So, here it is, almost March, and after viewing more than 3 hours of the February 18 DCPS performance oversight hearing, I am struck by the odd way in which nothing said was new. OK, much of it was new to me personally, but none of it was new in a way in which I … Continue reading The Unbearable Lightness of Being [A Public School Family in DC]: Part 1

The city council’s performance oversight hearing for DGS, the agency in charge of all DCPS modernizations, is slated for February 25. During the hearing, expect to hear the following words uttered regularly, either in testimony or in grave tones by councilmembers on the dais: modernization equity; stabilization funds; debt cap; Ellington. So let’s talk about … Continue reading School Facilities Are Not Just About Doors, Floors, and Windows

In DC, there is no shortage of public education opinion makers--but very few clear lines of decision making, much less public authority in them. The ongoing discussion of testing out of courses in DC public high schools is an excellent example. The state board of education (SBOE), DC's only elected body that directly affects public … Continue reading High School Testing Out–or, the Battle Between OSSE and the State BOE

Soooo, now we have a cross-sector task force meeting schedule, kinda sorta, with the first one starting tomorrow (scroll down on that link above to actually see the dates): Wednesday, February 17, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (901 G Street NW) Room 417 Tuesday, March 22, Location TBD Tuesday, April 26, Location TBD Tuesday, … Continue reading How About Some Cross-Sector Task Force Meetings to Go Along With Your Snow/Ice/Cold?

Tonight, at 6 pm, the DC Public Charter School Board (PCSB) will hold a public meeting at the Gala Hispanic Theatre. The meeting itself was posted last week on the PCSB website, but did not have any information listed—just a note that it was a “special meeting.” A gala, perhaps, at the Gala? But earlier … Continue reading Now in DC Public Education: Celebrations and Endings

a bunch of things it ought to be discussing keep happening during Education Week: Today, for instance, Mayor Bowser and the Deputy Mayor for Education Jennifer Niles announced that several closed DCPS facilities would be turned over to charters. Just up Alabama Avenue from one of those newly minted charter schools is another DCPS school, … Continue reading So, While the Cross-Sector Task Force Doesn’t Meet . . .

Well, chalk it up to a new year, but we now have one-stop council education hearing sign-up, courtesy of David Grosso, the council's education committee chair. Sign up here for the following hearings, which begin in (yikes!) 2 weeks: Performance Oversight Hearings (all begin at 10 am) Wednesday, February 17: Office of the State Superintendent … Continue reading One-Stop Education Hearing Sign-Up

Maybe it’s in the air (or snow), but local control of public schools seems a hot-button issue for 2016. It’s not just a matter of a potential ballot initiative for an elected school board in DC, either: people of all political stripes have been energized by a movement to amend Virginia’s constitution to bypass local … Continue reading Local Control of Public Schools is a Thing in 2016

So, as reported on my school listserve (after it was posted on DCUrbanMom), DCPS is seeking feedback on its proposed SY 2016-17 calendar. The proposed calendar is here, and the survey is here. Sadly, DCPS itself doesn't make this process easy, if you wish to find (or just happen upon) this on the actual DCPS … Continue reading DCPS Wants Feedback on Its SY 16-17 Calendar

Last year, after his election, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked why he endeavored to have gender balance on his cabinet. He had a simple answer: “Because it’s 2015.” So, let’s talk about the real cost of closing DC public schools—because it’s 2016. Two years ago, in 2014, the DC public charter school board … Continue reading Let’s Talk About the Real Cost of Closing DC Public Schools—Because It’s 2016