I had the opportunity recently to write in Delaware Today magazine about two troubled schools that have, under dynamic new leaders, managed to turn themselves around. Booker T. Washington Elementary in Dover, under Principal Dale Brown, and East Side Charter in Wilmington, under Executive Director Lamont Browne, have achieved success for several reasons. At both schools, the…
Read MoreThousands of words have been written in the last 24 hours on the tragic death of Beau Biden, Delaware’s former attorney general and the son of Vice President Joe Biden. The News Journal, Beau’s hometown paper in Wilmington, Del., did an outstanding job pulling together information from Washington, from friends and associates, and from its own…
Read MoreThose of us who spent our formative years in Catholic elementary schools in the ’50s and ’60s likely have enduring memories of the nuns who commanded their classrooms, using those long wooden pointers half the time to direct our attention to the spelling words on the blackboard and the other half for … well, you…
Read MoreMuch has been written in the past two weeks about the career of the late John H. Taylor Jr., his fine work as a writer and editor at The News Journal, his civic leadership at the Delaware Public Policy Institute, and his dedication to social justice and improving the quality of life for everyone in…
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There are times when I wish I were under 30 again, and not just for the reasons all of us are likely to mention. Back in the day, I was a full-time education reporter, and Delaware’s public schools were experiencing the trauma associated with court-ordered school desegregation. The Delaware State Education Association was also on…
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For most people an 11th anniversary isn’t a big deal, and I don’t think there’s anything particularly special about today being the anniversary of my last day of working for someone else. But it is a good opportunity to reflect on what I have been able to accomplish while out on my own. I have…
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It was 1968. The Vietnam War had divided a tormented nation and I, like thousands of college grads who had been stunned by the assassinations of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (who was shot four days before he would have been the speaker at my graduation), faced the prospect…
Read MoreAs newspapers continue to eliminate reporting and editing jobs — The New York Times and USA Today were among those that announced cuts in the past month or so — it has become fashionable to bash the journalism business, to complain that the papers aren’t what they used to be, that they’re more interested in…
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One of the great things about my work is that you never know what you’re getting into — there can be a surprise every day. I knew quite a bit about the history of the Old Fashioned Ice Cream Festival at Rockwood, so I was pleased to sign on with Barry Schlecker and his Barry’s…
Read MoreCancer — it’s a word that puts fear in our hearts like no other. It can be especially frightening to young families to hear a diagnosis that, at the very least, will disrupt the structure of their lives and, at worst, can alter the family forever. I recently spent some time with an organization whose…
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