- Chancellor Henderson: We're listening, tell us more
- The 3-Minute Interview: Scholarship winner Daijon Rice [Friendship Collegiate Academy Public Charter School mentioned]
- SIMMONS: Students’ high hopes need to be supported [Perry Street Prep Public Charter School mentioned]
Greater Greater Education
By Jessica Christy
May 3, 2013
Chancellor Kaya Henderson reassured people via an op-ed that she is still pushing hard to make DC schools better. Unfortunately, her 535 words gave few details about her plans for school reform. The chancellor said, "People must think that if we are not angering the community, clashing with unions, creating discord in our schools and making headlines, we must not be making change." It's true that some residents who don't have children in the schools simply assume nothing is happening if education isn't in the headlines.
But to myself and many parents, this isn't the problem. The issue is that Chancellor Henderson's plans remain too opaque. Her current strategy of holding all the cards close to her chest and expecting parents to believe she's got a winning hand is causing unrest and distrust among the community. Many families are still stinging from elements of Michelle Rhee's tenure as school chancellor, and were further disenfranchised when Chancellor Henderson continued along the Rhee path of continuing to close schools. Parents are not yet ready to support the chancellor's leadership sight unseen.
Henderson writes that "we spent tense and contentious years fixing the most immediate problems" after she joined DCPS in 2007. I'm left wondering what problems she is referring to, and what they did about it. Highlighting a success could go a long way. She also writes that the district needs great teachers and staff, to support the teachers with "rigorous content," and motivated students and engaged families in order to "give students and families the education they deserve." Her three main bullet points give no real detail. The chancellor briefly references specials (art, music, and PE), foreign language instruction, and librarians. In fact, many schools are losing funds for librarians in next year's budget. The op-ed contains no details on what, specifically, is changing about these programs.
This issue goes beyond this one op-ed. Maybe the Washington Post imposed a length limit. But families have not heard the answers they need in other forums either. Nor have city leaders. In his opening statement at a DC Council hearing on the recent cheating scandals, Councilmember David Grosso said,
It has been six years since the implementation of mayoral control over our schools and there is still not a citywide plan for education.
Six years into this reform process and we still have embarrassingly low proficiency numbers in reading and math.
Six years into this reform process, and what amazes me is that we still don't have a simple, unified public measure for parents to understand how an individual school is performing.
Six years into this reform process and it's hard for parents to plan for their child's education because our policies and the landscape of offerings change every year. ...
This may appear to be a harsh assessment, but I have to ask: Who is guiding our education reform? Why does it seem that there are no guiding principles—NO PLAN?
A lot will be changing in DCPS in the near future. There will be fewer schools next year. Boundaries will likely soon change. Budget and facilities will shift. Enrollment is rising in many parts of the city. If Chancellor Henderson wants engaged families, she will need to give us more than a wink and a nod. Families want to understand where the district is going so they can make decisions about whether they will keep their children in DCPS. They also need to feel heard and valued. That is where Chancellor Henderson can really make change happen for DCPS students. We're listening.
The 3-Minute Interview: Scholarship winner Daijon Rice [Friendship Collegiate Academy Public Charter School mentioned]
The Washington Examiner
By Alan Blinder
May 5, 2013
Rice, a senior at Friendship Collegiate Academy Public Charter School, recently earned a $2,500 scholarship after participating in a Pepco-sponsored leadership development program. She'll start her college education at Bowie State later this year.
What did you learn from the program?
It opened my eyes to a different field. I was really nervous about the public speaking part where we had to get in front of everybody and present what we learned. We had a PowerPoint about public speaking, how to present ourselves and how to build a resume.
And the speaking unnerved you?
I never knew that we had to speak until the last minute. I had spoken in front of people before, but it wasn't as big of a group as it was at Pepco. I think it helped me get over some of my fears.
I know you want to become a pediatrician. Why?
I always had an interest in medicine, and I love just love kids. There's teaching, but I think medicine is more interesting. I think I want to be a neonatologist.
Do you think your experience with Pepco will help?
Yes. My mentor was a financial administrator, and I was sitting there and I realized that in the medical field, nurses and doctors have to do timesheets and contracts, and the offices have to deal with medical billing.
What have been your secrets to success?
I try to keep my goals in reach and try to do things that will help me get closer to what I want to do. I also tried to pick things to do that kept me interested and kept connected with teachers. A lot of kids -- and even myself sometimes -- say that it's hard to get into programs, but you have to know what you want to do and stay grounded on how you're going to do it.
SIMMONS: Students’ high hopes need to be supported [Perry Street Prep Public Charter School mentioned]
The Washington Times
By Deborah Simmons
May 5, 2013
Three brothers living in the Woodridge area of Northeast are depending on the White House and Congress to do right by all young people. Their names are Robert, an 11th-grader at Perry Street Prep Public Charter School; Zarrick, a ninth-grader at Archbishop Carroll High School; and Zuri, the youngest of the Franklin boys, and a fourth-grader at St. Anthony's Catholic School and guest of House Speaker John A. Boehner at President Obama’s State of the Union Address in February.
They are living examples of academic success, but the White House and Justice Department are throwing cold water on their hopes. Addressing 2011 complaints about school vouchers in Wisconsin, the U.S. Justice Department said last week that the program cannot discriminate against children with disabilities. “The state cannot, by delegating the education function to private voucher schools, place students beyond the reach of the federal laws that require Wisconsin to eliminate disability discrimination in its administration of public programs,” Justice said in a letter to State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers. The letter comes at an opportune time for the Obama administration as it joins unions to push back access to tax-funded scholarships and other school-choice options, and seemingly adopts the position that some states are attempting to privatize public education.
Asked if she had any words of encouragement about the popular program she would tell the president, the boys’ mother, Tara Franklin, said: “These scholarships give kids the opportunity for a better life and a better education. It’s a gateway to go get what you want to get. D.C. Public Schools sets young men up to fail." And, I might add, girls, as well. See, it’s not the Franklins' neighborhood school, John Burroughs Education Campus, a traditional school in Northeast, was a bad school. It’s that the scholarship program empowered Ms. Franklin to open new doors for her boys. She knew Zuri, who left Burroughs after the second grade, would do better in a challenging learning environment.
“I loved Burroughs,” Ms. Franklin said. “Zuri wasn’t really learning” in the D.C. Public School system, said Ms. Franklin, a stay-at-home mom to Robert, 16, Zarrick, 14, and 10-year-old Zuri. “He needed to be challenged because he was way ahead of the other kids.” And there was something else that gnawed at her. “They were doing a lot of [budget] cuts in DCPS,” she said. “Zuri began taking Spanish in the first grade and then [they] cut it out. They cut music and drama. My other son had taken French. It’s been great at St. Anthony’s. Zuri has a tough teacher. All my sons are doing better.”
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