Today, a day after the presidential election and two weeks after a council hearing on school nurses, we here in DC know that --School nurses are vital to the health and well-being of our schoolchildren; and --School nurses are not vital to the health and well-being of our schoolchildren; and --The current system of school … Continue reading So, What Just Happened (School Nurse Edition)?

but you can see a few of them listed here, with the next one starting tomorrow: --November 7, 5-9 pm, at EducationCounsel, 101 Constitution Ave. Suite 900: this is marked as a retreat. It is not clear whether it is open to the public, although its listing on this public calendar suggests it is. --November 22, … Continue reading And Yet More Cross Sector Task Force Meetings (Not Obviously) Announced . . .

the rest of us in DC are left to ponder the many actual--and urgent--cross sector issues, such as --Misleading (and noncompliant) data for public school capacity and utilizations; --The misalignment between 5th and 6th grades in charter and DCPS middle schools such that enrollment is decimated in DCPS elementaries at 5th grade; --Schools in disrepair … Continue reading So, While the Cross Sector Task Force Ponders Creating By Right Charter Schools . . .

This coming Thursday October 27, at 10 am at the Wilson Building, the education committee of the DC city council will hold a hearing on the use and allocation of at risk funds in public schools. You can sign up to testify here before 5 pm on Tuesday October 25--or by calling 202-724-8061. (Written testimony can … Continue reading Help DC’s Most Vulnerable Students on October 27

Tomorrow, Saturday October 22, DC's office of the state superintendent of education (OSSE) is holding a parent and family engagement summit. It starts at 9 am and will be held at the DC convention center (801 Mt Vernon Place NW). Registration starts and 8:30 am--and breakfast and lunch will be provided. More information is here … Continue reading October 22: Parent and Family Engagement

The impending changes to DC's public school nurse staffing have prompted civic action: --The Washington Teachers' Union along with the DC Nurses Association is circulating a petition to Mayor Bowser, demanding that each DC public school have a full-time nurse. The petition has nearly 600 signatures already--you can add yours here. --The city council will … Continue reading School Nurse Petition and Hearing

This is what is left of my teenage son's bike helmet after he was struck by a car while biking two weeks ago. He went back to his DCPS high school this week, head and body intact--unlike his helmet, which most likely saved his life because he was wearing it. In DC, we talk a … Continue reading Why Education Is Important

Sorry for the late notice, but I just found out that two meetings of the cross sector task force are happening via phone--and one is right now, 1 pm, TODAY Thursday October 13. This is the phone number to call for both: 515-604-9350, Code 821824. The second phone call will be Monday October 17, also … Continue reading Cross Sector Task Force Call-In on Enrollment Stability–Happening NOW

Starting tomorrow evening, there will be two public information sessions concerning the change in the nurse contract (and thus nurse staffing) in all DC public schools: October 5, Dunbar High School (101 N St. NW) October 17, Thurgood Marshall Charter School (2427 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. SE). Both forums are from 6 pm-8 pm. DCPS has … Continue reading Getting Ahead of School Nurse Information (Which Appears to Be Behind the Curve)

This past Tuesday, September 27, the cross sector task force met. Since it started work earlier this year, the task force has held monthly public meetings to discuss issues relating to coordination and cooperation between the two sectors of public education in DC: charter schools and DCPS. The task force will continue meeting through June … Continue reading The Cross Sector Task Force & Orwellian Expertise