On April 17, 2014, Chan Tei DuRant was worried. The education aide for councilmember Marion Barry had been too busy to make the council hearing that day on DCPS renovations. But she desperately wanted to know if parents from Orr Elementary, in Ward 8, had showed up to testify about the sad state of their … Continue reading Parent Engagement in Schools: Part 3

Some weeks ago, the Progressive Policy Institute released a study titled “A Tale of Two Systems: Education Reform in Washington, DC.” The study was funded by private organizations that promote charter schools and concluded that in DC, charter schools have structural differences that allow them to “outperform” traditional public schools run by DCPS. The only … Continue reading A Tale of More Than Two School Systems

One of the most basic ways parents in DC engage with their schools is through volunteer activities. My kids’ public schools are blessed to have lots of parents volunteering as field trip chaperones; room parents; serving food at PTA dinners; making flyers about PTA events and posting them; and serving as sports boosters. One of … Continue reading Parent Engagement in Schools: Part 2

Our city’s office of the state superintendent of education (OSSE) has admittedly had a rocky road. The recent report by the National Academies on mayoral control of DC public schools noted how OSSE has been bedeviled by high turnover and insufficient data management—and yet manages to have a staff member for every 217 students (in … Continue reading Minding the Minders

This afternoon, the High School Credit Flexibility Task Force is meeting. And what they discuss may change your view of education in DC. Since August, the task force--run by DC’s elected state board of education (which approves graduation requirements for high school)--has been examining whether (and how) to change the standards used for graduation from … Continue reading What It Takes to Graduate from High School in DC

Have you signed up to join with others interested in public education city-wide serving on the cross-sector task force? If not, today, September 22, is the last day to sign up! The task force will develop a report for the mayor on collaborative practices between DCPs and charters. This undertaking is akin to the excellent … Continue reading Deadline is TODAY for cross-sector task force!

As it extends invitations to new food service vendors for school meals, DCPS is also seeking parent feedback about school meals. That feedback will inform what a new vendor may provide for school meals. Given the recent legal settlement regarding the prior vendor's practices (rotten food, late or missing deliveries, etc.), parent feedback now is … Continue reading School Meals and the Importance of September 30

As it works its way toward modernizing all its schools (many remain untouched), DCPS will soon be making two changes to the modernization process: running all school improvement teams (SITs) itself and changing the educational specifications (ed specs) that are used as the basis for determining what spaces schools should have and the size and … Continue reading Revisions to DCPS Modernizations

What does parent engagement in schools mean? Ask 100 people--and get 100 different answers. Here is what parent engagement looks like from the perspective of the agencies in charge of DC public schools: DCPS The chancellor has a parent cabinet for which DCPS is seeking new members. The deadline for applying is October 1. Members … Continue reading Parent Engagement in Schools: Part 1

I took two pictures yesterday, September 15, 2015, of separate campuses of my DCPS school, the Capitol Hill Cluster School. How does your school compare? This is a girls bathroom at Watkins Elementary. It has never been renovated since the building was built, in 1962. Watkins is slated to receive a first wave of renovation … Continue reading Eyes on My School: September 15, 2015