The resignation of D.C. Schools Chancellor Antwan Wilson in the wake of two embarrassing scandals at the high school level could provide D.C. schools with an opportunity to change course and regain its reputation as a national model of education reform. But that can only happen if officials recognize the true source of both scandals: elementary school, long considered the bright spot in the system. Continue reading this post on The Washington Post website. … [Read more...]
The DCPS scandal that (almost) no one is talking about
While the scandal at Ballou High School has focused on attendance and other unmet graduation requirements, one DC Public School parent’s emotional testimony before members of the DC Council last month got to the heart of the problem: many kids aren’t being taught anything of substance in the crucial elementary years. And officials seem unable or unwilling to do much about it. In November, NPR and local affiliate WAMU revealed that most of the students who graduated from Ballou last year … [Read more...]
Test scores may rise or fall, but the achievement gap persists
On Tuesday, officials released dismal scores from the new Common Core-aligned tests students in the District took last spring. The next day, another set of scores showed DC students improving faster than those in the rest of the country. One thing that was consistent in the results was a large gap between rich and poor. The first set of scores, on standardized tests known as PARCC, showed that only 25% of DC high school students were "college and career ready" in English. Even worse, … [Read more...]
Some DCPS schools have to cope with an influx of midyear transfers
Thousands of DC students switch schools midyear, especially at some high schools that are part of the DC Public School system. That has negative consequences both for the students who switch and the schools they enter. A recent report from DC's Office of the State Superintendent of Education found that over 92% of DC students remain in the same school throughout the year, based on data from 2011 through 2014. Some have hailed that as proof that the system is fundamentally stable. But … [Read more...]
It’s more expensive to live in a good school district, with a few exceptions
Generally speaking, higher test scores at a DC Public School elementary school correlate with higher housing costs. But there are a few "bargain" neighborhoods, and one outlier school that's surrounded by pricey housing despite low scores. The median price of a typical three-bedroom home within the attendance zone of a top-scoring DCPS elementary school is over $800,000, according to District Measured, a blog produced by DC's Office of Revenue Analysis. At those schools, largely in … [Read more...]
A redeveloped mixed-income neighborhood revives a closed DCPS school
At a time of alleged cost overruns and mismanagement on school construction projects and delays in long-promised renovations, does it make sense to spend $28 million to reopen a dilapidated DC Public School? It might, if the school holds the promise of providing a high-quality education to a permanently diverse group of students. A year ago, some parents and community activists feared DCPS might not follow through on a pledge to reopen a shuttered elementary school in the redeveloped Capitol … [Read more...]