In the face of a strange unknown, so many people are doing their best to cope--and while that may fall short of the/an ideal (whatever that ideal may be--cancelling PARCC, staying healthy, locating a treasure trove of TP, etc.), the old saw that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself” still remains … Continue reading Our Greatest Strength—And A Few Resources

In less than 10 minutes on February 24, the DC charter board unanimously approved the application of Eagle Academy to abandon its plans to locate at 2345 R St. SE--a property that Eagle bought but never occupied, with a school building that Eagle constructed using DC revenue bonds (approved specifically for that location and paid … Continue reading Muting DC (Public Education Edition)

If proof was needed to show how ill-suited DC's legislative body is for the role of school board (well, beyond the failing closure vote on Wash Met), it came via the February 10 hearing of bill 23-0496, the Fair Access to Selective High Schools Amendment act. The bill outlines how 7th graders will be provided … Continue reading Making Selectivity In Schools An Achievement

--February 12 marked the day a unique and terrible event in DC public education probably occurred. I say “probably,” because no one in the public actually knows when the asset currently owned and used by a DCPS school, Ellington Field, was or will be transferred from DCPS to the department of parks and recreation (DPR), … Continue reading A Not-Stellar Week For DC Public Education

As awful as it is to see a DC public school closed and students and staff blamed for its poor attendance, low test scores, and declining enrollment without any blame attached to the people actually responsible for the school's divestment that resulted in just those conditions, such blatant disrespect for the public (i.e., you), and the public trust, … Continue reading Destroying The Public Trust: FOIA In DC Charter Schools Edition

[Ed. Note: Tomorrow, Tuesday February 4 at 11 am, the DC city council votes on emergency legislation (introduced by at large council member Robert White, along with Ward 1 council member Brianne Nadeau and Ward 8 council member Trayon White) to stop the closure of one of DCPS's alternative high schools, Washington Metropolitan. The following helpful synopsis … Continue reading Reasons Why DCPS Should Support, Not Close, Washington Met

With the first education oversight hearing of 2020 yesterday (on the office of the DC student advocate; education ombudsman; and state board of education), a busy season of education-related events awaits, including the Black Lives Matter at School week of action starting on Monday; hearings on oversight and legislation; and a transportation survey you can … Continue reading Important Upcoming DC Education Events

[Ed. Note: DC's office of planning has promulgated revisions to the city's comprehensive plan. The deadline for public comment was last week--but ANCs have additional time to review and comment on the draft document, which is here in a redlined version. The changes made to this planning document not only are long on celebration and … Continue reading DC’s Comprehensive Plan–Or, The End Of The Road For Education Rights In DC?

Washington Post op-eds are a major education media platform both locally and nationally. Despite (or possibly because of) excellent local print education reporting (here's looking at you, City Paper & independent journalist Rachel Cohen!) and superb TV and radio coverage of local education stories (hey there, Evan Lambert & Nathan Baca & Scott McFarlane & … Continue reading Gotta Ask: Who Benefits From Public Education Rights Dying In Darkness?

Though We The People are so much more (and better!) than the philanthropists and privatizers proposing to "fix" our public schools (while naturally endeavoring to get a piece of DC’s annual $1.8 billion in public education money), many events in late 2019 show that DC school governance appears to operate on a very different principle. … Continue reading Late 2019 Education Events In Brief (Anti-Democracy Edition)