Wilmington City Council hires the first director of the city’s new Office of Educational Advocacy.
LaRetha Odumosu is the pick, and she promises the new office will make an impact for students in Wilmington who have long been underserved, saying conditions must change.
Odumosu has been the Executive Director of the Charter School of New Castle’s Middle School so she’s familiar with the education climate in Delaware.
"So, I think the first step for me, I'm a big researcher, so it's really, really important to ensure that we go about this the right way. Part of that is ensuring that we're looking at other advocacy groups across the nation. Seeing what's working, seeing what's not working and then also ensuring that we're building in the specific context here in Wilmington," said Odumosu.
Odumosu notes the situation is dire for Wilmington students, and that the conditions for them must change to reach the primary goal of improving outcomes for children in the city.
She notes another goal is not to duplicate other efforts to boost city schools but amplify ones that are working while fixing or removing others.
City Council President Trippi Congo says Odumosu was clearly the best candidate for this job.
"She just stood out during the interview process,” said Congo. “We interviewed several people, and she was by far just the most qualified, most capable, nothing against anybody else who applied. She just stood out over everybody. She came highly recommended from people who we trust, and she was just a no-brainer."
This office was created by Wilmington City Council in January, and it comes at a time when less than half of Wilmington students are performing at grade level in math and only 26% at grade level in English.
