School Success Center
Schools in Delaware deserve high-quality professional development in both instruction and educational leadership. National teacher shortages and high turnover rates for administrators have contributed to an urgent need for support in the classroom and strategies to address the complex challenges of leading a school or district. The University of Delaware’s School Success Center (SSC) responds to these needs through a comprehensive system of support.
Housed within the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), the SSC brings together UD’s renowned Professional Development Center for Educators and Delaware Academy for School Leadership. Through its systemic approach, the SSC partners with teachers and administrators in public, charter, and independent schools to improve student and school outcomes.
Who We Are
With a systemic approach to improving student and school outcomes, the SSC is composed of experts in educator and school leader professional development who partner with teachers and administrators in public, charter and independent schools throughout Delaware and across the nation.
SSC Goals
The SSC works to provide innovative and evidence-based solutions to the complex challenges facing the Delaware K-12 education community by:
- Partnering with districts and schools to provide high-quality profesional learning and coaching on systemic challenges related to instructional leadership and climate/culture/equity.
- Enhancing the systemic lens of leadership and content specialist services UD provides to schools
- Increasing partnerships with underserved public and charter schools
Why the SSC?
Educational interventions in schools sometimes fail because professional development often takes separate approaches to supporting educators and school leaders.The SSC is unique in partnering with both teachers and administrators on the same improvement strategies to ensure that teachers, schools and districts grow together. In addition to providing differentiated coaching services for school and district leaders, throughout their careers, SSC offers expert-facilitated professional learning programs in literacy and math instruction for educators.
Mission:
Our mission is to design and implement ongoing professional learning programs for school leaders that maximize student learning using equitable, evidence-based practices to build school leader capacity and move K-12 systems toward excellence.
Vision:
Our vision is to be the first choice that local, state and national school leaders trust for support and resources for school improvement initiatives because we partner to make change.
Our goals are to positively impact student achievement by:
Identifying studying, and dismantling the systemic barriers to student success
Customizing, capacity-building services in planning, implementing and monitoring whole-school instructional leadership initiatives
Facilitating research-based professional learning services and ongoing support in core content areas of leadership, literacy, math and multi-tiered system of supports
Designing intense induction support for educational leaders to enhance effectiveness
Working collaboratively on research and policy initiatives in state and national organizations
The SSC does not deliver one-size-fits-all training for educators. We partner with schools and districts to provide customized professional learning and support aligned with each district or school’s mission and vision. When you partner with SSC, you can expect that we will:
Collaborate to perform a detailed needs assessment to build capacity for growth and change and set partnership goals
Develop a comprehensive plan for professional learning that meets your needs
Facilitate meaningful professional learning for teachers and leaders based on goals
Engage in cycles of reflection and evaluation to measure progress toward goals
The School Success Center is complemented by a full portfolio
of UD teacher and school leader preparation programs, offered by CEHD.
Teachers of Tomorrow
CEHD’s Teachers of Tomorrow pipeline program introduces high school juniors and seniors from underrepresented backgrounds to UD’s teacher education programs through an immersive, two-week summer institute. The program seeks to better prepare high schoolers for careers in teaching by allowing them to directly experience the academic, social and relational aspects of college life.
High School Recruiter
To be seated within UD’s Center for Excellence and Equity in Teacher Preparation (formerly the Delaware Center for Teacher Education), this position will actively engage high school students in UD teacher preparation programs. It will establish partnerships with Delaware high schools, conduct recruitment activities and develop a community of support among Delaware education agencies and school districts.
Delaware Teaching Fellows
UD’s Delaware Teaching Fellows program provides full four-year scholarships, in the form of forgivable loans, to highly qualified Delaware high school seniors who are admitted to a teacher education program at UD. This program also works to support Delaware schools by requiring Fellows to teach in a high-needs Delaware school for four years upon graduation from UD.
Dean’s Diversity in Education Scholarship Fund
The CEHD Dean’s Diversity in Education Scholarship works to alleviate the financial burdens of a college education for students from underrepresented backgrounds for whom the costs of a UD education can be especially daunting. This scholarship fund supports students who are majoring in elementary teacher education or early childhood education within the college and works to diversify the teaching workforce.
Associate, Bachelor’s, 4+1
With more majors coming soon, CEHD offers associate and bachelor’s-level teacher preparation degree programs, including 4+1 tracks that allow UD students to complete a master’s degree with only one additional year of study.
Center for Excellence and Equity in Teacher Preparation
UD’s Center for Excellence and Equity in Teacher Preparation (formerly the Delaware Center for Teacher Education) provides support services for students and faculty in 28 educator preparation programs at UD, and is the home of the Alternative Routes to Certification program, the Office of Clinical Studies and the Office of Certification and Accreditation.
Ed.D. in Educational Leadership
CEHD offers a doctorate degree in educational leadership preparing graduates to make research-informed, evidence-based decisions within their schools and districts.
Governor’s Institute for School Leadership
In partnership with the Delaware Department of Education, the Delaware Governor’s Office and Delaware school districts and public schools, UD’s Governor’s Institute for School Leadership offers professional development and mentoring for assistant principals, principal supervisors and superintendents.
Principal Preparation Program
UD’s Principal Preparation Program provides professional development necessary for assistant principal and principal certification in Delaware.
Center for Disabilities Studies
The UD Center for Disabilities Studies partners with the Delaware Department of Education to provide coaching and professional development to educators through the ACCESS (Adapting Curriculum and Classroom Environments for Student Success) program, the DE-PBS (Delaware Positive Behavior Support) project and the SEAL (Special Education Administrative Leadership) program to help students with disabilities reach their potential in inclusive learning environments.