Higher Education

Creating jobs and strengthening Delaware's economy will be John's top priority as Governor, and you can't do that without a world-class education system at all levels. John's plan will make higher education more affordable and accessible by making sure young Delawareans know what they need to do to get into college, what it will cost, how they can pay for it, and what they need to do to take advantage of that education and graduate prepared to compete in a global economy.

Expanding Access

• Expand the SEED Scholarship to include a pathway to Delaware State University to encourage all Delaware students to reach their full potential. Bachelor programs at Delaware State University do an excellent job of training our students to meet our workforce needs, and John believes we should make this option available to every Delaware student.
  
• Create the STAR Scholarship, which will provide the funding for SEED scholars who do well to continue on to a four-year degree at the University of Delaware and Delaware State University.
  
• Better Utilize Delaware Technical & Community College to develop the training programs we need to fill jobs in a 21st century economy. A good example of this is the commitment John received from Bluewater Wind to contribute $150,000 to create a wind turbine operations and maintenance program at Del Tech.
  
• Launch a statewide college awareness campaign in Delaware's middle schools and expand the efforts of Delaware's P-20 Council to develop better communication and coordination between our K-12 system and higher education institutions.
  
• Expand the Data Cube Project started by the P-20 Council. The Data Cube allows high schools and higher ed institutions to communicate with one another about their students. High schools get feedback on how their students are doing in college, and colleges can give specific recommendations on how to better prepare students for success. Currently, there are only two years of data available, but as the system grows, it's important that we continue to monitor student progress and make the changes necessary to improve student achievement.
  
• A greater emphasis on math and science in high school; in 2007, the State Board of Education raised Delaware's math requirement from 3 credits to 4, one of which must be Algebra II. They also required every high school student to complete 3 science classes, including physical science, biology, and chemistry. These are important changes that add structure and rigor to our courses, and makes all Delaware students better prepared to enter college.
  
• Work with schools and districts to increase the number of students using Student Success Plans (SSPs). These plans help students set goals for themselves, involve more parents in the process, and bring together a support system that students can use throughout high school.
  
• Ensure schools are exposing 8th, 9th and 10th graders to Career Cruising software. This software allows students to identify areas of interest, which, in turn, allows them to see what academic classes they should think about taking to prepare them for college coursework in that area.
  

Increasing Affordability

• Expand our State College Investment Plan and make contributions up to a certain amount tax deductible. College Investment Plans provide incentives for families to save for college. Through these plans, a parent's investment in their child's education grows tax-free, and can be withdrawn tax-free when it is used for qualified education expenses, such as tuition or room and board.
  
• Direct the Department of Education to develop a comprehensive, web-based catalogue of state-sponsored and state-administered scholarships and aid, as well as any other scholarships and stipends that are available to Delawareans. This early notification outreach effort should also include information on what families can expect in the way of tuition, room and board as well as financial aid. We need to promote websites such as FASA4caster.gov, which gives families an idea of what costs might be for a specific kind of school and what aid might be available.
  
• Explore state funding for needs-based grants. A recommended increase for these grants was removed from this year's budget when revenues slipped, but there is little question we need to take a hard look at this and find a way to raise funding.
  

Strengthening Delaware's Institutions

• Build research capacity at our higher ed institutions.
  
• Work with the General Assembly to create a continuous funding mechanism for Delaware Technical and Community College. Del Tech plays an essential role in helping our workforce meet the needs of Delaware's employers, and as our economy continues to shift toward more science and technology based jobs, Del Tech's role will be even more critical. In recent years, Del Tech's needs have outpaced the funding given by the state. As the state's only community college, it's important that we keep Del Tech strong, and I'm committed to looking at every option to ensure that Del Tech will continue to help our workforce meet the needs of Delaware employers.
  
• Foster an effective technology transfer capacity to help turn research into reality.

Increasing Accountability

• Direct DOE to take an annual look at how our students are doing, particularly our SEED scholars. If there are adjustments we need to make, we need to have real data on which to make those decisions.
  
• Direct DOE to collect student achievement data from our higher ed institutions, particularly in regards to minority and low-income students.