Carper Congratulates Delaware Blue Ribbon Schools

WASHINGTON DC- Senator Tom Carper sent congratulatory letters today to two Delaware schools honored with the National Blue Ribbon award. The honor, announced by the U.S. Department of Education, recognizes excellence in education and places these two schools in the national spotlight. Lord Baltimore Elementary in Ocean View is the state’s first public elementary school to win the celebrated award. “I applaud your commitment to rigorous academic standards. You are clearly doing what’s needed to enable all students to have a real chance to meet them,” Carper wrote. “The academic gains made at your schools are a testimony to what can be accomplished when enlightened school leaders, committed staff members, and concerned parents work together as a team on behalf of children.” “Throughout my Excellence in Education Tour, I’ve had the opportunity to shine a light on those practices that are working best. I want to thank each of you for the important work that you are doing and for the example of excellence that you provide not just for schools in Delaware, but for schools across America. By following your lead on the path to academic excellence, the rest of Delaware’s schools are sure to succeed.” In a visit to Delaware in April, President Bush highlighted the state for its successes in education and said “Delaware’s school reform efforts should be a model for the rest of the nation.” Carper has consistently supported increased education funding and voted for a Senate proposal that would have provided $300 billion dollars for increased education funding. During Tom Carper’s time as Governor, Delaware saw its students raise their scores in math and reading across the board in every county and every school district, became the first state to implement a comprehensive system of standards, accountability and local control, offer universal public school choice, and wire every classroom to the Internet. Delaware has the best ratio of students to computers in all of America and fully funds Head Start for every four-year-old living in poverty.