Delawareans Ask: How Can Student Achievement Data Drive Change?

Delawareans Ask: How Can Student Achievement Data Drive Change?

Every September, Delaware families settle into the school year with a familiar set of questions: How are our students really doing? Are schools moving in the right direction? What can we do next to ensure every child succeeds?

At September’s Board Matters: Delaware Conversations, parents, educators, board members, and community leaders gathered to wrestle with these very questions. And what emerged was clear: Delawareans don’t want data for data’s sake. They want information that is timely, accessible, and actionable—so communities and boards can work together to make the right choices for students.

What Questions Are Delawareans Asking?

The September conversation surfaced four big questions that cut across schools and communities:

• Can families get student scores in plain language—and in multiple languages?
  Parents want to understand student performance without jargon, in ways that respect Delaware’s diverse communities.

• Should we focus more on proficiency or on growth?
  Is it more important to know whether students meet grade-level benchmarks, or whether they’re making progress over time? Communities are debating how best to measure real student learning.

• How can boards use results to set goals and align resources?
  Student achievement data should not sit in spreadsheets. It should guide where dollars go, which programs get prioritized, and how boards hold themselves accountable for results.

• What role should teachers, parents, and even students play in turning numbers into action?
  Shared responsibility means listening to multiple voices. Educators know what interventions work, parents bring insight into student needs, and students themselves can often explain barriers to learning.

As one participant put it, “If families can’t see themselves in the data, then the data won’t help us make change.”

Why This Matters for Delaware School Boards

Delaware ranks near the bottom nationally in student outcomes, a challenge that affects not just classrooms but every community in the state. School boards oversee billions of taxpayer dollars and make decisions that directly impact more than 140,000 students.

When boards, families, and educators share responsibility for reviewing data and setting goals, they create the conditions for progress. Without that collaboration, achievement numbers risk becoming statistics on a page instead of drivers for better policies, investments, and outcomes.

Research from Education Week shows that when districts make student data easy to access and interpret, families are more engaged and student outcomes improve. Similarly, the Delaware Department of Education highlights how performance reports can guide resource allocation and accountability.

From Data to Dollars: October’s Focus

The September forum on student achievement set the stage for October’s conversation: school finance. Dollars and decisions are inseparable. Families want to know not just how students are doing, but also how tax dollars are being invested to support that progress.

In October, Board Matters will explore:

• How Delaware’s funding system works.

• What constraints and requirements shape local and state budgets.

• How dollars connect—or fail to connect—to student outcomes.

This shift from test scores to budgets underscores a key truth: numbers only matter when they drive real change for kids.

Who Should Be at the Table?

Perhaps the most important theme from September’s conversation was that leadership matters. Data alone doesn’t improve schools—people do. Delaware needs parents, educators, retirees, and neighbors to step forward and serve on school boards.

Every question raised at Board Matters points to the need for thoughtful, committed leadership. If you’ve ever wondered whether your community’s voice is represented, or if you’ve asked the same questions heard in September, consider what it would mean to bring that voice directly to the board table.

Take Action

Join the Knowledge Hub to access resources on data, governance, and school finance: https://members.firststateeducate.org/become-a-member/

Register for October’s Board Matters: Delaware Conversations to be part of the discussion on school finance.

Together, Delawareans can turn numbers into action—and ensure that every child has the opportunity to succeed.