Here is the final Delaware Legislature POTUS briefing memo w/attachments
as submitted to Staff Secretary last night:
Bruce and Elena -- I hope you received the hard copies I put on Laura and
Cathy's chairs. Mike -- your copy of POTUS' briefing book (including this
paper) is in the box outside of the Staff Secretary's office if you want
to have someone pick it up.Unable to convert ARMS_EXT: [ATTACH.Dl7]MAIL40696472V.l26 to ASCII,
The following is a HEX DUMP:
FF575043AA0600000l0A020l00000002050000009l3500000002000009A53B4FEFE3C7278l3EDC
38C8C53CF805BF57832D83690E24E48E2Dl2F448l5E453CD60425l4CBD360765A57l32B45E3F6E
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BIOGRAPHIES OF LEADING ELECTED OFFICIALS
Hon_ Tom Carper
Governor of Delaware
Born in Beckley, West Virginia, Carper grew up in Danville, Virginia. He attended Ohio State
University, graduating in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in economics. He completed five years
of service as a Naval flight officer, serving in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. In 1973,
following his active military service, Carper moved to Delaware to earn an MBA at the
University of Delaware. He worked in Delaware's economic development office from 1975 to
1976, and then was elected State Treasurer at age 29 -- serving three consecutive terms.
Carper was elected in 1982 to the U.S. House of Rcpresentatives where he served five terms.
Carper was then elected governor in 1992. As Governor, he has focused on job creation;
overhauling both the state's education and welfare systems; strengthening families and reducing
teenage pregnancy; and improving the state's credit rating while lowering taxes and preventing
crime. In July of 1997, Carper was tapped as vice-chair of the National Governors' Association.
When he assumes the NGA chairmanship next year, he will become the first Delaware governor
ever to hold the top post in that organization. He is also the only governor on the nation's
nine-member Amtrak Board of Directors.
Hon. Ruth Ann Minner
Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
In 1974, Ruth Ann became a rising star in the Democratic Party when she was the first woman
elected to the House of Representatives from her Milford district. Rep. Minner spent four
terms on the Bond Bill Committee, mastering the art of responsible capital spending. In 1982,
she was elected to the state Senate where she eventually served three terms.
Lt. Governor Minner was born and raised on a farm and left high school at age 16 to help out.
She married her first husband, Frank Ingram, a year later. Widowed at age 32 when Frank died
of a heart attack, she was suddenly a single parent with no education and three sons to raise.
While working to support her family, she earned her general equivalency degree from Delaware
Technical and Community College and took University of Delaware parallel program courses in
education. She married Roger Minner in 1969 and together they built the family business. Roger
succumbed to cancer in 1992.
She was honored as Mother of the Year in 1993 and Woman of the Year in 1985. In 1995, she
was inducted into the Delaware Women's Hall of Fame. Ruth Ann still lives on a farm near
Milford where she enjoys gardening, fishing and spending time with her family, especially her
seven grandchildren.
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Hon. Terry R. Spence
Speaker of the Delaware House of Representatives
He attended Goldey Beacom College where he received an A.S. and Wilmington College, where
he received a B.S. The Speaker served in the Delaware Air National Guard, is retired from the
DuPont Company and worked for the Brooks Courier.
First elected to the House in 1980, Spence has been the Speaker of the House for nine years,
where he has served on the Administration, Desegregation, Ethics, and Legislative Council
Committees.
Spence and his wife, Nancy, have four children.
Hon. Tom Sharp
Senate Pro Tempore
. Sharp served in the Army National Guard for eight years and worked as a sheet metal apprentice
for four years at tech school.
He has served over 20 years in the Senate, and for all but a few years, was the Senate Majority
Leader. Currently, Sharp works for the Newcastle County Vocational School District as the
Supervisor of Building and Grounds.
He attended Henry C. Conrad High School where he met his wife, Judy; they wed after high
school. Sharp has been married for 38 years and they have three children and two grandchildren
who are twins.
2
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EDUCATION REFORM IN DELAWARE
With bipartisan leadership and strong support from the business community, Delaware has
undertaken a broad array of education reforms quite consistent with your education agenda.
Delaware is moving ahead with efforts to set standards for students, teachers, and schools. The
state is also supporting teachers who seek and gain certification from the National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards, and Governor Carper has proposed an accountability plan
including curbs against social promotion.
Student Academic Standards and Assessments. This week, the state is administering its
first-ever statewide assessment of how students are doing according to Delaware's new academic
standards, with testing in math and language arts (reading, and writing) for grades three, five,
eight, and ten. Next year, similar tests will be given in science and social studies. There was
extremely broad public involvement in the development of these standards, with State Board
approval in 1995 coming after a three-year process of development and public review led by
commissions representing school districts, business and institutions of higher education.
According to Delaware, the standards 'promote methods that require students to participate in
learning activities that are relevant to them and that address real-world problems and
issues ... rather than encourage instructional methods that allow students to passively receive
information from the teacher.' The assessments include multiple choice, as well as questions
involving short answers and essays. Delaware's standards were rated favorably by the
American Federation of Teachers and the Council for Basic Education and received mixed
reviews from Fordham Foundation (Checker Finn's group). Each of these groups has rated
standards from states across the nation.
Teacher And Administrator Standards and Assessments. In January 1998, the State Board
of Education approved standards for what Delaware teachers and administrators ought to know
and be able to do in their subject area and related to student learning styles, instructional .
pra~tices, and assessment strategies. Delaware is considering the use of these standards as a
basis for teacher certification, performance appraisal, and possibly even recertification.
All Delaware teachers are currently required to take and pass a basic teacher competency test by
the end of their first year of teaching, and Governor Carper has proposed requiring teachers to
pass this test before getting a license to begin teaching. Carper is also proposing that Delaware
develop higher-level performance-based assessments for teachers that could become the basis for
gaining licensure and certification.
Meanwhile, the state is helping teachers gain certification from the National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards, with ten Delaware teachers already board-certified. The
legislature appropriated funds to cover the assessment fees for another 15 teachers seeking Board
certification, and Delaware teachers who gain board certification will receive an additional $1500
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in pay per year.
Ending Social Promotion and Accountability. Governor Carper has proposed to the
legislature a plan for greater accountability for Delaware students and schools. The plan would
curb social promotion, requiring children to read at or near grade level before leaving third and
fifth grades, and perform at or near grade level in both reading and math before leaving the 8th
grade. The plan would also take actions to turn around consistently low-performing schools and
school districts, including accreditation and cash bonuscs for schools that show real
improvements over two years and calling for school district interventions in lower-performing
schools.
The legislature is currently considering the plan and it is supported by the PTA, the business
community, and the NAACP. But many of the state's education organizations -- including the
state organizations representing superintendents, local school boards, and teachers -- have offered
alternative accountability plans and are negotiating changes in the Governor's plan. While these
groups are not opposing the concepts of social promotion and accountability, they have concerns
about certain details. For example, the Delaware superintendents' association is wary of any
state involvement at all in school accountability, and the Delaware education association is
working to include measures for school performance beyond just student test scores. The
Governor's office is hopeful that agreement can be reached on most of these issues.
Reducing Class Size. Carper is negotiating with legislative leaders over a plan to reduce class
size from kindergarten through the third grade. Carper's $7.5 million plan would cap class size
in these grades to 22, and Senator Thomas Sharp, President Pro Tern of the Delaware Senate, is
pushing for additional funding to reduce class size even further. There seems to be extremely
broad support in the Delaware legislature for these efforts to reduce. class size in the early grades.
Educational Technology. Delaware has been moving forward with efforts on educational
technology and next year plans to become the first state in the nation to wire every public school
classroom with fiber optic cable. With strong support from the private sector, Delaware is also
providing technology training for teachers and high-quality software.
Charter Schools, Public School Choice, and School Report Cards. Bipartisan support for
public school choice and charter schools have produced laws and authorization for charter
schools, intra-district, and inter-district public school choice in the state. 9,000 (out.of 110,000)
students are in public schools chosen by them and their families. Six charter schools have
opened in the state including the state's first charter school --the Charter School of Wilmington.
Visited by Mrs. Clinton in 1996, this school was opened with very active support from the
corporate community and focuses on math, science, and technology. The student population
mirrors the diversity of the state, and the school had the highest writing scores in the state in
1997. The State Department of Education also publishes "consumer guides" to every public
school in the state, including test scores, student-teacher ratios, drop-out rates, and other data.
2
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SUMMARY OF CLASS SIZE LEGISLATION
To master the basics and learn to read well, students need teachers who are prepared to teach
well in smaller classes. Your class size reduction initiative will help do this in grades 1-3 by:
Requiring State Teacher Competency Testing for New Teachers: States would be
required to implement competency testing for new teachers. Each state would
select the tests it determines is most appropriate for this purpose. Most states
have such tests. Participating school districts would be required to hire teachers
who are fully certified or working towards full certification. School districts could
use funds to provide teachers with the additional training needed to meet
certification requirements.
Providing Funds for Teacher Training and Testing: At least 10 of the funds in this
initiative would be used to promote high quality teaching by (1) training teachers
in proven practices for teaching reading and in effective practices in small classes;
(2) providing mentors or other support for newly hired teachers; (3) providing
incentives to recruit qualified teachers to high poverty schools; and (4) testing new
teachers before they are hired and developing rigorous tests for beginning
teachers.
Encouraging States to Adopt Rigorous Professional Tests and Upgrade Teacher
Certification Requirements: Teachers should be able to demonstrate that they
know the subject to be taught and have the necessary knowledge and skills to help
their students reach challenging state academic standards. States would be
encouraged to use a portion of their funds to toughen teacher certification
requirements and to require new teachers to demonstrate competence. For
example, states could use these funds to develop rigorous tests of subject matter
expertise and professional knowledge that prospective teachers would be required
to pass before they start teaching.
Holding Schools Accountable for Results --Helping Every Child to Read Well and
Independently By the End of the Third Grade: School districts receiving these
funds would be required to show that each school is making measurable progress
in improving reading achievement within 3 years, or take necessary corrective
actions --such as providing additional teacher training, revising the curriculum, or
implementing proven practices for teaching reading. School districts could lose
funding if there is no subsequent improvement in reading achievement in those
schools. School districts would also be required to publish an annual school
report card with clear information on student achievement, class size, and teacher
qualifications.
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Targeting Funding to Areas of Greatest Need: The Administration's initiative
would distribute funds to states on the basis of the Title 1 formula. Within the
state, each high-poverty school district would receive the same share of these funds
as it received under Title 1, and the remaining funds would be distributed within
the state based on class size. Matching funds would be required from
participating school districts, on a sliding scale ranging from 0-50, with
high-poverty districts contributing the least. Once a state has reached an average
class size of 18 in grades 1-3, it could use these funds to further reduce class size
in the early grades, or it could extend its efforts to other grades.
Providing Facilities for Additional Classrooms: In order to help school systems
meet the need for additional classroom space, you are (1) proposing a $10 billion
school modernization initiative over 10 years, that will provide incentives for
communities to invest in local school facilities by leveraging $22 billion in bonds
during 1999-2000; (2) ensuring that changes to facilities in order to accommodate
class size reductions is an allowable use of school modernization funds; (3)
allowing for phased-in implementation of class size initiative to enhance state/local
planning,
Building on Successful Reforms in Arkansas: As part of his comprehensive education
reforms while Governor of Arkansas, you reduced class size in Arkansas to 20 in
kindergarten and 23 in grades 1 through 3. Your 1983 education reform plan also
included a statewide intensive training program for elementary teachers and principals to
improve teaching of reading, as well as basic skills testing for new teachers and basic skills
and subject matter testing for experienced teachers.
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May 7, 1998
REMARKS TO THE DELA WARE STATE LEGISLATURE
DATE: May 8,1998
TIME: 12:30 - 2:10 p.m.
LOCATION: Legislative Hall, Senate Chambers
FROM: Mickey Ibarra
Bruce Reed
Fred DuVal
1. PURPOSE
To highlight your administration's education agenda in a speech to a joint session of the
Delaware State Legislature. You will announce the transmission of your class size
legislation, and discuss two Department of Education reports: one that demonstrates
reduced class size leads to improved student achievement, and a second on your policy
for enforcing zero tolerance for guns in school.
II. BACKGROUND
You will announce the transmISSIon of your class-size legislation to Congress. The
initiative will provide $12.4 billion over seven years to ensure that every child receives
personal attention, receives a solid foundation for further learning, and learns to read
independently and well by the end of third grade. The initiative will also reduce class
size in grades 1-3 to a nationwide average of 18 students by providing funds to help local
school districts hire and pay the salaries of an additional 100,000 teachers. States will'
receive funds to boost teacher quality through teacher training, recruitment, and testing,
and new teachers will be required to pass state competency tests.
Additionally, you will announce the findings of a new Education Department report
showing that reducing class size - especially in the early grades - leads to improved
student achievement. According to the report's analysis of research data and trends:
Reducing class size to below 20 students leads to higher student achievement. The
report shows that students in smaller classes would on average move from the
50th percentile to above the 60th percentile and they would outperform their
peers in larger classes. A national analysis of data on 4th graders in 203 school
districts, and 8th graders in 182 school districts shows that lower student/teacher
ratios increases math achievement. In addition, follow-up studies show that
students from smaller classes in Tennessee continued to outperform their peers in
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all academic subjects even after returning to larger classes in the 4th grade.
REMARKS TO THE DELAWARE STATE LEGISLATURE
PAGE TWO
Smaller classes make it easier for teachers to focus more on instruction and less on
discipline. In Burke County, North Carolina's class size reduction effort, the
percentage of classroom time devoted to instruction increased from 80 percent to
86 percent, while the time devoted to discipline and other non-instructional
activities decreased.
A focus on teacher quality and training makes a difference.
Smaller classes will only
boost student achievement if teachers are prepared to teach well in these classes.
A review of more than 100 research studies cautioned that positive effects of
smaller classes were less likely if teachers did not change their instructional
methods and classroom procedures in the smaller classes.
The benefits of smaller classes are clearest through the third grade. The clearest
evidence of positive effects of smaller classes on student performance are in the
primary grades, particularly kindergarten through third grade. Research on class
size reduction efforts in Tennessee, Indiana, Wisconsin, and North Carolina show
clear academic gains for students in smaller classes through the third grade.
You will also be an~ouncing the findings of a new Department of Education report
on the Gun-Free Schools Act. This report indicates that all states have now passed
legislation providing that students who bring firearms to school will be expelled for
at least one year. Although most schools do not report serious crimes to law
enforcement - and less than 1% of students report bringing a gun to school - this
new report shows that more than 6,000 students were disciplined for bringing a
firearm (i.e., handguns, rifles, bombs, etc.) to their schools during the 1996-1997
school year. Most of these cases involved handguns that were brought to high
schools.
Governor Tom Carper (D-DE), who will be introducing you to the State Legislature,
will become the Chair of the National Governors' Association in August, 1998. The
Governor is considered a leader among the governors in welfare reform and has
recently concluded his service on the AMTRAK Board, on which he played a pivotal
role in successful labor negotiations.
You will be the first U.S. President to address the Delaware Legislature. The State
Senate is comprised of 13 Democrats and 8 Republicans. The Delaware State House
consists of 27 RepUblicans and 14 Democrats. Two state legislators said they will
not be attending your speech for political reasons. Governor Carper's office assured
us, however, that this is not a serious issue.
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REMARKS TO" DELAWARE ST ATE LEGISLATURE
PAGE THREE
Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution, the second smallest U.S. state
in area, and fifth smallest in population. The job market has increased rapidly in
Delaware since the 1980's when Governor Pete du Pont (R) liberalized Delaware's
banking laws to encourage out-of-state banks to locate their operations in Delaware.
III. PARTICIPANTS
The President
Governor Tom Carper (D)
Lieutenant Governor Ruth Ann Minner (D)
Senate Pro Tempore Tom Sharp (D)
House Speaker Terry Spence (R)
41 State Representatives
21 State Senators
IV. PRESS PLAN
Open press
V. SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
YOU arrive and are greeted by Senate Pro Tempore Tom Sharp (D) and House
Speaker Terry Spence (R)
YOU proceed to Governor Tom Carper's ceremonial office for photo opportunity
YOU proceed to Senate chamber with Senate Pro Tempore Sharp and House
Speaker Spence
YOU are announced by the Sergeant of Arms onto the Senate Floor and proceed
up to dais
Senate Pro Tempore Sharp delivers remarks and then YOU, House Speaker Terry
Spence and Senate Pro 1:empore Tom Sharp proceed to your seats
Lieutenant Governor Ruth Ann Minner delivers remarks and introduces Governor
Carper
Automated Records Management System
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Governor Carper delivers remarks and introduces YOU
REMARKS TO DELA WARE STATE LEGISLATURE
PAGE FOUR
YOU deliver remarks
YOU depart
VI. REMARKS
To be provided by Speech Writing
VII. ATTACHMENTS
Education in Delaware Fact Sheet
Summary of Class Size Legislation
Biographies of Governor Tom Carper, Lieutenant Governor Ruth Ann Minner, House
Speaker Terry Spence and Senate Pro Tempore Tom Sharp
EMAILS RECEIVED
ARMS - BOX 076 - FOLDER -008
[05/08/1998 - 05/12/1998]
to have someone pick it up.==================== ATTACHMENT 1 ====================
ATT CREATION TIME/DATE: 0 00:00:00.00
TEXT:
Unable to convert ARMS_EXT: [ATTACH.Dl7]MAIL40696472V.l26 to ASCII,
The following is a HEX DUMP:
FF575043AA0600000l0A020l00000002050000009l3500000002000009A53B4FEFE3C7278l3EDC
38C8C53CF805BF57832D83690E24E48E2Dl2F448l5E453CD60425l4CBD360765A57l32B45E3F6E
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BIOGRAPHIES OF LEADING ELECTED OFFICIALS
Hon_ Tom Carper
Governor of Delaware
Born in Beckley, West Virginia, Carper grew up in Danville, Virginia. He attended Ohio State
University, graduating in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in economics. He completed five years
of service as a Naval flight officer, serving in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. In 1973,
following his active military service, Carper moved to Delaware to earn an MBA at the
University of Delaware. He worked in Delaware's economic development office from 1975 to
1976, and then was elected State Treasurer at age 29 -- serving three consecutive terms.
Carper was elected in 1982 to the U.S. House of Rcpresentatives where he served five terms.
Carper was then elected governor in 1992. As Governor, he has focused on job creation;
overhauling both the state's education and welfare systems; strengthening families and reducing
teenage pregnancy; and improving the state's credit rating while lowering taxes and preventing
crime. In July of 1997, Carper was tapped as vice-chair of the National Governors' Association.
When he assumes the NGA chairmanship next year, he will become the first Delaware governor
ever to hold the top post in that organization. He is also the only governor on the nation's
nine-member Amtrak Board of Directors.
Hon. Ruth Ann Minner
Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
In 1974, Ruth Ann became a rising star in the Democratic Party when she was the first woman
elected to the House of Representatives from her Milford district. Rep. Minner spent four
terms on the Bond Bill Committee, mastering the art of responsible capital spending. In 1982,
she was elected to the state Senate where she eventually served three terms.
Lt. Governor Minner was born and raised on a farm and left high school at age 16 to help out.
She married her first husband, Frank Ingram, a year later. Widowed at age 32 when Frank died
of a heart attack, she was suddenly a single parent with no education and three sons to raise.
While working to support her family, she earned her general equivalency degree from Delaware
Technical and Community College and took University of Delaware parallel program courses in
education. She married Roger Minner in 1969 and together they built the family business. Roger
succumbed to cancer in 1992.
She was honored as Mother of the Year in 1993 and Woman of the Year in 1985. In 1995, she
was inducted into the Delaware Women's Hall of Fame. Ruth Ann still lives on a farm near
Milford where she enjoys gardening, fishing and spending time with her family, especially her
seven grandchildren.
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Hon. Terry R. Spence
Speaker of the Delaware House of Representatives
He attended Goldey Beacom College where he received an A.S. and Wilmington College, where
he received a B.S. The Speaker served in the Delaware Air National Guard, is retired from the
DuPont Company and worked for the Brooks Courier.
First elected to the House in 1980, Spence has been the Speaker of the House for nine years,
where he has served on the Administration, Desegregation, Ethics, and Legislative Council
Committees.
Spence and his wife, Nancy, have four children.
Hon. Tom Sharp
Senate Pro Tempore
. Sharp served in the Army National Guard for eight years and worked as a sheet metal apprentice
for four years at tech school.
He has served over 20 years in the Senate, and for all but a few years, was the Senate Majority
Leader. Currently, Sharp works for the Newcastle County Vocational School District as the
Supervisor of Building and Grounds.
He attended Henry C. Conrad High School where he met his wife, Judy; they wed after high
school. Sharp has been married for 38 years and they have three children and two grandchildren
who are twins.
2
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EDUCATION REFORM IN DELAWARE
With bipartisan leadership and strong support from the business community, Delaware has
undertaken a broad array of education reforms quite consistent with your education agenda.
Delaware is moving ahead with efforts to set standards for students, teachers, and schools. The
state is also supporting teachers who seek and gain certification from the National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards, and Governor Carper has proposed an accountability plan
including curbs against social promotion.
Student Academic Standards and Assessments. This week, the state is administering its
first-ever statewide assessment of how students are doing according to Delaware's new academic
standards, with testing in math and language arts (reading, and writing) for grades three, five,
eight, and ten. Next year, similar tests will be given in science and social studies. There was
extremely broad public involvement in the development of these standards, with State Board
approval in 1995 coming after a three-year process of development and public review led by
commissions representing school districts, business and institutions of higher education.
According to Delaware, the standards 'promote methods that require students to participate in
learning activities that are relevant to them and that address real-world problems and
issues ... rather than encourage instructional methods that allow students to passively receive
information from the teacher.' The assessments include multiple choice, as well as questions
involving short answers and essays. Delaware's standards were rated favorably by the
American Federation of Teachers and the Council for Basic Education and received mixed
reviews from Fordham Foundation (Checker Finn's group). Each of these groups has rated
standards from states across the nation.
Teacher And Administrator Standards and Assessments. In January 1998, the State Board
of Education approved standards for what Delaware teachers and administrators ought to know
and be able to do in their subject area and related to student learning styles, instructional .
pra~tices, and assessment strategies. Delaware is considering the use of these standards as a
basis for teacher certification, performance appraisal, and possibly even recertification.
All Delaware teachers are currently required to take and pass a basic teacher competency test by
the end of their first year of teaching, and Governor Carper has proposed requiring teachers to
pass this test before getting a license to begin teaching. Carper is also proposing that Delaware
develop higher-level performance-based assessments for teachers that could become the basis for
gaining licensure and certification.
Meanwhile, the state is helping teachers gain certification from the National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards, with ten Delaware teachers already board-certified. The
legislature appropriated funds to cover the assessment fees for another 15 teachers seeking Board
certification, and Delaware teachers who gain board certification will receive an additional $1500
Hex-Dump Conversion
in pay per year.
Ending Social Promotion and Accountability. Governor Carper has proposed to the
legislature a plan for greater accountability for Delaware students and schools. The plan would
curb social promotion, requiring children to read at or near grade level before leaving third and
fifth grades, and perform at or near grade level in both reading and math before leaving the 8th
grade. The plan would also take actions to turn around consistently low-performing schools and
school districts, including accreditation and cash bonuscs for schools that show real
improvements over two years and calling for school district interventions in lower-performing
schools.
The legislature is currently considering the plan and it is supported by the PTA, the business
community, and the NAACP. But many of the state's education organizations -- including the
state organizations representing superintendents, local school boards, and teachers -- have offered
alternative accountability plans and are negotiating changes in the Governor's plan. While these
groups are not opposing the concepts of social promotion and accountability, they have concerns
about certain details. For example, the Delaware superintendents' association is wary of any
state involvement at all in school accountability, and the Delaware education association is
working to include measures for school performance beyond just student test scores. The
Governor's office is hopeful that agreement can be reached on most of these issues.
Reducing Class Size. Carper is negotiating with legislative leaders over a plan to reduce class
size from kindergarten through the third grade. Carper's $7.5 million plan would cap class size
in these grades to 22, and Senator Thomas Sharp, President Pro Tern of the Delaware Senate, is
pushing for additional funding to reduce class size even further. There seems to be extremely
broad support in the Delaware legislature for these efforts to reduce. class size in the early grades.
Educational Technology. Delaware has been moving forward with efforts on educational
technology and next year plans to become the first state in the nation to wire every public school
classroom with fiber optic cable. With strong support from the private sector, Delaware is also
providing technology training for teachers and high-quality software.
Charter Schools, Public School Choice, and School Report Cards. Bipartisan support for
public school choice and charter schools have produced laws and authorization for charter
schools, intra-district, and inter-district public school choice in the state. 9,000 (out.of 110,000)
students are in public schools chosen by them and their families. Six charter schools have
opened in the state including the state's first charter school --the Charter School of Wilmington.
Visited by Mrs. Clinton in 1996, this school was opened with very active support from the
corporate community and focuses on math, science, and technology. The student population
mirrors the diversity of the state, and the school had the highest writing scores in the state in
1997. The State Department of Education also publishes "consumer guides" to every public
school in the state, including test scores, student-teacher ratios, drop-out rates, and other data.
2
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SUMMARY OF CLASS SIZE LEGISLATION
To master the basics and learn to read well, students need teachers who are prepared to teach
well in smaller classes. Your class size reduction initiative will help do this in grades 1-3 by:
Requiring State Teacher Competency Testing for New Teachers: States would be
required to implement competency testing for new teachers. Each state would
select the tests it determines is most appropriate for this purpose. Most states
have such tests. Participating school districts would be required to hire teachers
who are fully certified or working towards full certification. School districts could
use funds to provide teachers with the additional training needed to meet
certification requirements.
Providing Funds for Teacher Training and Testing: At least 10 of the funds in this
initiative would be used to promote high quality teaching by (1) training teachers
in proven practices for teaching reading and in effective practices in small classes;
(2) providing mentors or other support for newly hired teachers; (3) providing
incentives to recruit qualified teachers to high poverty schools; and (4) testing new
teachers before they are hired and developing rigorous tests for beginning
teachers.
Encouraging States to Adopt Rigorous Professional Tests and Upgrade Teacher
Certification Requirements: Teachers should be able to demonstrate that they
know the subject to be taught and have the necessary knowledge and skills to help
their students reach challenging state academic standards. States would be
encouraged to use a portion of their funds to toughen teacher certification
requirements and to require new teachers to demonstrate competence. For
example, states could use these funds to develop rigorous tests of subject matter
expertise and professional knowledge that prospective teachers would be required
to pass before they start teaching.
Holding Schools Accountable for Results --Helping Every Child to Read Well and
Independently By the End of the Third Grade: School districts receiving these
funds would be required to show that each school is making measurable progress
in improving reading achievement within 3 years, or take necessary corrective
actions --such as providing additional teacher training, revising the curriculum, or
implementing proven practices for teaching reading. School districts could lose
funding if there is no subsequent improvement in reading achievement in those
schools. School districts would also be required to publish an annual school
report card with clear information on student achievement, class size, and teacher
qualifications.
Hex-Dump Conversion
Targeting Funding to Areas of Greatest Need: The Administration's initiative
would distribute funds to states on the basis of the Title 1 formula. Within the
state, each high-poverty school district would receive the same share of these funds
as it received under Title 1, and the remaining funds would be distributed within
the state based on class size. Matching funds would be required from
participating school districts, on a sliding scale ranging from 0-50, with
high-poverty districts contributing the least. Once a state has reached an average
class size of 18 in grades 1-3, it could use these funds to further reduce class size
in the early grades, or it could extend its efforts to other grades.
Providing Facilities for Additional Classrooms: In order to help school systems
meet the need for additional classroom space, you are (1) proposing a $10 billion
school modernization initiative over 10 years, that will provide incentives for
communities to invest in local school facilities by leveraging $22 billion in bonds
during 1999-2000; (2) ensuring that changes to facilities in order to accommodate
class size reductions is an allowable use of school modernization funds; (3)
allowing for phased-in implementation of class size initiative to enhance state/local
planning,
Building on Successful Reforms in Arkansas: As part of his comprehensive education
reforms while Governor of Arkansas, you reduced class size in Arkansas to 20 in
kindergarten and 23 in grades 1 through 3. Your 1983 education reform plan also
included a statewide intensive training program for elementary teachers and principals to
improve teaching of reading, as well as basic skills testing for new teachers and basic skills
and subject matter testing for experienced teachers.
Hex-Dump Conversion
May 7, 1998
REMARKS TO THE DELA WARE STATE LEGISLATURE
DATE: May 8,1998
TIME: 12:30 - 2:10 p.m.
LOCATION: Legislative Hall, Senate Chambers
FROM: Mickey Ibarra
Bruce Reed
Fred DuVal
1. PURPOSE
To highlight your administration's education agenda in a speech to a joint session of the
Delaware State Legislature. You will announce the transmission of your class size
legislation, and discuss two Department of Education reports: one that demonstrates
reduced class size leads to improved student achievement, and a second on your policy
for enforcing zero tolerance for guns in school.
II. BACKGROUND
You will announce the transmISSIon of your class-size legislation to Congress. The
initiative will provide $12.4 billion over seven years to ensure that every child receives
personal attention, receives a solid foundation for further learning, and learns to read
independently and well by the end of third grade. The initiative will also reduce class
size in grades 1-3 to a nationwide average of 18 students by providing funds to help local
school districts hire and pay the salaries of an additional 100,000 teachers. States will'
receive funds to boost teacher quality through teacher training, recruitment, and testing,
and new teachers will be required to pass state competency tests.
Additionally, you will announce the findings of a new Education Department report
showing that reducing class size - especially in the early grades - leads to improved
student achievement. According to the report's analysis of research data and trends:
Reducing class size to below 20 students leads to higher student achievement. The
report shows that students in smaller classes would on average move from the
50th percentile to above the 60th percentile and they would outperform their
peers in larger classes. A national analysis of data on 4th graders in 203 school
districts, and 8th graders in 182 school districts shows that lower student/teacher
ratios increases math achievement. In addition, follow-up studies show that
students from smaller classes in Tennessee continued to outperform their peers in
Hex-Dump Conversion
all academic subjects even after returning to larger classes in the 4th grade.
REMARKS TO THE DELAWARE STATE LEGISLATURE
PAGE TWO
Smaller classes make it easier for teachers to focus more on instruction and less on
discipline. In Burke County, North Carolina's class size reduction effort, the
percentage of classroom time devoted to instruction increased from 80 percent to
86 percent, while the time devoted to discipline and other non-instructional
activities decreased.
A focus on teacher quality and training makes a difference.
Smaller classes will only
boost student achievement if teachers are prepared to teach well in these classes.
A review of more than 100 research studies cautioned that positive effects of
smaller classes were less likely if teachers did not change their instructional
methods and classroom procedures in the smaller classes.
The benefits of smaller classes are clearest through the third grade. The clearest
evidence of positive effects of smaller classes on student performance are in the
primary grades, particularly kindergarten through third grade. Research on class
size reduction efforts in Tennessee, Indiana, Wisconsin, and North Carolina show
clear academic gains for students in smaller classes through the third grade.
You will also be an~ouncing the findings of a new Department of Education report
on the Gun-Free Schools Act. This report indicates that all states have now passed
legislation providing that students who bring firearms to school will be expelled for
at least one year. Although most schools do not report serious crimes to law
enforcement - and less than 1% of students report bringing a gun to school - this
new report shows that more than 6,000 students were disciplined for bringing a
firearm (i.e., handguns, rifles, bombs, etc.) to their schools during the 1996-1997
school year. Most of these cases involved handguns that were brought to high
schools.
Governor Tom Carper (D-DE), who will be introducing you to the State Legislature,
will become the Chair of the National Governors' Association in August, 1998. The
Governor is considered a leader among the governors in welfare reform and has
recently concluded his service on the AMTRAK Board, on which he played a pivotal
role in successful labor negotiations.
You will be the first U.S. President to address the Delaware Legislature. The State
Senate is comprised of 13 Democrats and 8 Republicans. The Delaware State House
consists of 27 RepUblicans and 14 Democrats. Two state legislators said they will
not be attending your speech for political reasons. Governor Carper's office assured
us, however, that this is not a serious issue.
Hex-Dump Conversion
REMARKS TO" DELAWARE ST ATE LEGISLATURE
PAGE THREE
Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution, the second smallest U.S. state
in area, and fifth smallest in population. The job market has increased rapidly in
Delaware since the 1980's when Governor Pete du Pont (R) liberalized Delaware's
banking laws to encourage out-of-state banks to locate their operations in Delaware.
III. PARTICIPANTS
The President
Governor Tom Carper (D)
Lieutenant Governor Ruth Ann Minner (D)
Senate Pro Tempore Tom Sharp (D)
House Speaker Terry Spence (R)
41 State Representatives
21 State Senators
IV. PRESS PLAN
Open press
V. SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
YOU arrive and are greeted by Senate Pro Tempore Tom Sharp (D) and House
Speaker Terry Spence (R)
YOU proceed to Governor Tom Carper's ceremonial office for photo opportunity
YOU proceed to Senate chamber with Senate Pro Tempore Sharp and House
Speaker Spence
YOU are announced by the Sergeant of Arms onto the Senate Floor and proceed
up to dais
Senate Pro Tempore Sharp delivers remarks and then YOU, House Speaker Terry
Spence and Senate Pro 1:empore Tom Sharp proceed to your seats
Lieutenant Governor Ruth Ann Minner delivers remarks and introduces Governor
Carper
Automated Records Management System
Hex-DiJmp Conversion
Governor Carper delivers remarks and introduces YOU
REMARKS TO DELA WARE STATE LEGISLATURE
PAGE FOUR
YOU deliver remarks
YOU depart
VI. REMARKS
To be provided by Speech Writing
VII. ATTACHMENTS
Education in Delaware Fact Sheet
Summary of Class Size Legislation
Biographies of Governor Tom Carper, Lieutenant Governor Ruth Ann Minner, House
Speaker Terry Spence and Senate Pro Tempore Tom Sharp
EMAILS RECEIVED
ARMS - BOX 076 - FOLDER -008
[05/08/1998 - 05/12/1998]
Here is the final Delaware Legislature POTUS briefing memo w/attachments
as submitted to Staff Secretary last night:
Bruce and Elena -- I hope you received the hard copies I put on Laura and
cathy's chairs. Mike -- your copy of POTUS' briefing book (including this
paper) is in the box outside of the Staff Secretary's office if you want
to have someone pick it up.Unable to convert ARMS_EXT: [ATTACH.D171 MAIL40696472V. 126 to ASCII,
The following is a HEX DUMP:
FF575043AA060000010A02010000000205000000913500000002000009A53B4FEFE3C727813EDC
38C8C53CF805BF57832D83690E24E48E2D12F44815E453CD6042514CBD360765A57132B45E3F6E
E7BBE7B45B4C2CAOB3El175764FCDC6CD912C50F4EA668F58CB07FODAAA9F410D3FC06875B42DE
209748262CAC4237F9301B42101CED5F06A998A5CE5BED95AA5BOBA669FA8C00194E2DF7223B77
41F66D241C9DE71468F9D2FDCIEBC5046F91BAF41C1989C7FC26142B3133791EFE87571CIA0234
2572500F6265740D046D1986AC9766C313AAE7FEDCEBCD6BIIA4E81CF23E6EE78A26825415F8DO
Hex-Dump Conversion
May 7,1998
REMARKS TO THE DELAWARE STATE LEGISLATURE
DATE: May 8,1998
TIME: 12:30 - 2:10 p.m.
LOCATION: Legislative Hall, Senate Chambers
FROM: Mickey Ibarra
Bruce Reed
Fred DuVal
I. PURPOSE
.'
To highlight your administration's education agenda in a speech to a joint session of the
Delaware State Legislature. You will announce the transmission of your class size
legislation, and discuss two Department of Education reports: one that demonstrates
reduced class size leads to improved student achievement, and a second on your policy
for enforcing zero tolerance for guns in school.
II. BACKGROUND
You will announce the transmiSSIOn of your class-size legislation to Congress. The
initiative will provide $12.4 billion over seven years to ensure that every child receives
personal attention, receives a solid foundation for further learning, and learns to read
independently and well by the end of third grade. The initiative will also reduce class
size in grades 1-3 to a nationwide average of 18 students by providing funds to help local
school districts hire and pay the salaries of an additional 100,000 teachers. States will
receive funds to boost teacher quality through teacher training, recruitment, and testing,
and new teachers will be required to pass state competency tests.
Additionally, you will announce the findings of a new Education Department report
showing that reducing class size - especially in the early grades - leads to improved
student achievement. According to the report's analysis of research data and trends:
Reducing dass size to below 20 students leads to higher student achievement. The
report shows that students in smaller classes would on average move from the
50th percentile to above the 60th percentile and they would outperform their
peers in larger classes. A national analysis of data on 4th graders in 203 school
districts, and 8th graders in 182 school districts shows that lower student/teacher
ratios increases math achievement. In addition, follow-up studies show that
students .from smaller classes in Tennessee continued to outperform their peers in
Hex-Oump Conversion
all academic subjects even after returning to larger classes in the 4th grade.
REMARKS TO THE DELAWARE STATE LEGISLATURE
PAGE TWO
Smaller classes make it easier for teachers to focus more on instruction and less on
discipline. In Burke County, North Carolina's class size reduction effort, the
percentage of classroom time devoted to instruction increased from 80 percent to
86 percent, while the time devoted to discipline and other non-instructional
activities decreased.
A focus on teacher quality and training makes a difference.
Smaller classes will only
boost student achievement if teachers are prepared to teach well in these classes.
A review of more than 100 research studies cautioned that positive effects of
smaller classes were less likely if teachers did not change their instructional
methods and classroom procedures in the smaller classes.
The benefits of smaller classes are clearest through the third grade. The clearest
evidence of positive effects of smaller classes on student performance are in the
primary grades, particularly kindergarten through third grade. Research on class
size reduction efforts in Tennessee, Indiana, Wisconsin, and North Carolina show
clear academic gains for students in smaller classes through the third grade.
You will also be announcing the findings of a new Department of Education report
on the Gun-Free Schools Act. This report indicates that all states have now passed
legislation providing that students who bring firearms to school will be expelled for
at least one year. Although most schools do not report serious crimes to law
enforcement - and less than 1% of students report bringing a gun to school - this
new report shows that more than 6,000 students were disciplined for bringing a
firearm (i.e., handguns, rifles, bombs, etc.) to their schools during the 1996-1997
school year. Most of these cases involved handguns that were brought to high
schools.
Governor Tom Carper (D-DE), who will be introducing you to the State Legislature,
will become the Chair of the National Governors' Association in August, 1998. The
Governor is considered a leader among the governors in welfare reform and has
recently concluded his service on the AMTRAK Board, on which he played a pivotal
role in successful labor negotiations. .
You will be the first U.S. President to address the Delaware Legislature. The State
Senate is comprised of 13 Democrats and 8 Republicans. The Delaware State House
consists of 27 Republicans and 14 Democrats. Two state legislators said they will
not be attending your speech for political reasons. Governor Carper's office assured
us, however, that this is not a serious issue.
HexDump Conversion
REMARKS TO DELAWARE STATE"LEGISLATURE
PAGE THREE
Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution, the second smallest U.S. state
in area, and fifth smallest in population. The job market has increased rapidly in
Delaware since the 1980's when Governor Pete du Pont (R) liberalized Delaware's
banking laws to encourage out-of-state banks to locate their operations in Delaware.
III. PARTICIPANT.S
The President
Governor Tom Carper (D)
Lieutenant Governor Ruth Ann Minner (D)
Senate Pro Tempore Tom Sharp (D)
House Speaker Terry Spence (R)
41 State Representatives
21 State Senators
IV. PRESS PLAN
Open press
V. SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
YOU arrive and are greeted by Senate Pro Tempore Tom Sharp (D) and House
Speaker Terry Spence (R)
YOU proceed to Governor Tom Carper's ceremonial office for photo opportunity
YOU proceed to Senate chamber with Senate Pro" Tempore Sharp and House
Speaker Spence
YOU are announced by the Sergeant of Arms onto the Senate Floor and proceed
up to dais
Senate Pro Tempore Sharp delivers remarks and then YOU, House Speaker Terry
Spence and Senate Pro Tempore Tom Sharp proceed to your seats
Lieutenant Governor Ruth Ann Minner delivers remarks and introduces Governor
Carper
Hex-Dump Conversion
Governor Carper delivers remarks and introduces YOU
REMARKS TO DELAWARE STATE LEGISLATURE
PAGE FOUR
YOU deliver remarks
YOU depart
VI. REMARKS
To be provided by Speech Writing
VII. AITACHMENTS
Education in Delaware Fact Sheet
Summary of Class Size Legislation
Biographies of Governor Tom Carper, Lieutenant Governor Ruth Ann Minner, House
Speaker Terry Spence and Senate Pro Tempore Tom Sharp
HexDump Conversion
SUMMAR Y OF CLASS SIZE LEGISLATION
To master the basics and learn to read well, students need teachers who are prepared to teach
well in smaller classes. Your class size reduction initiative will help do this in grades 13 by:
Requiring State Teacher Competency Testing for New Teachers: States would be
required to implement competency testing for new teachers. Each state would
select the tests it determines is most appropriate for this purpose. Most states
have such tests. Participating school districts would be required to hire teachers
who are fully certified or working towards full certification. School districts could
use funds to provide teachers with the additional training needed to meet
certification requirements.
Providing Funds for Teacher Training and Testing: At least 10 of the funds in this
initiative would be used to promote high quality teaching by (1) training teachers
in proven practices for teaching reading and in effective practices in small classes;
(2) providing mentors or other support for newly hired teachers; (3) providing
incentives to recruit qualified teachers to high poverty schools; and (4) testing new
teachers pefore they are hired and developing rigorous tests for beginning
teachers.
Encouraging States to Adopt Rigorous Professional Tests and Upgrade Teacher
Certification Requirements: Teachers should be able to demonstrate that they
know the subject to be taught and have the necessary knowledge and skills to help
their students reach challenging state academic standards. States would be
encouraged to use a portion of their funds to toughen teacher certification
requirements and to require new teachers to demonstrate competence. For
example, states could use these funds to develop rigorous tests of subject matter
expertise and professional knowledge that prospective teachers would be required
to pass before they start teaching.
Holding Schools Accountable for Results --Helping Every Child to Read Well and
Independendy By the End of the Third Grade: School districts receiving these
funds would be required to show that each school is making measurable progress
in improving reading achievement within 3 years, or take necessary corrective
actions --such as providing additional teacher training, revising the curriculum, or
implementing proven practices for teaching reading. School districts could lose
funding if there is no subsequent improvement in reading achievement in those
schools. School districts would also be required to publish an annual school
report card with clear information on student achievement, class size, and teacher
qualifications.
Hex-Dump Conversion
Targeting Funding to Areas of Greatest Need: The Administration's initiative
would distribute funds to states on the basis of the Title 1 formula. Within the
state, each high-poverty school district would receive the same share of these funds
as it received under Title 1, and the remaining funds would be distributed within
the state based on class size. Matching funds would be required from
participating school districts, on a sliding scale ranging from 0-50 , with
high-poverty districts contributing the least. Once a state has reached an average
class size of 18 in grades 1-3, it could use these funds to further reduce class size
in the early grades, or it could extend its efforts to other grades.
Providing Facilities for Additional Classrooms: In order to help school systems
meet the need for additional classroom space, you are (1) proposing a $10 billion
school modernization initiative over 10 years, that will provide incentives for
communities to invest in local. school facilities by leveraging $22 billion in bonds
during 1999-2000; (2) ensuring that changes to facilities in order to accommodate
class size reductions is an allowable use of school modernization funds; (3)
allowing for phased-in implementation of class size initiative to enhance state/local
planning.
Building on Successful Reforms in Arkansas: As part of his comprehensive education
reforms while Governor of Arkansas, you reduced class size in Arkansas to 20 in
kindergarten and 23 in grades 1 through 3. Your 1983 education reform plan also
included a statewide intensive training program for elementary teachers and principals to
improve teaching of reading, as well as basic skills testing for new teachers and basic skills
and subject matter testing for experienced teachers.
Hex-Dump Conversion
EDUCATION REFORM IN DELAWARE
With bipartisan leadership and strong support from the business community, Delaware has
undertaken a broad array of education reforms quite consistent with your education agenda.
Delaware is moving ahead with efforts to set standards for students, teachers, and schools. The
state is also supporting teachers who seek and gain certification from the National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards, and Governor Carper has proposed an accountability plan
including curbs against social promotion.
Student Academic Standards and Assessments. This week, the state is administering its
first-ever statewide assessment of how students are doing according to Delaware's new academic
standards, with testing in math and language arts (reading, and writing) for grades three, five,
eight, and ten. Next year, similar tests will be given in science and social studies. There was
extremely broad public involvement in the development of these standards, with State Board
approval in 1995 coming after a three-year process of development and public review led by
commissions representing school districts, business and institutions of higher education.
According to Delaware, the standards 'promote methods that require students to participate in
learning activities that are relevant to them and that address real-world problems and
issues ... rather than encourage instructional methods that allow students to passively receive
information from the teacher.'. The assessments include multiple choice, as well as questions
involving short answers and essays. Delaware's standards were rated favorably by the
American Federation of Teachers and the Council for Basic Education and received mixed
reviews from Fordham Foundation (Checker Finn's group). Each of these groups has rated
standards from states across the nation.
Teacher And Administrator Standards and Assessments. In January 1998, the State Board
of Education approved standards for what Delaware teachers and administrators ought to know
and be able to do in their subject area and related to student learning styles, instructional
practices, and assessment strategies. Delaware is considering the use of these standards as a
basis for teacher certification, performance appraisal, and possibly even recertification.
All Delaware teachers are currently required to take and pass a basic teacher competency test by
the end of their first year of teachirig, and Governor Carper has proposed requiring teachers to
pass this test before getting a license to begin teaching. Carper is also proposing that Delaware
develop higher-level performance-based assessments for teachers that could become the basis for
gaining licensure and certification.
Meanwhile, the state is helping teachers gain certification from the National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards, with ten Delaware teachers already board-certified. The
legislature appropriated funds to cover the assessment fees for another 15 teachers seeking Board
certification, and Delaware teachers who gain board certification will receive an additional $1500
1
Hex-Dump Conversion
in pay per year.
Ending Social Promotion and Accountability. Governor Carper has proposed to the
legislature a plan for greater accountability for Delaware students and schools. The plan would
curb social promotion, requiring children to read at or near grade level before leaving third and
fifth grades, and perform at or near grade level in both reading and math before leaving the 8th
grade. The plan would also take actions to tum around consistently low-performing schools and
school districts, including accreditation and cash bonuses for schools that show real
improvements over two years and calling for school district interventions in lower-performing
schools.
The legislature is currently considering the plan and it is supported by the PTA, the business
community, and the NAACP. But many ofthe state's education organizations -- including the
state organizations representing superintendents, local school boards, and teachers -- have offered
alternative accountability plans and are negotiating changes in the Governor's plan. While these
groups are not opposing the concepts of social promotion and accountability, they have concerns
about certain details. For example, the Delaware superintendents' association is wary of any
state involvement at all in school accountability, and the Delaware education association is
working to include measures for school performance beyond just student test scores. The
Governor's office is hopeful that agreement can be reached on most of these issues.
Reducing Class Size. Carper is negotiating with legislative leaders over a plan to reduce class
size from kindergarten through the third grade. Carper's $7.5 million plan would cap class size
in these grades to 22, and Senator Thomas Sharp, President Pro Tern of the Delaware Senate, is
pushing for additional funding to reduce class size even further. There seems to be extremely
broad support in the Delaware legislature for these efforts to reduce class size in the early grades.
Educational Technology. Delaware has been moving forward with efforts on educational
technology and next year plans to become the first state in the nation to wire every public school
classroom with fiber optic cable. With strong support from the private sector, Delaware is also
providing technology training for teachers and high-quality software.
Charter Schools, Public School Choice, and School Report Cards. Bipartisan support for
public school choice and charter schools have produced laws and authorization for charter
schools, intra-district, and inter-district public school choice in the state. 9,000 (out of 110,000)
students are in public schools chosen by them and their families. Six charter schools have
opened in the state including the state's first charter school -- the Charter School of Wilmington.
Visited by Mrs. Clinton in 1996, this school was opened with very active support from the
corporate community and focuses on math, science, and technology. The student population
mirrors the diversity of the state, and the school had the highest writing scores in the state in
1997. The State Department of Education also publishes "consumer guides" to every public
school in the state, including test scores, student-teacher ratios, drop-out rates, and other data.
2
Hex-Dump Conversion
BIOGRAPHIES OF LEADING ELECTED OFFICIALS
Hon. Tom Carper
Governor of Delaware
Born in Beckley, West Virginia, Carper grew up in Danville, Virginia. He attended Ohio State
University, graduating in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in economics .. He completed five years
of service as a Naval flight officer, serving in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. In 1973,
following his active military service, Carper moved to Delaware to earn an MBA at the
University of Delaware. He worked in Delaware's economic development office from 1975 to
1976, and then was elected State Treasurer at age 29-- serving three consecutive terms.
Carper was elected in 1982 to the U.S. House of Representatives where he served five terms.
Carper was then elected governor in 1992. As Governor, he has focused on job creation;
overhauling both the state's education and welfare systems; strengthening families and reducing
teenage pregnancy; and improving the state's credit rating while lowering taxes and preventing
crime. In July of 1997, Carper was tapped as vice-chair of the National Governors' Association.
When he assumes the NGA chairmanship next year, he will become the first Delaware governor
ever to hold the top post in that organization. He is also the only governor on the nation's
nine-member Amtrak Board of Directors.
Hon. Ruth Ann Minner
Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
In 1974, Ruth Ann became a rising star in the Democratic Party when she was the first woman
elected to the House of Representatives from her Milford district. Rep. Minner spent four
terms on the Bond Bill Committee, mastering the art of responsible capital spending. In 1982,
she was elected to the state Senate where she eventually served three terms.
Lt. Governor Minner was born and raised on a farm and left high school at age 16 to help out.
She married her first husband, Frank Ingram, a year later. Widowed at age 32 when Frank died
of a heart attack, she was suddenly a single parent with no education and three sons to raise.
While working to support her family, she earned her general equivalency degree from Delaware
Technical and Community College and took University of Delaware parallel program courses in
education. She married Roger Minner in 1969 and together they built the family business. Roger
succumbed to cancer in 1992.
She was honored as Mother of the Year in 1993 and Woman ofthe Year in 1985. In 1995, she
was inducted into the Delaware Women's Hall of Fame. Ruth Ann still lives on a farm near
Milford where she enjoys gardening, fishing and spending time with her family, especially her
seven grandchildren.
1
Hex-Dump Conversion
Hon. Terry R. Spence
Speaker of the Delaware House of Representatives
He attended Goldey Beacom College where he received an A.S. and Wilmington College, where
he received a B.S. The Speaker served in the Delaware Air National Guard, is retired from the
DuPont Company and worked for the Brooks Courier.
First elected to the House in 1980, Spence has been the Speaker of the House for nine years,
where he has served on the Administration, Desegregation, Ethics, and Legislative Council
Committees.
Spence and his wife, Nancy, have four children.
Hon. Tom Sharp
Senate Pro Tempore
Sharp served in the Army National Guard for eight years and worked as a sheet metal apprentice
for four years at tech school.
He has served over 20 years in the Senate, and for all but a few years, was the Senate Majority
Leader. Currently, Sharp works for the Newcastle County Vocational School District as the
Supervisor of Building and Grounds.
He attended Henry C. Conrad High School where he met his wife, Judy; they wed' after high
school. Sharp has been married for 38 years and they have three children and two grandchildren
who are twins. .
2
to have someone pick it up.;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ATTACHMENT 1 ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
ATT CREATION TIME/DATE: 0 00:00:00.00
TEXT:
Unable to convert ARMS_EXT: [ATTACH.D171 MAIL40696472V. 126 to ASCII,
The following is a HEX DUMP:
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2572500F6265740D046D1986AC9766C313AAE7FEDCEBCD6BIIA4E81CF23E6EE78A26825415F8DO
Hex-Dump Conversion
May 7,1998
REMARKS TO THE DELAWARE STATE LEGISLATURE
DATE: May 8,1998
TIME: 12:30 - 2:10 p.m.
LOCATION: Legislative Hall, Senate Chambers
FROM: Mickey Ibarra
Bruce Reed
Fred DuVal
I. PURPOSE
.'
To highlight your administration's education agenda in a speech to a joint session of the
Delaware State Legislature. You will announce the transmission of your class size
legislation, and discuss two Department of Education reports: one that demonstrates
reduced class size leads to improved student achievement, and a second on your policy
for enforcing zero tolerance for guns in school.
II. BACKGROUND
You will announce the transmiSSIOn of your class-size legislation to Congress. The
initiative will provide $12.4 billion over seven years to ensure that every child receives
personal attention, receives a solid foundation for further learning, and learns to read
independently and well by the end of third grade. The initiative will also reduce class
size in grades 1-3 to a nationwide average of 18 students by providing funds to help local
school districts hire and pay the salaries of an additional 100,000 teachers. States will
receive funds to boost teacher quality through teacher training, recruitment, and testing,
and new teachers will be required to pass state competency tests.
Additionally, you will announce the findings of a new Education Department report
showing that reducing class size - especially in the early grades - leads to improved
student achievement. According to the report's analysis of research data and trends:
Reducing dass size to below 20 students leads to higher student achievement. The
report shows that students in smaller classes would on average move from the
50th percentile to above the 60th percentile and they would outperform their
peers in larger classes. A national analysis of data on 4th graders in 203 school
districts, and 8th graders in 182 school districts shows that lower student/teacher
ratios increases math achievement. In addition, follow-up studies show that
students .from smaller classes in Tennessee continued to outperform their peers in
Hex-Oump Conversion
all academic subjects even after returning to larger classes in the 4th grade.
REMARKS TO THE DELAWARE STATE LEGISLATURE
PAGE TWO
Smaller classes make it easier for teachers to focus more on instruction and less on
discipline. In Burke County, North Carolina's class size reduction effort, the
percentage of classroom time devoted to instruction increased from 80 percent to
86 percent, while the time devoted to discipline and other non-instructional
activities decreased.
A focus on teacher quality and training makes a difference.
Smaller classes will only
boost student achievement if teachers are prepared to teach well in these classes.
A review of more than 100 research studies cautioned that positive effects of
smaller classes were less likely if teachers did not change their instructional
methods and classroom procedures in the smaller classes.
The benefits of smaller classes are clearest through the third grade. The clearest
evidence of positive effects of smaller classes on student performance are in the
primary grades, particularly kindergarten through third grade. Research on class
size reduction efforts in Tennessee, Indiana, Wisconsin, and North Carolina show
clear academic gains for students in smaller classes through the third grade.
You will also be announcing the findings of a new Department of Education report
on the Gun-Free Schools Act. This report indicates that all states have now passed
legislation providing that students who bring firearms to school will be expelled for
at least one year. Although most schools do not report serious crimes to law
enforcement - and less than 1% of students report bringing a gun to school - this
new report shows that more than 6,000 students were disciplined for bringing a
firearm (i.e., handguns, rifles, bombs, etc.) to their schools during the 1996-1997
school year. Most of these cases involved handguns that were brought to high
schools.
Governor Tom Carper (D-DE), who will be introducing you to the State Legislature,
will become the Chair of the National Governors' Association in August, 1998. The
Governor is considered a leader among the governors in welfare reform and has
recently concluded his service on the AMTRAK Board, on which he played a pivotal
role in successful labor negotiations. .
You will be the first U.S. President to address the Delaware Legislature. The State
Senate is comprised of 13 Democrats and 8 Republicans. The Delaware State House
consists of 27 Republicans and 14 Democrats. Two state legislators said they will
not be attending your speech for political reasons. Governor Carper's office assured
us, however, that this is not a serious issue.
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REMARKS TO DELAWARE STATE"LEGISLATURE
PAGE THREE
Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution, the second smallest U.S. state
in area, and fifth smallest in population. The job market has increased rapidly in
Delaware since the 1980's when Governor Pete du Pont (R) liberalized Delaware's
banking laws to encourage out-of-state banks to locate their operations in Delaware.
III. PARTICIPANT.S
The President
Governor Tom Carper (D)
Lieutenant Governor Ruth Ann Minner (D)
Senate Pro Tempore Tom Sharp (D)
House Speaker Terry Spence (R)
41 State Representatives
21 State Senators
IV. PRESS PLAN
Open press
V. SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
YOU arrive and are greeted by Senate Pro Tempore Tom Sharp (D) and House
Speaker Terry Spence (R)
YOU proceed to Governor Tom Carper's ceremonial office for photo opportunity
YOU proceed to Senate chamber with Senate Pro" Tempore Sharp and House
Speaker Spence
YOU are announced by the Sergeant of Arms onto the Senate Floor and proceed
up to dais
Senate Pro Tempore Sharp delivers remarks and then YOU, House Speaker Terry
Spence and Senate Pro Tempore Tom Sharp proceed to your seats
Lieutenant Governor Ruth Ann Minner delivers remarks and introduces Governor
Carper
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Governor Carper delivers remarks and introduces YOU
REMARKS TO DELAWARE STATE LEGISLATURE
PAGE FOUR
YOU deliver remarks
YOU depart
VI. REMARKS
To be provided by Speech Writing
VII. AITACHMENTS
Education in Delaware Fact Sheet
Summary of Class Size Legislation
Biographies of Governor Tom Carper, Lieutenant Governor Ruth Ann Minner, House
Speaker Terry Spence and Senate Pro Tempore Tom Sharp
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SUMMAR Y OF CLASS SIZE LEGISLATION
To master the basics and learn to read well, students need teachers who are prepared to teach
well in smaller classes. Your class size reduction initiative will help do this in grades 13 by:
Requiring State Teacher Competency Testing for New Teachers: States would be
required to implement competency testing for new teachers. Each state would
select the tests it determines is most appropriate for this purpose. Most states
have such tests. Participating school districts would be required to hire teachers
who are fully certified or working towards full certification. School districts could
use funds to provide teachers with the additional training needed to meet
certification requirements.
Providing Funds for Teacher Training and Testing: At least 10 of the funds in this
initiative would be used to promote high quality teaching by (1) training teachers
in proven practices for teaching reading and in effective practices in small classes;
(2) providing mentors or other support for newly hired teachers; (3) providing
incentives to recruit qualified teachers to high poverty schools; and (4) testing new
teachers pefore they are hired and developing rigorous tests for beginning
teachers.
Encouraging States to Adopt Rigorous Professional Tests and Upgrade Teacher
Certification Requirements: Teachers should be able to demonstrate that they
know the subject to be taught and have the necessary knowledge and skills to help
their students reach challenging state academic standards. States would be
encouraged to use a portion of their funds to toughen teacher certification
requirements and to require new teachers to demonstrate competence. For
example, states could use these funds to develop rigorous tests of subject matter
expertise and professional knowledge that prospective teachers would be required
to pass before they start teaching.
Holding Schools Accountable for Results --Helping Every Child to Read Well and
Independendy By the End of the Third Grade: School districts receiving these
funds would be required to show that each school is making measurable progress
in improving reading achievement within 3 years, or take necessary corrective
actions --such as providing additional teacher training, revising the curriculum, or
implementing proven practices for teaching reading. School districts could lose
funding if there is no subsequent improvement in reading achievement in those
schools. School districts would also be required to publish an annual school
report card with clear information on student achievement, class size, and teacher
qualifications.
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Targeting Funding to Areas of Greatest Need: The Administration's initiative
would distribute funds to states on the basis of the Title 1 formula. Within the
state, each high-poverty school district would receive the same share of these funds
as it received under Title 1, and the remaining funds would be distributed within
the state based on class size. Matching funds would be required from
participating school districts, on a sliding scale ranging from 0-50 , with
high-poverty districts contributing the least. Once a state has reached an average
class size of 18 in grades 1-3, it could use these funds to further reduce class size
in the early grades, or it could extend its efforts to other grades.
Providing Facilities for Additional Classrooms: In order to help school systems
meet the need for additional classroom space, you are (1) proposing a $10 billion
school modernization initiative over 10 years, that will provide incentives for
communities to invest in local. school facilities by leveraging $22 billion in bonds
during 1999-2000; (2) ensuring that changes to facilities in order to accommodate
class size reductions is an allowable use of school modernization funds; (3)
allowing for phased-in implementation of class size initiative to enhance state/local
planning.
Building on Successful Reforms in Arkansas: As part of his comprehensive education
reforms while Governor of Arkansas, you reduced class size in Arkansas to 20 in
kindergarten and 23 in grades 1 through 3. Your 1983 education reform plan also
included a statewide intensive training program for elementary teachers and principals to
improve teaching of reading, as well as basic skills testing for new teachers and basic skills
and subject matter testing for experienced teachers.
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EDUCATION REFORM IN DELAWARE
With bipartisan leadership and strong support from the business community, Delaware has
undertaken a broad array of education reforms quite consistent with your education agenda.
Delaware is moving ahead with efforts to set standards for students, teachers, and schools. The
state is also supporting teachers who seek and gain certification from the National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards, and Governor Carper has proposed an accountability plan
including curbs against social promotion.
Student Academic Standards and Assessments. This week, the state is administering its
first-ever statewide assessment of how students are doing according to Delaware's new academic
standards, with testing in math and language arts (reading, and writing) for grades three, five,
eight, and ten. Next year, similar tests will be given in science and social studies. There was
extremely broad public involvement in the development of these standards, with State Board
approval in 1995 coming after a three-year process of development and public review led by
commissions representing school districts, business and institutions of higher education.
According to Delaware, the standards 'promote methods that require students to participate in
learning activities that are relevant to them and that address real-world problems and
issues ... rather than encourage instructional methods that allow students to passively receive
information from the teacher.'. The assessments include multiple choice, as well as questions
involving short answers and essays. Delaware's standards were rated favorably by the
American Federation of Teachers and the Council for Basic Education and received mixed
reviews from Fordham Foundation (Checker Finn's group). Each of these groups has rated
standards from states across the nation.
Teacher And Administrator Standards and Assessments. In January 1998, the State Board
of Education approved standards for what Delaware teachers and administrators ought to know
and be able to do in their subject area and related to student learning styles, instructional
practices, and assessment strategies. Delaware is considering the use of these standards as a
basis for teacher certification, performance appraisal, and possibly even recertification.
All Delaware teachers are currently required to take and pass a basic teacher competency test by
the end of their first year of teachirig, and Governor Carper has proposed requiring teachers to
pass this test before getting a license to begin teaching. Carper is also proposing that Delaware
develop higher-level performance-based assessments for teachers that could become the basis for
gaining licensure and certification.
Meanwhile, the state is helping teachers gain certification from the National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards, with ten Delaware teachers already board-certified. The
legislature appropriated funds to cover the assessment fees for another 15 teachers seeking Board
certification, and Delaware teachers who gain board certification will receive an additional $1500
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in pay per year.
Ending Social Promotion and Accountability. Governor Carper has proposed to the
legislature a plan for greater accountability for Delaware students and schools. The plan would
curb social promotion, requiring children to read at or near grade level before leaving third and
fifth grades, and perform at or near grade level in both reading and math before leaving the 8th
grade. The plan would also take actions to tum around consistently low-performing schools and
school districts, including accreditation and cash bonuses for schools that show real
improvements over two years and calling for school district interventions in lower-performing
schools.
The legislature is currently considering the plan and it is supported by the PTA, the business
community, and the NAACP. But many ofthe state's education organizations -- including the
state organizations representing superintendents, local school boards, and teachers -- have offered
alternative accountability plans and are negotiating changes in the Governor's plan. While these
groups are not opposing the concepts of social promotion and accountability, they have concerns
about certain details. For example, the Delaware superintendents' association is wary of any
state involvement at all in school accountability, and the Delaware education association is
working to include measures for school performance beyond just student test scores. The
Governor's office is hopeful that agreement can be reached on most of these issues.
Reducing Class Size. Carper is negotiating with legislative leaders over a plan to reduce class
size from kindergarten through the third grade. Carper's $7.5 million plan would cap class size
in these grades to 22, and Senator Thomas Sharp, President Pro Tern of the Delaware Senate, is
pushing for additional funding to reduce class size even further. There seems to be extremely
broad support in the Delaware legislature for these efforts to reduce class size in the early grades.
Educational Technology. Delaware has been moving forward with efforts on educational
technology and next year plans to become the first state in the nation to wire every public school
classroom with fiber optic cable. With strong support from the private sector, Delaware is also
providing technology training for teachers and high-quality software.
Charter Schools, Public School Choice, and School Report Cards. Bipartisan support for
public school choice and charter schools have produced laws and authorization for charter
schools, intra-district, and inter-district public school choice in the state. 9,000 (out of 110,000)
students are in public schools chosen by them and their families. Six charter schools have
opened in the state including the state's first charter school -- the Charter School of Wilmington.
Visited by Mrs. Clinton in 1996, this school was opened with very active support from the
corporate community and focuses on math, science, and technology. The student population
mirrors the diversity of the state, and the school had the highest writing scores in the state in
1997. The State Department of Education also publishes "consumer guides" to every public
school in the state, including test scores, student-teacher ratios, drop-out rates, and other data.
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BIOGRAPHIES OF LEADING ELECTED OFFICIALS
Hon. Tom Carper
Governor of Delaware
Born in Beckley, West Virginia, Carper grew up in Danville, Virginia. He attended Ohio State
University, graduating in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in economics .. He completed five years
of service as a Naval flight officer, serving in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. In 1973,
following his active military service, Carper moved to Delaware to earn an MBA at the
University of Delaware. He worked in Delaware's economic development office from 1975 to
1976, and then was elected State Treasurer at age 29-- serving three consecutive terms.
Carper was elected in 1982 to the U.S. House of Representatives where he served five terms.
Carper was then elected governor in 1992. As Governor, he has focused on job creation;
overhauling both the state's education and welfare systems; strengthening families and reducing
teenage pregnancy; and improving the state's credit rating while lowering taxes and preventing
crime. In July of 1997, Carper was tapped as vice-chair of the National Governors' Association.
When he assumes the NGA chairmanship next year, he will become the first Delaware governor
ever to hold the top post in that organization. He is also the only governor on the nation's
nine-member Amtrak Board of Directors.
Hon. Ruth Ann Minner
Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
In 1974, Ruth Ann became a rising star in the Democratic Party when she was the first woman
elected to the House of Representatives from her Milford district. Rep. Minner spent four
terms on the Bond Bill Committee, mastering the art of responsible capital spending. In 1982,
she was elected to the state Senate where she eventually served three terms.
Lt. Governor Minner was born and raised on a farm and left high school at age 16 to help out.
She married her first husband, Frank Ingram, a year later. Widowed at age 32 when Frank died
of a heart attack, she was suddenly a single parent with no education and three sons to raise.
While working to support her family, she earned her general equivalency degree from Delaware
Technical and Community College and took University of Delaware parallel program courses in
education. She married Roger Minner in 1969 and together they built the family business. Roger
succumbed to cancer in 1992.
She was honored as Mother of the Year in 1993 and Woman ofthe Year in 1985. In 1995, she
was inducted into the Delaware Women's Hall of Fame. Ruth Ann still lives on a farm near
Milford where she enjoys gardening, fishing and spending time with her family, especially her
seven grandchildren.
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Hon. Terry R. Spence
Speaker of the Delaware House of Representatives
He attended Goldey Beacom College where he received an A.S. and Wilmington College, where
he received a B.S. The Speaker served in the Delaware Air National Guard, is retired from the
DuPont Company and worked for the Brooks Courier.
First elected to the House in 1980, Spence has been the Speaker of the House for nine years,
where he has served on the Administration, Desegregation, Ethics, and Legislative Council
Committees.
Spence and his wife, Nancy, have four children.
Hon. Tom Sharp
Senate Pro Tempore
Sharp served in the Army National Guard for eight years and worked as a sheet metal apprentice
for four years at tech school.
He has served over 20 years in the Senate, and for all but a few years, was the Senate Majority
Leader. Currently, Sharp works for the Newcastle County Vocational School District as the
Supervisor of Building and Grounds.
He attended Henry C. Conrad High School where he met his wife, Judy; they wed' after high
school. Sharp has been married for 38 years and they have three children and two grandchildren
who are twins. .
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