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Delaware Slipping, Mississippi Rising:  A Tale of Two States Changing Places Once ranked higher in education and income, Delaware now trails in key areas—while Mississippi climbs the ranks   By Charlie Copeland Center for Economic & Fiscal Policy May 4, 2025   For decades, Delaware enjoyed a reputation as a high-performing state-economically sound, educationally competitive, and relatively stable. In contrast, Mississippi was often portrayed as lagging behind the rest of the country on nearly every metric. However, recent data tells a different story: Mississippi is making notable gains, while Delaware is losing ground. The economic and edu...[read more]

The Vision Coalition is Failing Delaware Students   By Tanya Hettler, Ph.D. Center for Education Policy May 4, 2025     Delaware is in the middle of a "literacy crisis" as both Delaware's Governor Meyer and Education Secretary Marten have acknowledged. Despite this, the Vision Coalition-an influential group that has guided education policy for nearly two decades-continues to prioritize "student-centered learning" over proven, evidence-based instruction. As reading and math scores remain low across the state, it's time to take a closer look at who is shaping Delaware's education agenda-and what they are prioritizing. &nb...[read more]

Fixing Delaware’s Budget:  Smart Solutions for Growth By Charlie Copeland Center for Economic & Fiscal Policy March 5, 2025     Delaware faces a growing budget crisis—rising costs, demographic shifts and slow economic growth threaten the state’s long-term stability. Without immediate action, the state will struggle to sustain economic growth. To reverse this trend, lawmakers must act now by modernizing government, reducing inefficiencies and fostering a more business-friendly environment. The time for reform is now.   Projections from the Delaware Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Delaware House of Representative...[read more]

An Open Letter to Governor Meyer:  Money Isn’t the Answer By Tanya Hettler, PhD Center for Education Policy February 13, 2025     I have carefully read your education plan for Delaware multiple times. There are several aspects of your plan that I think would be extremely beneficial in improving Delaware public education.    These include:   improving transparency in spending, improving the quality of professional development (especially in Science of Reading), allowing excellent teachers to take on more challenging assignments and mentor new teachers to increase their pay, and providing greater support to teachers in ...[read more]