Yesterday, the deputy mayor for education (DME) made the announcement official: the cross-sector task force, to coordinate how charters and DCPS work together, is now ready to roll. The task force consists of 26 members, chaired by DME Jennifer Niles and former mayor Anthony Williams. The DME is the founder and former head of the … Continue reading Here’s Your Cross-Sector Task Force

In her blog post from the beginning of this school year, Suzanne Wells examined a phenomenon in DCPS neighborhood schools on Capitol Hill: the exodus of 4th graders from neighborhood DCPS elementaries to charter middle schools at 5th grade. As the principals of those neighborhood elementaries attested, the students who left to enroll in charters … Continue reading Where Have All the 4th Grade PARCC Scores Gone?

Right now, city leaders, education officials, and parents are poring over the latest PARCC test results for grades 3 through 8 in our public schools. There have been, and will be, many things written about these test results. Some will tout the results as evidence that one sector or set of schools or approaches is … Continue reading PARCC and the “Elsewhere” Schools

This picture, taken today, November 20, 2015, is of the north sidewalk on the 500 block of A St. NE, on Capitol Hill. The concrete sidewalk shown here will soon be jackhammered and replaced with bricks. Passed in 1985, DC municipal regulation 24-1200 says that whenever a repair is deemed necessary for a portion of … Continue reading Stuff We Spend Our City Money On

DCPS is currently surveying parents for their thoughts on extending the school day and year. The agency notes that the feedback it receives will “inform” the budget for next fiscal year. Given the poor attendance at the public hearing the other week for DCPS’s FY 17 budget, it is admirable that DCPS is asking for … Continue reading Loooonger Schools Days, Years

The Washington Teachers' Union, in partnership with First Books, will be sorting 40,000 free and new books today (Friday Nov. 13th) and then distributing them tomorrow (Saturday November 14, 9 am- 3 pm), to give to preK-12th grade students, teachers, families and libraries. This is a great chance to build classroom libraries, and volunteers may … Continue reading Help Needed for Free Books for Schools: Tomorrow, Saturday November 14

Perhaps the best person in DC to speak with deep experience about school modernizations is Mary Filardo, executive director of the 21st Century School Fund. At last Monday’s council hearing on DCPS modernizations, Filardo presented a list of the basic elements of well-managed capital improvement programs: 1. Accurate information systems 2. Comprehensive, multifaceted planning 3. … Continue reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective School Modernizations

The Post recently ran a story about the imminent closure of Wilkinsburg High School, on the eastern edge of Pittsburgh. Then, following up, Post writer Valerie Strauss wrote a piece titled “Yes, this stuff is still happening in US schools—and it’s still wrong.” For me, that imminent closure is somewhat personal: my dad graduated from … Continue reading Closing Our Schools, Closing Ourselves

UPDATE: The hearing on legislation for youth suicide prevention and the School Climate Survey Act and assessment of children of incarcerated parents has been reconvened for 2 pm on Thursday, November 12. The education committee of the council heard testimony on the original hearing date of October 27, but you can sign up by November … Continue reading Update: Reconvened Ed. Committee Hearing, November 12

So we here in DC have test results--some preliminary numbers for the new PARCC test from SY 14-15 (high school test scores now, the rest by the end of November) and NAEP scores. Both DCPS and the charter board seem happy because the test scores, while not great overall, show a relative upward trajectory (relative … Continue reading Testing, Testing, One, Two—HEY! Is Anyone Listening?