38th Club Meeting TONIGHT, Read Parsons Post on Education
- 38th District Republican Club
- Nov 3
- 5 min read
We enjoy highlighting when one of our members is featured in a local newspaper. This is our way of spreading the word, informing, and educating our community, empowering them to also stand up for what is right. If you have something to share, please think about submitting a Letter to the Editor! Here's how you can do it.
Delaware must adopt ‘science of reading’ now
Michelle Parsons
October 24, 2025
“We have way more kids now who are functionally illiterate” – Tim Daly, CEO of EdNavigator.
Those 10 words should shake every Delaware parent, teacher and policymaker awake. As Nancy Mercante, founder of Citizens for Delaware Schools and contributor to the Caesar Rodney Institute, wrote this week, Delaware’s literacy and math crisis “is both a state and a national tragedy – one that diminishes generations of children’s potential, dignity and opportunity.”
New data confirm what teachers already know: only 41% of Delaware students in grades 3-8 are proficient in reading and 34% in math. Among 11th-graders taking the SAT, just 18% met math standards. These numbers are not statistics; they are the measure of a system that has lost its focus on teaching children how to read.
Mercante and the Caesar Rodney Institute’s Center for Education Policy, have been clear about the path forward: Delaware must fully implement the science of reading now, not by 2028. Every year of delay leaves thousands more students unable to read at grade level.
We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Mississippi, once ranked near the bottom nationally, adopted the science of reading a decade ago and within six years achieved what educators call the Mississippi Miracle. By focusing on phonics-based instruction, retraining teachers and holding districts accountable, Mississippi moved from 49th to 21st in national reading scores.
Delaware can do the same, but only if we act with the same urgency and discipline. As Mercante wrote, “Declaring a literacy emergency is a start, but Delaware’s 12-year decline demands far more.”
The Caesar Rodney Institute and Citizens for Delaware Schools have given our state the blueprint. Now it’s time for Delaware’s leaders to follow it and give every child the gift of literacy.
Michelle Parsons
Fenwick Island
Do You Want To Learn How to Be A Mentor to Our Students
If you would like to get more involved with helping our local Indian River School District students learn to read, then come to our December 1 meeting, where we will hear about the district's mentorship program!
38th District Southern Delaware Republican Club Meeting
Join us this Monday, November 3, at the South Coastal Library on Kent Avenue in Bethany Beach for a discussion featuring the Town Councilman, Town Manager, and Police Chief of Ocean View. They will address the latest developments in crime, safety, and recent issues in our area. Senator Gerald Hocker, Representative Ron Gray, and Sussex County Council President Doug Hudson will also be present. Remember to bring canned goods and other nonperishable food items for our 38th Republican Club food drive, benefiting local food pantries. Please pack items in a cardboard box for easy transport.
Monday, November 3, Meet and Greet at 6:00 p.m. and meeting start at 6:30 p.m., South Coastal Library, Bethany Beach.
Speaker: Ocean View Police Chief, Ken McLaughlin and OV Town Manager
What Food to Bring
Start gathering your food donations and plan to bring your items to our Monday 38th Club meeting. Our Club Officers will collect your items at the door and make the deliveries to the needed donation sites in our area the next day. Please pack your food items in cardboard boxes for easy transport for our team.
The food banks especially need staples such as rice, pasta, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, canned vegetables and corn, canned tuna, chicken, or salmon, peanut butter, canned milk, instant oatmeal, soups, baked beans, boxed macaroni and cheese, canned fruit, cooking oil, flour, sugar, and basic spices like salt and pepper. Snack items such as granola bars, cereal, fruit cups, and pudding cups are also appreciated. Personal care products — including soap, toothpaste, and shampoo — are welcome too. Please pack your food items in cardboard boxes for easier transport to the food pantries.
You may also make a monetary donation, in the form of cash or checks, and we will donate all donations to one of our local food pantries.
What NOT to Bring
Please do not donate items that require refrigeration, are homemade, or are past their expiration date.
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Do you want to get more involved locally? The 38th District includes Bethany Beach, South Bethany, Fenwick Island, Ocean View, Millville, Selbyville and Frankford. YOU can make a difference! Email info@38thdrcp.com for more information. Also, sign up for the State GOP e-Newsletters here.
Listen to WGMD 92.7 and 98.5 for local news!
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38th DRCP
PO Box 184
Frankford, DE 19945
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Upcoming Meetings
38th Club Meeting, Monday, October 6th, 6:30pm, South Coastal Library, Bethany Beach
Sussex GOP Region Meeting, October 13th, 6:30pm, Millsboro Fire Hall
IRSD Committee Meetings, Monday, October 13th, Millsboro Middle, 4pm-7pm
IRSD School Board Meetings, Monday, October 27th, 6:30pm, Millsboro Middle
38th Club Meeting, Monday, November, 6:30pm, South Coastal Library, Bethany Beach
Delaware Day Celebration, December date TBD
We welcome your support as we support conservative values and responsible government.
This newsletter is intended for informational purposes only. The content provided is for general information and entertainment purposes, and should not be construed as professional advice. The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Club. Readers are encouraged to seek professional guidance or conduct their own research when making decisions based on the information provided in this newsletter. The Club does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information presented in this newsletter and will not be held liable for any errors or omissions. Website paid for by the 38th District Republican Club PAC and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
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