now more than ever: Tomorrow evening, Friday September 28, a local nonprofit called The Story of Our Schools will hold a fundraiser (6:30-10 pm, The Loft, 600 F St. NW). The group works with students to research the story behind their own DC public schools. The students then create permanent exhibits in their school showcasing … Continue reading Because We All Need A Good Story

Besides a host of legislation relating to DC’s publicly funded schools being introduced last week, September is gearing up to be quite the month for DC education issues. --On September 18, the city council held a roundtable hearing on independent educational research in DC--specifically outlining the contrast between the council’s effort to have an independent … Continue reading September 2018: Recess Is (Really) Over

Right now, the office of the deputy mayor for education (DME) is hitting up against quite a few deadlines for public school policies and events: --The cross sector task force recommendations; --The (overdue) master facilities plan (MFP); and --Public feedback on the chancellor selection process Though members of the cross sector task force recently received … Continue reading Public Feedback: Get Your Word In, While The Getting’s Good

[Ed. Note 9/18: MANY apologies to readers! I thought this event was for all the state board of ed. candidates--turns out, it's just for Ward 6 candidates. Many apologies.] On Thursday, September 20, starting at 7 pm, candidates for the state board of education will debate the issues at the Hill Center, 921 Pennsylvania Ave, … Continue reading See The State Board Of Education Candidates Duke It Out: September 20

The organization that runs our school lottery, My School DC, needs parent representatives from every city ward (except Ward 4) for its parent advisory council for the 2018-19 lottery. Applications are due next Friday September 14. Here's what parents do, per the application website: "The Parent Advisory Council (PAC) supports My School DC by providing … Continue reading My School DC Parent Advisory Council Seeks Parents

[Ed. Note: The following analysis is by DCPS parent Betsy Wolf. In her professional employment, Wolf conducts independent evaluations in education. While she cautions that she is not an expert in educational assessments such as PARCC, she routinely uses such assessments in her work. We are lucky to have here her observations of the last … Continue reading How Did DC’s PARCC Scores Grow?

Yes, today is August 25--and yes, meetings for the master facilities plan (MFP) are starting on Monday, August 27 (Anacostia library)--and are also on August 29 (Lamond-Riggs library) and August 30 (Mt. Pleasant library) as well. All start at 6:30 pm. And no, you didn’t miss anything. Just four days ago, notices started trickling out … Continue reading Master Facilities Plan Meetings Are Next Week

As you possibly did (not) hear, last week 3 DCPS parents (including me ;-), 2 DCPS students, and 1 DCPS teacher filed a lawsuit to ensure the mayor follows the law in her search for the next DCPS chancellor by including actual DCPS stakeholders in her advisory panel, as the spirit (and letter!) of the … Continue reading Gosh, Someone’s Suing The City Over The Chancellor Search??

It’s (still!) summer in DC, even though DCPS is officially starting in a few hours--which naturally means a lot happened in DC public education while you were (hopefully) away. Herein is an incomplete summary. Excel/Birney Real Estate Dramedy As you may recall, the newest DCPS school, Excel, had been a charter school for girls until … Continue reading Wait, What Just Happened? Summer 2018 Edition

The Our Schools DC Leadership Committee (aka the chancellor selection panel) is holding three public sessions starting tomorrow evening, Tuesday August 14, on what you may desire to see in the next DCPS chancellor: --Tuesday, August 14, 6:30 pm, Cardozo Education Campus, 1200 Clifton Street NW RSVP here. --Tuesday, August 28, 6:30 pm, Savoy Elementary … Continue reading Community Feedback, DCPS Chancellor