In the midst of historic change, the First State seeks to become the first in the nation to close the opportunity gap for every child within its borders.
In 1952, Ethel Belton and a group of six parents of African American students filed a lawsuit against the state of Delaware to allow their children to attend a white-only school. Their suit would become one of the five cases rolled into the landmark Brown v. Board of Education that ended legal segregation in 17 states.
Sixty years later, inequity is rampant and destabilizing. Nearly 40 percent of the 130,000 students in Delaware are from low-income families. Based on SAT scores, just seven percent of African American students and 12 percent of Latino students are ready for college; the dropout rate for African American students is double that of their white peers.
Delaware corps members and alumni pursue excellence in and beyond the classroom through master teacher fellowships and our own school leader certification program. Working in partnership with community and education leaders, legislators, and families is the foundation of our statewide region.