An Investment in Education

Valerie Woodruff dedicated her career to helping public school students

BY PAM GEORGE

Valerie Woodruff was a born teacher. At least, that’s what many of her elementary school instructors thought. They often asked her to sit near struggling students or tutor them. “I enjoyed it,” she says.

At her junior high school teacher’s request, she went into the hallway with a bright student who froze at test-taking time. Woodruff read the questions and recorded his answers. “This was in the ’50s, and the teacher was smart enough to accommodate him,” she says. “Can you imagine?”

 The innovative example made an impression on Woodruff, whose career is punctuated by innovative approaches. She has been a teacher, guidance counselor, principal, and the Delaware Department of Education secretary. “I kept seeing the need for change,” she says of her career trajectory. “Something needed to happen.”

Woodruff was comfortable being the catalyst. Because of her dedication and contributions, she is the 2025 recipient of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce’s John H. Taylor, Jr. Education Leadership Award.

From West Virginia to Delaware

Woodruff grew up in Weirton, West Virginia, where her father worked on a tin-plating line at Weirton Steel Company, and her mother was a homemaker. She was the only child, and her parents prioritized her education.

After graduating with a degree in secondary education from Alderson Broaddus College, she taught English and social studies at Bohemia Manor High School in Cecil County, Maryland.

A master’s degree in English literature was the next logical step. But instead of studying John Donne’s poetry, she was scribbling notes about her students. She switched to guidance counseling and graduated from the University of Delaware in 1971.

As a Delcastle Technical High School counselor, she realized that changes to policies and curriculum would benefit many of her students. So, she became the assistant principal and served on the Governor’s Advisory Council for Career and Vocational Education.

Woodruff kept moving upward, becoming the principal of Middletown High School in 1984. When the Division of Public Health and Department of Education suggested an on-site wellness center, she agreed, but only if they committed to continuing the program. “It can’t be a one-and-done,” she told them. “It must be sustained over time. Families will expect it, and they need it.”

The program did not replace the school nurse. Instead, it added services, including physicals, the treatment of minor injury or illness, immunization, women’s health programs, and counseling. A nutritionist and social worker joined the team. “It was an exciting time,” says Woodruff, who joined the initiative to put a wellness center in every high school. In 1990, she was the Principal of the Year.

From Public Schools to Public Service

Woodruff didn’t dream of working in state government. But when friends and colleagues encouraged her to apply for the assistant secretary of education position, she realized it was another way to make a difference. “I was put in a position where I could affect some change and get some things done that needed to be done,” agrees Woodruff, who oversaw federal programs, special education initiatives, and vocational education, which had a special place in her heart after 10 years at Delcastle.

Woodruff became secretary after serving as acting secretary upon Iris Mett’s departure. She was instrumental in helping pass teacher accountability laws and standards-based education policies. When high schools underwent renovations or a new facility was under construction, she insisted they have wellness centers.

In 2005, she was inducted into the Delaware Hall of Fame, organized by the Office of Women’s Advancement and Advocacy with the support of the Delaware Department of Human Resources and the Delaware Women’s Hall of Fame Committee.

The organization noted her membership on local committees, including her tenure as the executive board president of the Council of Chief State School Officers. However, Woodruff also was in the national spotlight. She was one of six people the U.S. Department of Education invited to discuss revisions of federal education policy.

To say she was busy is an understatement, but throughout her career, she made it a point never to miss her son’s football games.

It Takes a Village

In 2006, Vision 2015 was founded by a coalition of education, government, business and civic leaders to focus on excellence, equity, and accountability to help students excel. The coalition is still operating with 2035 goals.

Woodruff believes the business community must do more to support public education, including praising the positives, not just pointing out the negatives. Businesses can also help students understand why they are studying specific courses. Even two-week internships can help students link their classroom subjects to the real world.

She recalls the person who eschewed the need for algebra and geometry. “They’ll never use it if they’re a carpenter,” the person maintained. “I went on a tirade about how carpenters use math to do their work,” Woodruff says. “It’s not just a ruler and a hammer.”

College is not for everyone, but learning will also give students an advantage. “It can be a trade program. It can be it can be an apprenticeship. It can be a lot of things,” she says. “It doesn’t have to be a four-year college. You need to keep learning and keep an open mind.”

Not surprisingly, Woodruff admires people who “roll up their sleeves,” and get things done—“people who are advocates for things that are important.” She says John H. Taylor, Jr. was one of them.

“I first met him when I was secretary, and he was on the editorial board of The News Journal,” she recalls. “Every year, we got invited to talk to the editorial board. He would ask the hard questions, and he looked at me one time and said: ‘You don’t pull any punches.’ And I said: ‘No, I don’t.’”

Woodruff has received many honors, but the John H. Taylor, Jr. Education Leadership Award stands out.

“It’s very special because I admire John so much,” she says. “And, so, to be given an award that is named for him is wonderful.”