DCPS's School Food Advisory Board (charmingly represented by the acronym SFAB) is looking for students, parents, and school staff to serve on it for 2017. Applications are due on January 23. Sign up and more information are here. Here's the wording from that website: "The roles & responsibility of serving on the SFAB are: - … Continue reading Be A DCPS Food Taster: Sign Up By Jan. 23

Next week, on January 12, DCPS will hold two public meetings on school renovations, one at Maury Elementary and one at Jefferson Academy middle school. Besides being about the long-delayed renovations of both schools, the meetings have a lot more in common: Both start at 6 pm. Both are in Ward 6. Both will happen … Continue reading In With the New Year and The Old DCPS: Facilities Edition

So, yesterday evening, I got a forwarded email that said the following: “Engage Research is conducting a paid research study for mothers of traditional public school children in Washington, DC on Tuesday, January 10, 2016. The group will take place at 5:30 pm and will last 2 hours. You will receive an honorarium of $125 … Continue reading Participate In This Focus Group—Well, If You “Qualify”

STAMP SAGE PARCC (ELA, math, writing) NEAP ANET Math Standards Mastery I-Ready diagnostic SRI3 MAP2 NGSS According to a DCPS staffer, these ten standardized tests are being administered in every DCPS middle school this school year. My daughter is in 6th grade in DCPS and told us last night at dinner that her math class … Continue reading Bet Your Middle School Didn’t Have These

Starting January 10, the deputy mayor for education (DME) and the cross sector task force (which the DME runs) will hold three public meetings to discuss the task force’s first policy proposal, on student mobility. For nearly a year now, the cross sector task force has discussed issues of coordination and cooperation between the two … Continue reading Weigh In On What the Cross Sector Task Force Has Done Thus Far: Student Mobility Edition

Tis’ the season for celebration, so let’s celebrate the wonderful laws and regulations we have here in DC regarding public education! Well, when they are enforced, that is: 1. At risk dollars. These funds ($80 million total in FY16) are intended for the poorest of DC public school kids, to supplement (not supplant!) their schools’ … Continue reading It’s The New Year: Let’s Enforce Our Public Education Laws and Regs.

So today our city council is voting (has already voted?) on a wide variety of so-called “emergency” legislation--the vast majority of which appears to be, erm, not exactly an emergency. (Well, unless you consider a snowfall measurement site and the recognition of individuals urgent matters.) But in the pile of sausage meat that councilmembers have … Continue reading And the Holiday Gifts Of DC Real Estate Keep Coming . . .

On November 21, the DC public charter school board approved Rocketship having a second campus at 4250 Massachusetts Avenue SE. Four days before, on November 17, the DC department of transportation (DDOT) held a hearing for Rocketship’s use of public space for its yet-to-be-built second school at 4250 Massachusetts Ave. SE. Before that DDOT hearing … Continue reading A Holiday Gift Like This May Be Happening in Your DC Neighborhood Right Now

Every few years, the world holds a test for its 15-year-old students, in both private and public schools. The most recent results for that test, called PISA, show that in terms of its scores, the United States falls dead middle--while outspending a lot of other countries that score better. In an article on the test … Continue reading The Crumbling Tower of PISA

Otherwise known as Bill 21-831, the lead prevention amendment act brought forth this summer by the city council, in response to the need to test for, and remediate, high lead levels in all DC public school water sources, will apparently not be voted on this council period, but will be re-introduced in January. Why the delay? … Continue reading Will the Childhood Lead Prevention Amendatory Act of 2016 Drip Away?