So, this is happening now, at DC’s public schools: --Parents threatened with deportation. --Parents late to pick up kids because of immigration officials at their door. --Immigration officials visiting metro stations during school drop off and pick up. --Student attendance dropping as a result of fear. As you may recall, in February Teaching for Change … Continue reading Protecting DC’s Immigrant Students

Last summer, for a short beach vacation, my family stayed at a hotel outside Atlantic City, NJ. Though blissfully dog-friendly, the hotel was surrounded by highways, so every morning I got up early, loaded dog in car, and drove to a nearby residential neighborhood with sidewalks for hours of exercise. Those neighborhoods my dog and … Continue reading Taxi Totalitarianism & Casino Choice

Now that we have a federal secretary of education on record as expecting a little education play for all her political donation pay, and now that we have had a well-funded education reform PAC phone bank its way to DC’s new (and test-heavy) public education accountability standards, what’s next with our city’s Public Schools, Inc.? … Continue reading Public Schools, Inc.

[UPDATE: See link to petition below] Yesterday, Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) sent a letter, signed by 50 people, asking that the state board vote for OSSE’s draft plan for ESSA. The state board is slated to vote tomorrow night. Many parents have testified against OSSE’s draft plan, as its test-heavy emphasis (now only 70% … Continue reading So, About That Letter to the State Board On ESSA (Golden Apple Edition)

Well, I seem to have missed the notice, but the second (and presumably last) public meeting on the mayor's charter school walkability preference is this Thursday March 23, starting at 6 pm at the Bellevue (William O. Lockridge) Neighborhood Library (115 Atlantic St. SW). More information is here. My missing this just might have had … Continue reading Charter Walkability Preference Meeting: 3/23

Next Thursday March 23, starting at 10 am, our city council will hold a hearing on legislation the council put forth in January to ensure every public school in DC has a full-time nurse starting at the end of 2017. Sign up to testify here. More information on the legislation is here. To say that … Continue reading DC’s Continuing Need For School Health Professionals

If you care that our by right schools are in decent shape for ALL children, sign this letter by March 19, demanding that Mayor Bowser and our other city leaders #fixallschools. Ward 6's education council, the Capitol Hill Public Schools Parent Organization (CHPSPO), is leading this effort to ensure that all DCPS schools are brought … Continue reading Sign This Now to #FixAllSchools

[Update 3/14/17: OSSE's response to all public comment is here, in a document dated March 14.] and it's all good: "Today [Friday March 10], the DC State Board of Education [SBOE] provided the Office of the State Superintendent for Education (OSSE) with ten recommendations for changes to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) draft accountability … Continue reading Woo Hoo! Our State Board of Education Goes There . . .

The other day, I participated in a phone call with several other people regarding the charter school walkability preference proposal. As you may recall, the mayor proposed on January 30 giving elementary-age students a preference in the lottery for charter schools if their by right DCPS schools are more than half a mile away from … Continue reading Dispatches from Planet Pollyanna: Charter School Walkability Edition

On Valentine’s Day, February 14, Teaching For Change, a social justice nonprofit working with DC schools and teachers, sent a letter to the mayor, deputy mayor for education (DME), council, state board of education, and DC attorney general, asking those DC leaders to enact specific and affirmative policies to ensure our DC public schools will … Continue reading Sanctuary in DC: School Edition