The new federal law to replace No Child Left Behind, called "Every Student Succeeds" (or ESSA, for short), gives more latitude to school systems to determine accountability beyond required annual standardized testing. The new law goes into effect in the 2017/18 school year, so in the meantime, our state board of education is seeking feedback … Continue reading Weigh In On ESSA Implementation

In any election year, who is giving money (and how much) tells a story. This election year is no different. As a start to seeing that story among DC education leaders and elected officials, I focused on donations to David Grosso of $100 or more, recorded by the DC Office of Campaign Finance from October … Continue reading DC Education Leaders and Campaign Money, Part 1: David Grosso

to testify at the next meeting of the state board of education on Wednesday May 18 at 5:30 pm. The deputy mayor for education, Jennifer Niles, will be there to discuss the mayor's plan for modernizing DCPS schools as well as address lead in water issues. Sign up to testify by calling (202) 741-0888 or emailing sboe@dc.gov … Continue reading Just a Few Hours to Sign Up . . .

Two updates as of today, Monday May 16: The city council--specifically, the education committee and the committee on transportation and the environment--will be holding a hearing about lead in school water on Wednesday June 22, 10 am, at our city hall (1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW). To sign up to testify, you can do so electronically … Continue reading Lead in Water, Part 2 (of an unfortunately ongoing series)

will be held by the council committee on education next Thursday, May 19, starting at 9:30 am. See here for more details and to sign up to testify. The mayor's appointment of lawyer Saba Bireda to the charter board (to replace an outgoing member's unexpired term) is interesting. Bireda has worked as a political appointee … Continue reading New Charter Board Member Confirmation

Whether intentional or not, a website about raising chickens in DC public schools, created by our office of the state superintendent of education (OSSE), is as interesting as it is informative. Among other things, the website contains a document created by OSSE and the DC Department of Health called the “Chicken Management Plan Template,” which … Continue reading The Chicken Guide (aka The Plan)

Several things below that may be of interest in the run-up to the June council hearing on lead in school water (no date yet): 1. A primer on lead in water strategies and questions created by parents at Capitol Hill Montessori at Logan for use by other concerned public school parents, including sussing out the testing … Continue reading Lead in School Water, Part 1 (of Who Knows How Many)?

Today, Thursday May 5, the city council education committee will hold a hearing at 2 pm (Wilson Building, 1350 PA Ave. NW) on its draft education oversight report and budget recommendations, before approving them. The draft report is here. The budget recommendations are here. Related: David Grosso, chair of the council's education committee, revised DCPS … Continue reading Council Releases School Oversight Report and Budget Recommendations

This Saturday May 7, from 10 am-2 pm, Playworks is holding a free Rally for Recess at J.O. Wilson Elementary (660 K St. NE), rain or shine. The rally is timed to ensure that recess is at the forefront of local school scheduling for SY16-17. In DC, for instance, it is not clear to what degree … Continue reading Rally for Recess, May 7, 10-2

Just got an email about this, so am passing it on, since it's slated to happen in TWO hours: Who: DC public school parents, staff, children to join with the environmental justice committee of the Sierra Club What: To present brown water to city council Where: Our city hall, Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW) … Continue reading Show Up at City Hall with Brown Water