Deputy Secretary for Performance Support

A seasoned educational leader, Delaware native Dr. Cora Scott joins the Delaware Department of Education as deputy secretary with more than 25 years of experience in district and charter schools as well as work in higher education.  With a focus on educational equity, Dr. Scott works to ensure every student has access and opportunity with the appropriate supports for success. An expert in school improvement and instructional best practices, Dr. Scott is known for building rapport and establishing trusting, collaborative relationships.  She began her education career as a teacher in Cecil County, Md., where she also served as special education coordinator before joining the Christina School District as an instructional coach. She also had leadership roles at the University of Delaware and Newark Charter School before joining the Brandywine School District as an assistant principal. She later was promoted in Brandywine to director of pupil services, director of curriculum and instruction, and executive director of elementary education before being named assistant superintendent.

A graduate of Glasgow High School in the Christina School District, Dr. Scott completed her undergraduate degree in elementary and special education at the University of Delaware before earning both a master of education and doctorate of education in school leadership from Wilmington University.

Dr. Scott – who met her husband, Steven, while they were undergraduates at the University of Delaware – has two children, a son, Cameron, who graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in Brandywine and completed his bachelor’s degree at Goldey Beacom College, and a daughter, Kendall, who is a senior at Newark Charter School headed to New York University this fall.