DE SB193

Establishes a three-year pilot program for disadvantaged students in grades one through three in Delaware public schools with $3 million total funding ($1 million per year).

Schools receiving grants (maximum $200,000 each) must create first-grade classrooms with exactly 10 students per class, with students selected from households at or below 150% of the 2016 Federal Poverty Level.

Participating teachers must have at least 5 years of teaching experience and satisfactory performance evaluations; each student receives at least one day or two half days per month of one-on-one reading instruction from a reading specialist.

Grants awarded to schools in the highest quartile of Delaware public schools by percentage of low-income student population, distributed across all three counties on a competitive basis.

Delaware State University, Delaware Technical and Community College, and University of Delaware are invited to collect and analyze data on the pilot program's effectiveness in conjunction with the Department of Education.