On Dec. 19, UD’s College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) signed a partnership agreement with Christina School District to improve literacy instruction, integrate educational technology, develop positive behavior, and support community involvement at Stubbs Elementary School. Over the next five years, a multidisciplinary team of faculty in the School of Education, Department of Human Development (HDFS), and other CEHD centers will develop multi-tiered programs to support teachers and students in a school that serves a high-needs and a high-poverty community. The agreement was developed based on needs identified by Stubbs’s teachers and leaders. The partnership will also provide UD elementary teacher education students with the opportunity to gain field experiences and student teach at Stubbs Elementary. Ralph Ferretti, director of the School of Education, believes that it is critical to prepare UD teacher-candidates for the challenges of teaching in an urban, diverse community with varied needs. Carol Vukelich, dean of CEHD, Ralph Ferretti, and Bahira Sherif Trask, chair of HDFS, signed the agreement on behalf of the University of Delaware. Robert Andrzejewski, acting superintendent, Noreen LaSorsa, interim superintendent/assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, and Jeffers Brown, Stubbs Elementary School principal signed the agreement on behalf of the Christina School District. For more on this partnership announcement, see Delaware Public Media’s “UD, Christina School District partner to improve literacy, behavior at Stubbs.” Photo caption: Bahira Trask, Carol Vukelich, and Ralph Ferretti of the University of Delaware sign a partnership agreement with Robert Andrzejewski, Jeffers Brown, and Noreen LaSorsa of Christina School District.