- Bowser makes subtle change in D.C. school boundary position
- So long to the neighborhood school?
- 2014 Distinguished Educational Leadership Awards [St. Coletta PCS mentioned]
Bowser makes subtle change in D.C. school boundary position
The Washington Post
By Emma Brown and Aaron C. Davis
April 14, 2014
It was a subtle change, striking out a two-word phrase. But when Muriel Bowser, the District’s Democratic nominee for mayor, made that alteration to her stated position on a proposed overhaul of the city’s public school boundaries, it highlighted the issue’s deep political implications.
For many parents — especially those who have bought homes based on the promise of guaranteed access to a good school nearby — “choice sets” is a poisonous term, shorthand for replacing the certainty and community of a neighborhood school with the uncertainty of a lottery.
Last week, Bowser listed choice sets as the first of many “very good ideas” she saw in a controversial boundary reorganization that Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) has proposed.
Four days later, “choice sets” was gone from Bowser’s revamped public statement.
“Let me be clear about my position: I will only support neighborhood school assignment,” she said in her second statement, on Sunday. “This means that students must have by right, as opposed to lottery, an assignment to a school at the elementary, middle and high school levels in their area.”
In an interview Monday, Bowser (Ward 4) said her initial statement was misunderstood.
Choice sets are of intense interest to parents seeking clues about where the candidate stands in a debate about the future of city schools.
Gray’s proposals would redraw school attendance zones for the first time in 40 years to fix boundaries that have grown unworkable after decades of school closures and demographic shifts. But they also could fundamentally change how students are assigned to schools, and that has set off a citywide discussion about whether the District is ready to give up neighborhood schools in favor of lottery admissions that could scatter the city’s children.
Though Gray plans to announce a final plan in September, it would not become effective until 2015, after his term ends, ultimately leaving decisions about how to proceed in the hands of whoever is elected mayor in November.
With her initial support of “choice sets,” Bowser had signaled to many voters that she was open to forgoing traditional neighborhood schools in favor of admissions via lottery at the elementary school level. That position triggered immediate backlash.
Under Gray’s proposal, choice sets would replace a student’s right to attend one elementary school with lottery admissions to one of several schools located close to one another, including at least one school with a specialty program such as Montessori or dual-language instruction.
On Monday, Bowser said she does not support — and never did support — the central element of choice sets, replacing traditional elementary school assignments with small-scale lotteries.
She said she was instead interested in the other element of choice sets, which would provide specialty programs at schools in every part of the city and would give parents more ability to choose those programs.
“What I meant was access to specialty programs across the city that would augment a by-right assignment, not replace it,” Bowser said, adding that she does not favor any of Gray’s school boundary and assignment proposals.
It’s not clear how parents would exercise such an added layer of choice for specialty schools. “We have to rely on our experts to show us how it would work,” Bowser said.
A spokesman for Bowser’s opponent in the mayoral race, D.C. Council member David A. Catania (I-At Large) — who has vowed not to adopt any of Gray’s school-boundary proposals — accused Bowser of flip-flopping after seeing voter reaction to her first statement.
“Her position is clear as mud,” said Ben Young, Catania’s campaign manager. “The ramifications of these proposals on parents’ decision-making, on even things like the real estate market, are enormous, and it doesn’t inspire confidence when the city’s leaders don’t have a real substantive understanding of the proposals.”
Bowser campaign manager Bo Shuff objected to that characterization, saying that while Bowser’s original statement on the school proposals was “unclear,” her position on by-right neighborhood schools has never changed. “The commitment to neighborhood schools is absolute,” Shuff said.
So long to the neighborhood school?
The Washington Post
By Mike DeBonis
April 14, 2014
The longstanding ideal of American public education — the neighborhood school down the block, the community anchor and rallying point — is an endangered species under new proposals to expand lottery-based admissions throughout the D.C. Public Schools, The Washington Post’s Emma Brown reports. However, Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s effort to change school boundaries and enrollment policies in order to address the system’s inequities would only accelerate trends long underway — only one in four D.C. children attend their by-right schools. The rest have chosen out-of-boundary DCPS schools or charter schools. Said one parent who has eschewed DCPS for a charter school, “D.C. has created so many escape hatches — you don’t have to invest. … Maybe they’ve got to close those hatches.”
2014 Distinguished Educational Leadership Awards [St. Coletta PCS mentioned]
The Washington Post
The Washington Post annually honors the region’s best principals with the Distinguished Educational Leadership Awards, recognizing those who go beyond the day-to-day demands of their position to create an exceptional educational environment. Winners are invited to attend an expenses-paid four-day leadership seminar. Each local school district selects its own winners from a list of internal nominees. Some districts don’t have an honoree every year. Here are this year’s award winners.
Carolyne Albert-Garvey
Maury Elementary
D.C. Public Schools
"To be led is an honor and a clear path to causing rippling effects in my students' lives," wrote VanNessa Duckett, a fourth-grade teacher at Maury Elementary, praising Carolyne Albert-Garvey. Affectionately known as CAG, she arrived at Maury five years ago and helped transform it from a school largely dismissed by neighbors into one of the most sought-after academic options on Capitol Hill.
Jamie Borg
Glebe Elementary
Arlington County
"Mrs. Borg is an 'in the trenches' kind of administrator. Each morning you can find Mrs. Borg welcoming the staff, students and families into our building," wrote Kelly Huggler, a first-grade teacher at Glebe Elementary. "She has a warm, charismatic smile. The positive energy she emits is almost tangible. Visitors to our building are often surprised by the casual exchanges she has with all our families. ... A trip to the principal's office is hardly a punishment at Glebe. Our students are so fond of Mrs. Borg we use her as a reward. My first grade students work hard to master new text just so that they can read for Mrs. Borg."
Garth Bowling
Chopticon High School
St. Mary's County
"Being the principal of a high school is not the easiest job to have, and certainly not the most popular one," wrote Emily Gilroy, a senior. "But our principal, Mr. Garth Bowling, has managed to create many positive changes in his time at Chopticon High School. Mr. Bowling leads his staff and students by example, setting high standards for education, community service and leadership. ... One of Mr. Bowling's favorite ways to recognize student achievement is through his Friday morning 'Braves Bragging.' He enjoys taking the helm on the PA system to announce the many accomplishments of his students, from various awards, both scholarly and community based, to seniors who have been accepted at various colleges."
Neal Case
Gov. Thomas Johnson Middle School
Frederick County
"Mr. Case is best described as a visionary leader who is caring," wrote Jennifer Bingman, who worked with Case at Oakdale Middle School and is now a principal at New Market Middle School. "Mr. Case's caring spirit was evident throughout the building. At the end of the morning announcements the students said 'remember we love you.' Mr. Case initiated this announcement. I would regularly hear him tell students how much he cared about them. Teachers felt like he cared about them too."
Janice Corazza
St. Coletta Special Education Public Charter School
D.C. Charter Schools
"St. Coletta serves a unique population and it takes exceptional leadership to successfully manage the school and its community," wrote a parent, whose daughter attends the school. "Each child has individual and specific requirements and Janice makes sure that each need is met with an innovative and caring approach. The safety and security of the students as well as their individual educational goals are paramount in how Janice supports the children, their families and her staff. I have complete confidence and comfort knowing that Janice has provided an environment where my daughter's needs can be met and all her abilities nurtured and encouraged as best possible."
Ramona Crowley
Huntingtown Elementary
Calvert County
Ramona Crowley has been principal at Huntingtown Elementary for more than two decades and is described as "the walking, talking example of professionalism." Wrote Anthony Navarro, assistant superintendent of administration in Calvert County: "Dr. Crowley is a leader in the school system and among her fellow principals. Her positions are well thought-out and focus on what is best for students. Ramona is not afraid to question practices and systems for getting the work done, but she does so without being confrontational or abrasive. Dr. Crowley's humor and pleasant, respectful approach are invaluable as she leads and manages a busy, dynamic school."
Andrew Davis
Rolling Ridge Elementary
Loudoun County
Andrew Davis believes it is crucial to let go of the impulse to micromanage and to trust teachers to take on real leadership roles. “I have folks that the more responsibility they got, the harder they worked,” he said. “And the more they wanted to succeed.” Rolling Ridge was designated as a school in need of improvement in 2012, based on its state test performance. But the school met all of its federal testing goals in 2013. Nearly four in 10 students are learning English as a second language, and 62 percent qualify for free and reduced-price lunch.
Brandon Davis
Cora Kelly School for Math, Science, and Technology
Alexandria
Brandon Davis said he can spot leadership when students can explain what they are learning and how they can use it. Davis asks his staff to be single-minded about teaching students what they need to succeed in college. Davis said: "Some schools, as you get to the end of the year, get kind of lax. We don't do that. Every day, every minute of the day, we teach." In Davis's six years as principal, Cora Kelly went from a struggling school to one of Alexandria's top performers on state tests.
Robert Dodd
Argyle Middle School
Montgomery County
“I kind of thought being a principal was all about management,” said Robert Dodd, principal of Silver Spring’s Argyle Middle School, a magnet school for digital design and development. “I don’t think I realized how important it was going to be for me to know a tremendous amount about teaching and learning.” Dodd said he has enjoyed this part of his role. “I really love the whole art and science of great instruction, and what it means to create a great instructional program,” he said. Dodd has worked diligently to turn around Argyle, a school of mostly poor and minority children, and to, as one teacher put it, “give the best possible education to the students who needed it most.”
Sharon Ferralli
Four Seasons Elementary
Anne Arundel County
Sharon Ferralli has spent 38 years as an educator in Anne Arundel County, including 14 as principal. "Mrs. Ferralli is creative and innovative," wrote Catherine Herbert, a county regional assistant superintendent. "She is in a unique category of educators who has it all. She is a visionary and a seeker as well as having outstanding management skills. She demonstrates these skills as an excellent problem solver. ... She thinks out of the box to find what works in the best interest of students and teachers. If it is a student that needs to be motivated, a parking lot issue, a space issue due to enrollment changes, and/or teacher capacity that needs to be further developed, she demonstrates persistence, high energy, optimism and innovation in those challenges."
David Huckestein
Woodbridge Senior High School
Prince William County
David Huckestein said it is crucial to develop a sense of how far-reaching your decisions can be. Woodbridge High is one of Prince William County's largest schools, with 2,800 students. “Anytime, whether you are thinking about a new initiative or a simple e-mail, you have to think of the building in its totality,” Huckestein said. “If I make this decision, how will it affect the teachers, the cafeteria workers, the parents? You have to have that global perspective.”
Stacey Mamon
Manassas Park Elementary
Manassas Park
"To fully understand Mrs. Mamon's contribution is to realize that she consistently strives to provide the best education for all of her students, but also serves as a powerful force for adult growth and school improvement," wrote C. Bruce McDade, Manassas Park's superintendent. "Mrs. Mamon can often be found after school leading professional development opportunities for her staff. Like the students and the professional staff at Manassas Park Elementary School, our school division is considerably stronger because of her contributions."
Carletta Marrow
Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School
Prince George's County
Carletta Marrow says she knew that she would need to build solid relationships with students, staff, parents and the community. “The unexpected piece is being able to build relationships while dealing with the politics of the community requests and student requests, all while ensuring that the students are getting what they need,” Marrow said. “Then you have to address the political arena when it comes to test scores, zones and boundaries.”
Regina Massella
Howard High School
Howard County
When Regina Massella arrived at Howard High, the school had been deemed academically substandard and was in need of a major push. "She changed the culture by making it known that teachers must find ways to effectively evaluate student performance and to demand from students higher levels of performance," wrote Thomas Knox, a longtime English faculty member. "The feeling is prevalent among staff that she has made us better teachers. As a consequence of her emphasis on teacher planning and preparation, Howard students now perform in the top level of Howard County Schools, and among schools in the state of Maryland as well."
Mary Grace McGraw
Shirley C. Heim Middle School
Stafford County
"During my 20-year career in the Navy and my 18-year career in education, I have served under the leadership of the captains of five surface combatant ships as well as Navy, Marine, Air Force and Army flag officers," wrote retired Cmdr. J.E. Grayson, assistant principal at Shirley C. Heim Middle. "During my educational career, I have served under six different principals in five different schools. After having served under the educational leadership of Ms. McGraw for six years now, I can state without equivocation that Ms. McGraw is head and shoulders above any other principal I have served under and the equal or better of the senior military officers. Ms. McGraw is the epitome of leadership."
Jay Pearson
George C. Marshall High School
Fairfax County
Part of being a strong leader is being able to delegate, Jay Pearson said. Pearson has tasked one of his assistant principals to lead most aspects of the school's renovation, "which allows me a broader oversight," he said. Students, too, appreciate a principal who doesn't try to control them but gives them space to explore and push boundaries. Talley Murphy, a 2013 graduate who served as the editor of Marshall’s student newspaper, wrote in a nomination letter that Pearson supported the teens’ budding journalistic efforts. “Not only did Pearson give us the freedom and autonomy to produce a complicated, award-winning newspaper,” Murphy wrote. “But he also encouraged us to take on difficult topics, sometimes joining us in the classroom during production for extended interviews or conversations about stories relevant to the school.”
Kristin Shields
Mount Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary
Charles County
"Mrs. Shields effectively manages the school while creating an environment in which both students and teachers want to succeed," wrote Steven Timmermann, a physical education teacher at Mount Hope/Nanjemoy. "Teacher morale at the school is very high because they have a great place to work. Team spirit is exemplified by the many special programs and events that brings the school and community together."
Judith Williams
Grace Miller Elementary
Fauquier County
"Mrs. Williams spends many tireless hours observing, collecting and analyzing data to understand the strengths and needs of our students at Grace Miller Elementary," wrote Ronetta Reed, a second grade teacher who has worked with Williams for 26 years. "This data is shared with us to set goals and improve our instruction. ... Her unwavering determination to improve in all areas of education has created an atmosphere of constant professional growth and a positive learning climate."