Number of legally required elements that a March 2022 GAO report found that the DC public school charter board (PCSB) left off its 2021 annual report: 3 (out of 15) Number of those elements that PCSB told GAO could be found on its website: 2 (annual summary of reasons for denying charter applications and description … Continue reading By The Numbers: DC’s Charter Board, Regulatory Capture Edition

Total number of advisory committee members, as specified in authorizing legislation, for DC’s public education research practice partnership (RPP): 21 Percentage that must be appointed by elected or appointed officials not connected to the RPP: 100% Number appointed thus far: 20 Total number of originally scheduled public meetings of the RPP advisory committee: 6 Total … Continue reading By The Numbers: RPP Advisory Committee Speakers’ Edition

--On May 11, DCPS held a public information session about the new Ward 3 high school at 4530 MacArthur Boulevard NW. I found out by accident a few hours before the meeting started. (Yes, I have been a DCPS parent for 17 years. Yes, DCPS has had all my contact information for that time and … Continue reading Absurd Absurdities (And Other Recent DC Education Events & Info.)

On Monday April 4, I got a surprise—and not the kind that comes nicely wrapped in pretty paper. Months before, on December 6, 2021, two bills—24-556 and 24-555--concerning former DCPS schools Gibbs and Shaed, respectively, were introduced. This permanent legislation would extend until 2045 and 2046 (and potentially until 2070 and 2071) the leases of … Continue reading Locking Up Gibbs And Shaed For The Century (Darkly)

Last week (and weeks late), DCPS released the capital plan documentation required when it made public its budget in March.  The documentation marks a seminal moment in the continued disregard of the mayor and her deputies for the public’s connection to the public school assets held in its name. Basically, it is a plan to end municipally … Continue reading DCPS School Planning (AKA “A Hand Tied Behind The Back And A Foot In A Bucket Of Concrete”)

[Ed. Note: On March 7, DC’s office of the state superintendent of education (OSSE) submitted to the federal department of education an addendum to its state plan for accountability for DC’s publicly funded schools. In its cover letter, OSSE mentioned receiving public feedback. But that feedback was limited to four entities: a charter advocacy organization; … Continue reading Feedback For School Ratings And Accountability (And Seeing DC’s Plan In A New Light)

1. On March 30, the DC council will hold a hearing for a FUN bill (more specifically, the Fairness in Use and Negotiation for All Recreational Property bill, 24-0554), which requires public engagement on, and council oversight of, all exclusive use or license agreements for the use of DC recreational properties for a year or … Continue reading Catching Up On March: Events & Happenings

[Ed. Note: The following, by DC parent Wendy Cronin, is a description of a meeting held by OSSE (office of the state superintendent of education) for school leaders on March 14, 2022. Cronin’s summary contains important information about what OSSE is doing—and not doing—to protect students. You can also watch the meeting, which is about … Continue reading Playing (Deadly) Games With Covid

[Ed. Note: Back in 2019, in the wake of news reports and lawsuits concerning sexual misconduct in our publicly funded schools, I wrote this blog post, asking a question that we still--in 2022--do not have an answer for: how are parents to know that their children are safe from sexual misconduct in our schools, if … Continue reading DC (Still) Needs A Sexual Misconduct Policy For ALL Its Publicly Funded Schools

February has been busy for our schools, whether with bomb threats; a different sort of high school disruption (engineered by a billionaire with a 30% failure rate!); a lawsuit brought by former DCPS principals fired for opposing harsh treatment of students; a series on sexual misconduct at Duke Ellington HS; and a new DCPS budget … Continue reading Hey, It’s Budget Season (And Other Recent Unpleasantries)