middle, and high schools where students achieve at very high levels and/or where the achievement gap is narrowing. The Program sets a standard of excellence for all schools striving for the highest level of achievement. The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is part of a larger U. S. Department of Education effort to identify and disseminate knowledge about best school leadership and teaching practices. Each year since 1982, the U.S. Department of Education has sought out schools where students attain and maintain high academic goals, including those that beat the odds.

- More about this award
National Blue Ribbon Program: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/index.html 

Stokes Elementary

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes public and non-public elementary, middle, and high schools where students achieve at very high levels and/or where the achievement gap is narrowing. The Program sets a standard of excellence for all schools striving for the highest level of achievement. The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is part of a larger U. S. Department of Education effort to identify and disseminate knowledge about best school leadership and teaching practices. Each year since 1982, the U.S. Department of Education has sought out schools where students attain and maintain high academic goals, including those that beat the odds.

- More about this award
National Blue Ribbon Program: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/index.html 

J. Ralph McIlvaine Early Childhood Center

As part of a broader effort to expand parental involvement in Delaware's public schools, Lieutenant Governor Matt Denn created the Excellence in Parental Involvement award that is given to two public schools each year at the Superstars in Education event in May. This award is given to schools that have successfully expanded parental involvement through innovative programs. Winning schools are recognized at the annual Superstars program, receive a banner for their schools, and have their programs publicized throughout the state so that other schools can emulate their successes. (Retrieved from Lt. Governor’s website on parent involvement http://ltgov.delaware.gov/parentalinvolvement/index.shtml)

This initiative was designed to encourage students and their parents to participate in highly engaging academic activities designed to keep them reading, writing, and thinking over the summer with an interactive game format. Before the end of the school year, students and parents were given a free summer reading book and a Summer Bingo card which contained various academic activities linked to a school website (http://mrsboulden.edu.glogster.com/postlethwait-summer-glog/). Students would visit the website, complete the tasks, and parents would sign off on the activities and record their child’s progress in order to get “Bingo.” Students and their parents would then bring the card to a checkpoint to be reviewed by a staff member. Each month of summer vacation had a checkpoint at a different location in the community including Kent County Public Library, John Dickinson Plantation, and the Wyoming Peach Festival. Students getting “Bingo” would be eligible for prize drawings.

W. Reily Brown Elementary

Excellence in Parental Involvement

As part of a broader effort to expand parental involvement in Delaware's public schools, Lieutenant Governor Matt Denn created the Excellence in Parental Involvement award that is given to two public schools each year at the Superstars in Education event in May. This award is given to schools that have successfully expanded parental involvement through innovative programs. Winning schools are recognized at the annual Superstars program, receive a banner for their schools, and have their programs publicized throughout the state so that other schools can emulate their successes. (Retrieved from Lt. Governor’s website on parent involvement http://ltgov.delaware.gov/parentalinvolvement/index.shtml)

This initiative was designed to encourage students and their parents to participate in highly engaging academic activities designed to keep them reading, writing, and thinking over the summer with an interactive game format. Before the end of the school year, students and parents were given a free summer reading book and a Summer Bingo card which contained various academic activities linked to a school website (http://mrsboulden.edu.glogster.com/postlethwait-summer-glog/). Students would visit the website, complete the tasks, and parents would sign off on the activities and record their child’s progress in order to get “Bingo.” Students and their parents would then bring the card to a checkpoint to be reviewed by a staff member. Each month of summer vacation had a checkpoint at a different location in the community including Kent County Public Library, John Dickinson Plantation, and the Wyoming Peach Festival. Students getting “Bingo” would be eligible for prize drawings.

Frear Elementary School

Frear’s motto is “One Team, One Goal, No Limits”. Not only is this motto evident in the school with teachers, staff members, and students, but also with Allen Frear’s parents as well. Frear recognizes that parents are an integral part of the school community and it is the schools belief that it takes a “team” to educate the whole child. One way Frear strives to include parents is through the “Frear’s Frequent Flyers” card. The “Frear Frequent Flyer” card was developed to encourage and reward parents for taking an active role in the school community. Each parent receives a card for each of their children in the school. Parents earn stamps by being an active participant in his or her child’s education. Stamps can accumulate by parents attending monthly school events, conferences, PTA (Parent Teacher Association) meetings, emailing/writing notes to their child’s teacher, eating lunch with the child, viewing the website and commenting on various topics and volunteering. Once a parent earns five stamps on his or her “Frear Frequent Flyers” card, the card is turned in and the parent is entered into a raffle to win various prizes such as movie tickets, gift certificates to dinner, and other items donated by our local businesses and community members.

As part of a broader effort to expand parental involvement in Delaware's public schools, Lieutenant Governor Matt Denn created the Excellence in Parental Involvement award that is given to two public schools each year at the Superstars in Education event in May. This award is given to schools that have successfully expanded parental involvement through innovative programs. Winning schools are recognized at the annual Superstars program, receive a banner for their schools, and have their programs publicized throughout the state so that other schools can emulate their successes. (Retrieved from Lt. Governor’s website on parent involvement http://ltgov.delaware.gov/parentalinvolvement/index.shtml)

Postlethwait Middle School defines parental involvement as initiatives that strive to engage parents in activities that will support their student's academic success at home and foster healthy partnerships with school professionals as well as with the community. Our programs go beyond "sit and gets" and involve parents and students participating in rich experiences that directly connect to student success and nurture a collaborative culture in which students feel supported by a success team. An example of one such program was our Postlethwait Summer Bingo.

This initiative was designed to encourage students and their parents to participate in highly engaging academic activities designed to keep them reading, writing, and thinking over the summer with an interactive game format. Before the end of the school year, students and parents were given a free summer reading book and a Summer Bingo card which contained various academic activities linked to a school website (http://mrsboulden.edu.glogster.com/postlethwait-summer-glog/). Students would visit the website, complete the tasks, and parents would sign off on the activities and record their child’s progress in order to get “Bingo.” Students and their parents would then bring the card to a checkpoint to be reviewed by a staff member. Each month of summer vacation had a checkpoint at a different location in the community including Kent County Public Library, John Dickinson Plantation, and the Wyoming Peach Festival. Students getting “Bingo” would be eligible for prize drawings.

As part of a broader effort to expand parental involvement in Delaware's public schools, Lieutenant Governor Matt Denn created the Excellence in Parental Involvement award that is given to two public schools each year at the Superstars in Education event in May. This award is given to schools that have successfully expanded parental involvement through innovative programs. Winning schools are recognized at the annual Superstars program, receive a banner for their schools, and have their programs publicized throughout the state so that other schools can emulate their successes. (Retrieved from Lt. Governor’s website on parent involvement http://ltgov.delaware.gov/parentalinvolvement/index.shtml)

Postlethwait Middle School defines parental involvement as initiatives that strive to engage parents in activities that will support their student's academic success at home and foster healthy partnerships with school professionals as well as with the community. Our programs go beyond "sit and gets" and involve parents and students participating in rich experiences that directly connect to student success and nurture a collaborative culture in which students feel supported by a success team. An example of one such program was our Postlethwait Summer Bingo.

This initiative was designed to encourage students and their parents to participate in highly engaging academic activities designed to keep them reading, writing, and thinking over the summer with an interactive game format. Before the end of the school year, students and parents were given a free summer reading book and a Summer Bingo card which contained various academic activities linked to a school website (http://mrsboulden.edu.glogster.com/postlethwait-summer-glog/). Students would visit the website, complete the tasks, and parents would sign off on the activities and record their child’s progress in order to get “Bingo.” Students and their parents would then bring the card to a checkpoint to be reviewed by a staff member. Each month of summer vacation had a checkpoint at a different location in the community including Kent County Public Library, John Dickinson Plantation, and the Wyoming Peach Festival. Students getting “Bingo” would be eligible for prize drawings.

Frear Elementary School

Frear’s motto is “One Team, One Goal, No Limits”. Not only is this motto evident in the school with teachers, staff members, and students, but also with Allen Frear’s parents as well. Frear recognizes that parents are an integral part of the school community and it is the schools belief that it takes a “team” to educate the whole child. One way Frear strives to include parents is through the “Frear’s Frequent Flyers” card. The “Frear Frequent Flyer” card was developed to encourage and reward parents for taking an active role in the school community. Each parent receives a card for each of their children in the school. Parents earn stamps by being an active participant in his or her child’s education. Stamps can accumulate by parents attending monthly school events, conferences, PTA (Parent Teacher Association) meetings, emailing/writing notes to their child’s teacher, eating lunch with the child, viewing the website and commenting on various topics and volunteering. Once a parent earns five stamps on his or her “Frear Frequent Flyers” card, the card is turned in and the parent is entered into a raffle to win various prizes such as movie tickets, gift certificates to dinner, and other items donated by our local businesses and community members.

Dover Air Base Middle School

These are chosen for exceptional performance and/or closing the achievement gap. Both Title I and non-Title I schools can qualify. Stokes Elementary School is honored with $50,000. This year, because of the state’s federal Race to the Top funding and the U.S. Department of Education’s approval of a new state school accountability system for Delaware, the Delaware Department of Education was able to expand the number of schools recognized from five to 19, in four categories. A majority of the program is aligned with the former Academic Achievement Award program. The continuation of that program as provided by the RTTT grant funding. The RTTT grant provides funding for this through 2015.

  Stokes Elementary

These are chosen for exceptional performance and/or closing the achievement gap. Both Title I and non-Title I schools can qualify. Stokes Elementary School is honored with $50,000. This year, because of the state’s federal Race to the Top funding and the U.S. Department of Education’s approval of a new state school accountability system for Delaware, the Delaware Department of Education was able to expand the number of schools recognized from five to 19, in four categories. A majority of the program is aligned with the former Academic Achievement Award program. The continuation of that program as provided by the RTTT grant funding. The RTTT grant provides funding for this through 2015.

Simpson Elementary

These are chosen for exceptional performance and/or closing the achievement gap. Both Title I and non-Title I schools can qualify.Simpson Elementary School is honored with $50,000. This year, because of the state’s federal Race to the Top funding and the U.S. Department of Education’s approval of a new state school accountability system for Delaware, the Delaware Department of Education was able to expand the number of schools recognized from five to 19, in four categories. A majority of the program is aligned with the former Academic Achievement Award program. The continuation of that program as provided by the RTTT grant funding. The RTTT grant provides funding for this through 2014. 

  Stokes Elementary

These are chosen for exceptional performance and/or closing the achievement gap. Both Title I and non-Title I schools can qualify. Stokes Elementary School is honored with $50,000. This year, because of the state’s federal Race to the Top funding and the U.S. Department of Education’s approval of a new state school accountability system for Delaware, the Delaware Department of Education was able to expand the number of schools recognized from five to 19, in four categories. A majority of the program is aligned with the former Academic Achievement Award program. The continuation of that program as provided by the RTTT grant funding. The RTTT grant provides funding for this through 2014.

Dover Air Base Middle School
Stokes Elementary

These are chosen for exceptional performance and/or closing the achievement gap. Both Title I and non-Title I schools can qualify. Stokes Elementary School and Air Base Middle School were both honored with $50,000. This year, because of the state’s federal Race to the Top funding and the U.S. Department of Education’s approval of a new state school accountability system for Delaware, the Delaware Department of Education was able to expand the number of schools recognized from five to 19, in four categories. A majority of the program is aligned with the former Academic Achievement Award program. The continuation of that program as provided by the RTTT grant funding. The RTTT grant provides funding for this through 2014. 

Star Hill Elementary

Star Hill’s Fluency Stations is a program that is implemented during the English Language Arts (ELA) block in grades 1 through 5. The program’s emphasis on reading fluency, which directly correlates to comprehension, helps to provide a solid foundation for the students. The fluency stations facilitate teacher to student; student to student; and parent to student interaction. Students receive direct instruction from a teacher or parent while student peers help with monitoring student progress in reading fluency. These stations are also differentiated, and students who perform above District expectations are challenged in such activities as Readers Theatre where they can practice inflection and intonation. 

Stokes Elementary

The National Title I Association has been selecting examples of superior Title I school programs for national recognition through the National Title I Distinguished Schools program since 1996. Selected schools must qualify for one of the following categories:

Category 1: Exceptional student performance for two or more consecutive years
Category 2: Closing the achievement gap between student groups

Sixty-eight schools were selected by their individual states based on a combination of academic achievement of their students and the creative and innovative programs that contribute to their success. They join hundreds of other distinguished schools making a difference for our nation's Title I children. These schools demonstrate a wide array of strengths, including team approaches to teaching and learning, focused professional development opportunities for staff, individualized programs for student success and strong partnerships between the school, parents and the community. What makes these schools' stories especially powerful are the documented student achievement gains that have resulted from their innovations.
- More Information on Title I Distinguished schools
http://www.nationaltitleiassociation.org/?CurrentDS