Pace T. S. Eliot: in the wake of spring break and council hearings and PARCC, we in DC have what appears to be strange bedfellows and disturbing noises--including rodents and inequity--in regard to our public schools. At budget hearings this week, for instance, the DC city council heard loud and clear common concerns around DC public … Continue reading April IS the Cruelest Month

Tomorrow, Friday April 14, two new working groups of the cross sector task force will be meeting via phone to discuss at risk issues and school facilities. You can call in to hear the hour-long discussions (but not participate): At risk issues working group: 11 am Facilities working group: 12:30 pm Conference call number: 515-604-9300 … Continue reading Call Tomorrow for At Risk Issues and School Facilities

Now that the mayor has released her proposed budget for FY18, the city council will be holding budget hearings for all agencies involved in education and school-related issues on the following days (also highlighted in the calendar on the right): Deputy mayor for health and human services (oversees all health professionals in DC public schools): … Continue reading Let’s Talk Money

So, this is happening now, at DC’s public schools: --Parents threatened with deportation. --Parents late to pick up kids because of immigration officials at their door. --Immigration officials visiting metro stations during school drop off and pick up. --Student attendance dropping as a result of fear. As you may recall, in February Teaching for Change … Continue reading Protecting DC’s Immigrant Students

Last summer, for a short beach vacation, my family stayed at a hotel outside Atlantic City, NJ. Though blissfully dog-friendly, the hotel was surrounded by highways, so every morning I got up early, loaded dog in car, and drove to a nearby residential neighborhood with sidewalks for hours of exercise. Those neighborhoods my dog and … Continue reading Taxi Totalitarianism & Casino Choice

Now that we have a federal secretary of education on record as expecting a little education play for all her political donation pay, and now that we have had a well-funded education reform PAC phone bank its way to DC’s new (and test-heavy) public education accountability standards, what’s next with our city’s Public Schools, Inc.? … Continue reading Public Schools, Inc.

[UPDATE: See link to petition below] Yesterday, Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) sent a letter, signed by 50 people, asking that the state board vote for OSSE’s draft plan for ESSA. The state board is slated to vote tomorrow night. Many parents have testified against OSSE’s draft plan, as its test-heavy emphasis (now only 70% … Continue reading So, About That Letter to the State Board On ESSA (Golden Apple Edition)

Well, I seem to have missed the notice, but the second (and presumably last) public meeting on the mayor's charter school walkability preference is this Thursday March 23, starting at 6 pm at the Bellevue (William O. Lockridge) Neighborhood Library (115 Atlantic St. SW). More information is here. My missing this just might have had … Continue reading Charter Walkability Preference Meeting: 3/23

Next Thursday March 23, starting at 10 am, our city council will hold a hearing on legislation the council put forth in January to ensure every public school in DC has a full-time nurse starting at the end of 2017. Sign up to testify here. More information on the legislation is here. To say that … Continue reading DC’s Continuing Need For School Health Professionals

If you care that our by right schools are in decent shape for ALL children, sign this letter by March 19, demanding that Mayor Bowser and our other city leaders #fixallschools. Ward 6's education council, the Capitol Hill Public Schools Parent Organization (CHPSPO), is leading this effort to ensure that all DCPS schools are brought … Continue reading Sign This Now to #FixAllSchools