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The Associated Press
Chili Bowl, schoolkids for chic French first lady
By Angela Charlton
Wednesday, March 31, 2010

WASHINGTON - Forget tea with Michelle Obama. Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, on her first trip to Washington as France's first lady, visited a school in a poor neighborhood and had lunch at Ben's Chili Bowl.

The ex-top model met Mrs. Obama later for dinner with their husbands - behind firmly closed doors in the Obamas' private residence quarters in the White House, leaving the curious guessing about how the glamorous four got along, and whether their children joined them.

The White House put such a clamp on the dinner details that not even the menu was released.

Kids at Washington's KIPP DC charter school were over the moon at their visitor and her entourage of bodyguards, and serenaded her with "Ain't No Mountain High Enough."

She read them a book from the Madeline series about a girl living in France - read it in English, which the Italian-born French first lady speaks fluently. When eighth-graders asked her about her favorite museum, she responded, to their delight, "If you come to Paris, I'll bring you to the Louvre and I'll show you the Mona Lisa, and then we'll go to the restaurant."

Bruni-Sarkozy took up a singing career after quitting the catwalk, and is now active in foundations fighting illiteracy and AIDS. She had surprised students at Juilliard Music School with a visit the day before in New York.

On Tuesday, after the motorcade bell rang and her school visit ended, she joined her husband and his 12-year-old son, Louis, for lunch at Ben's Chili Bowl, a diner that has been a longtime fixture in the black community here and now is a frequent stop for politicians and celebrities. Barack Obama ate his first meal at the local landmark several days before his inauguration last year.

Obama, standing alongside the French president at a White House appearance later, noted that the French are famous for their cuisine and remarked with a smile that the lunch choice - apparently a "half smoke" sausage - "shows his discriminating palate."

The Sarkozys' trip took on an air of family vacation. Louis came along to meetings on Capitol Hill with Sen. John Kerry and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy's gift to the Obama family was some Asterix comic books for the Obama daughters, Sasha and Malia.

The subtext of the family man image that Sarkozy was projecting was clear: Forget about those blog rumors of troubles in his closely watched marriage with Carla, who famously dismissed monogamy as untenable in her younger years.

Their visit to New York at times seemed a love-a-thon, as they were photographed kissing in front of their hotel and in the Boathouse restaurant in Central Park, and clasping hands before and after the French president gave his speech at Columbia University.

The French first lady, though, remains an enigma for her many admirers, as well as her detractors.

She charmed Queen Elizabeth II but has spurned fellow first ladies during other international visits. She travels irregularly with her husband, and is reported to live in her Paris apartment part of the time instead of in the presidential palace.

Still, she and Michelle Obama appear to have established a rapport in their few meetings - meetings often judged more as fashion faceoffs by two fit, well-dressed and confident modern women than anything else.

Tuesday night shaped up as no exception - if anyone managed to catch a glimpse of what they were wearing at the private dinner.

If not, the two women might be relieved that they won't wake up the next day to endless stories comparing their tastes.

Asked earlier this year about the public's high interest in her sartorial choices, Michelle Obama said, "It's surprising. It's something that's still sort of hard to adjust to, because it is not sort of a traditional way that people view the presidency, so it wasn't something that I was prepared for.

Bruni-Sarkozy in her three days in the United States has been photographed wearing at least six different outfits, from a wraparound black top and gray skirt at Columbia University, to wide-leg taupe pants at the school Tuesday. Her hairstyles kept up, with a swept-up chignon at Columbia giving way to loose tresses at Juilliard.

The Sarkozys left Washington right after the White House dinner for Paris.

Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.

The Washington Post
Reliable Source: Hey, isn't that: Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy order a half-smoke at Ben's Chili Bowl
By Roxanne Roberts and Amy Argetsinger
Tuesday, March 30, 2010

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy stopping off at Ben's Chili Bowl on Tuesday afternoon, and probably totally ruining their appetites for their private White House dinner with the Obamas that evening.  The supermodel-turned-first-lady (gorgeous, sporty-casual in dark slacks) visited a KIPP charter school in the morning, then rendezvoused with the president and his son at the U Street diner.  Chili burger, half-smoke, burger. ("Shows his discriminating palate," POTUS later told reporters.)

The Washington Post
DCPS enrollment holds steady
By Bill Turque
Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Bucking a decades-long trend of annual losses, D.C. public schools are holding essentially steady in the latest enrollment figures, showing less than a 1-percent decline from 2009.

Audited enrollment data released Wednesday by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) show DCPS with 44,467 students, a decline of 214 from last year's 44,681. Meanwhile, the city's public charter school sector continued its steady growth, with an increase of 7.8 percent, to 27,617 from 25,614.

The full report is available here on the OSSE Web site.

DCPS lost 5 percent of enrollment in 2007, 8 percent in 2008 and another 8 percent in 2009. In a statement, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) said public schools could see the first increase since 1971 in the next school year.

The figures are based on school counts taken in October, audited for residency and other factors. As is typically the case, the raw October counts were somewhat higher. DCPS reported 45,772 students in that census; charter schools claimed 27,953.

A total of 72,406 students attend District public and public charter schools, including students in the New Beginnings program run by the Dept. of Youth and Rehabilitative Services. That represents an increase of 2.5 percent.

The Washington Post
Judging high schools by students' college success
By Jay Mathews
Thursday, March 25, 2010

Montgomery County School Superintendent Jerry D. Weast loves numbers like most human beings love steak, and he shares what he loves. He dumps on me stacks of graphs and flow charts. They follow a familiar theme, the rise of student achievement in his district. But sometimes he surprises me.

Among the pieces of paper he unloaded during a recent visit was a blue, green, orange and yellow bar graph titled "MCPS Graduates Who Earned a 4-Year College Degree, 2001-2004."

Huh? High schools usually don't have that information. They can only guess how their students do in college. "Where'd you get that, Jerry?" I asked.

"National Student Clearinghouse," he said.

I knew what that was. I knew what the clearinghouse was trying to do. But I didn't know it had gotten that far.

The National Student Clearinghouse began to build its database of more than 93 million students in more than 3,300 colleges and universities to verify enrollment of students for loan companies. Now it is focused on informing high schools how their graduates are doing.

The clearinghouse gave me a sample report. By the 2008-09 school year, 23.8 percent of the Class of 2004 at a sample school had graduated from college, 15 percent were still in college, 28.5 percent were no longer enrolled and 29.4 percent were not in the database, and so had probably never attended college. About 3 percent had returned to college after dropping out.

These are vital data for someone such as Weast, the energetic, media-savvy leader of one of the largest and most successful school districts in the country. What he is doing with this information, others will soon do. Using the clearinghouse's data could change the way we assess and run high schools - public and private - in significant ways.

Weast used the chart to justify his efforts to get more students to take Advanced Placement courses and tests. More than 76 percent of those in the classes of 2001 to 2004 who had gotten a score of 3 or higher on an AP exam had graduated from college, the chart showed. Even among students who got a failing grade on an AP test, the college graduation rate was pretty good, 59.4 percent, compared with 24.7 percent of those who did not take AP.

Similar data are being used in different ways by the D.C. College Success Foundation. With funds from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, D.C. College Success has begun a startlingly ambitious, $116.million program to ensure a college education for about a third of the graduates of six public high schools in wards 7 and 8 in the next decade. Up to 250 students a year are getting four-year scholarships valued at up to $50,000, plus mentoring while they adjust to the demands of higher education.

Members of the D.C. College Success staff, led by Executive Director Herbert R. Tillery, work to raise their students to the level of successful college students revealed in the clearinghouse data. Louis Josey, a student at Maya Angelou Public Charter School, is taking the AP courses that the numbers indicate are helpful. The foundation helps Louis find tutors to help him over academic rough spots, mentors to guide his college application process and a four-week summer program at a college campus to boost his language and math skills and acquaint him with undergraduate culture.

Two other public charters, Friendship Collegiate and Thurgood Marshall, and three traditional high schools, Anacostia, Ballou and H.D. Woodson, also participate. The Gates foundation also supports improvements in state data collection and the work of the clearinghouse. (Bias alert: Washington Post Co. Chairman Donald E. Graham is on the D.C. College Success board.)

It will be intriguing to see whether the clearinghouse data inspire more high schools to focus more intently on what leads to college success. Even private school leaders, who rarely share student data, say they might release their college success rates.

If that happens, Weast will be calculating how his public schools compare and telling me all about it.

The Washington Post
Reggie Love helps Georgetown profs take victory in Home Court charity basketball game
By Roxanne Roberts and Amy Argetsinger
Friday, March 26, 2010

Now, does this seem right? A congressional team seemed ready to trounce a team of Georgetown law professors in a charity basketball match Wednesday night at Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School in Southeast. At halftime, the Hill's Angels were up 28-18 over the Hoya Lawyas. When all of a sudden, whom should the Lawyas bring onto the court but Reggie Love. You know -- the president's close aide/body man ... and a member of the Duke Blue Devils team that won the 2001 NCAA basketball championship.

Well, that turned things around! The Lawyas triumphed (49-42) -- as did the event's beneficiary, Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, which received $370,000. Reps on the Angels team included Patrick Murphy, Jeff Flake, John Boccieri, Brad Ellsworth, Gene Green, Andre Carson, Michael Arcuri, Frank Kratovil, Mike McIntyre. Rep. Laura Richardson coached.

The Hill
23rd Annual "Home Court" Congressional basketball game
By Christina Wilkie
Thursday, March 25, 2010

The "Capitol Hill's Angels" congressional basketball team fell to the Georgetown Law School professor "Hoya Lawyas" on Wednesday night by a score of 49-42 in the 23rd annual Home Court Game to benefit the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless. But it wasn't for lack of trying.

The ten-man lawmakers' team had a 28-18 lead at halftime, but the Lawyas had a secret weapon: President Barack Obama's personal aide, Reggie Love, a former Duke basketball star. Love's arrival late in the first half was a surprise to the congressmen, but as soon as the 6 foot 5 inch forward brought out his A-game, the momentum shifted to the Lawyas and the points quickly followed.

Coached by Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Calif.), the Hill's Angels were made up of Reps. Gene Green (D-Texas), Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Joe Baca (D-Calif.), John Boccieri (D-Ohio), Brad Ellsworth (D-Ind.), Andre Carson (D-Ind.), Michael Arcuri (D-N.Y.) Frank Kratovil (D-Md.), Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.) and Mervyn Jones Jr., the son of late Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio).

The game was played at the Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School in Anacostia.

Link to Web article that includes photos from the event: http://washingtonscene.thehill.com/party-events-pictures/archive/2999-23...

Politico
Law professors beat politicians
By Patrick Gavin
Thursday, March 25, 2010

Georgetown Law School professors proved they know more than textbook moves Wednesday night: They bested a crew of congressmen in the annual Home Court Charity Baskeball Game.

The "Hoya Lawyas" beat the "Capitol Hill Angels" 49-42 at the Thurgood Marshall Academy, despite a strong showing of politicos for the Angels, including Reps. Jeff Flake, Frank Kratovil, Mike Mcintyre, Andre Carson, Brad Ellsworth, Patrick Murphy, and Gene Green.

The Hoyas Lawyas, however, had Reggie Love, aide to Barack Obama and former Duke basketball star. Love turned a halftime deficit into a final victory for the lawyers.

The result was a reversal from last year's game. For the full game stats, click here.

Roll Call
Heard on the Hill
By Emily Heil and Elizabeth Brotherton
Wednesday, March 24, 2010

With March Madness in full swing, a bipartisan group of Members of Congress will aim for its own hoop dreams tonight, facing off against members of the Georgetown University law school faculty in the annual Home Court charity basketball game.

With Sens. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) at the helm, the Members - known as the Hill's Angels - will challenge the legal professors - the Hoya Lawyas - to raise money for the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, the largest provider of legal services for homeless people in Washington.

Other Members listed on the Angels roster include Reps. Michael Arcuri (D-N.Y.), Joe Baca (D-Calif.) John Boccieri (D-Ohio), André Carson (D-Ind.), Brad Ellsworth (D-Ind.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Gene Green (D-Texas), Frank Kratovil (D-Md.), Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.), Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.) and Laura Richardson (D-Calif.).

The Angels are coming off a big win in last year's matchup, when the team defeated the lawyers 48-42 (and helped raise more than $335,000 for the clinic).

Tickets to this year's matchup cost $20 (which includes a souvenir T-shirt!).

Notably, the game is being held at the Thurgood Marshall Academy, a public charter school with its own ties to Capitol Hill: Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) allocated federal funds to help renovate the school and its state-of-the-art gymnasium.

The Current
Board proposes to revoke charter of Ward 4 school
By Jessica Gould
Wednesday, March 24, 2010

When Elmer Grant moved to the Lamond-Riggs neighborhood nearly 50 years ago, it was a quiet place.

"Oh, it was beautiful," he said. "You didn't have any noise or any- thing."

But, said Grant, the leafy Ward 4 community isn't as quiet as it used to be. And he said Young America Works Public Charter School, a high school, is part of the reason.

"They throw a lot of trash, beer bottles, and things from McDonald's and whatever," he said of Young America's students.

Meanwhile, Grant said, "The faculty there use up all of our parking spaces."

And he said fights - at the school, along neighborhood side streets and at the nearby 7-Eleven - are common. "Those kids are kind of rough," he said.

Now, the D.C. Public Charter School Board is considering closing the school, which is located at 6017 Chillum Place NE. If it does, Young America would be the fourth school the board has closed in 11 years.

In a recent news release, board members pointed to a list of safety issues at the school, including a stabbing last fall and attacks on faculty members.

At the same time, the release said, the scores at the school are "profoundly" low.

In 2009, only 12.7 percent of students tested proficient in math on the D.C.

Comprehensive Assessment System (DC-CAS). That was up from 4.2 percent in 2008.

Twenty-five percent tested proficient in reading, up from 14.8 per- cent the year before.

In an interview, charter board executive director Josephine Baker said the organization has been working with Young America for months to improve the situation at the school.

"We found that we kept going back to the same things - that nothing seemed to change," she said. "And some things had digressed or gone downhill."

A spokesperson for the board said Young America administrators have until Friday to request a hearing to address the board's concerns. The board will then vote on whether to revoke the school's charter at the end of the academic year.

"We want to make sure the parents understand the reason behind the revocation," she said. "We always have a plan in process" to help students and parents find another school, she added.

A Young America administrator said she had "no comment" at this time. But some students said they would be devastated if the school - which opened in 2004 with a mission to prepare students for college and careers - were to close.

"They have chances for me to learn that I can't get at other schools," said Columbia Heights resident Markese Alston, 15. "They make sure we get a good education. They give us tutors when we need help, and they show enthusiasm when we don't understand."

And yet, charter-school advocacy group Friends of Choice in Urban Schools lauded the board's decision to begin the revocation process at Young America, saying it underscores the board's emphasis on accountability.

"The high performance of so many excellent D.C. pubic charter schools ... has set a bar by which the city-run schools and other charters can be judged," executive director Robert Cane said in a release. "Their success has encouraged the Public Charter School Board and D.C. Public Schools to challenge and take action against schools that underperform academically."

Joe Younger, who lives about a block away from the school, said several neighbors have voiced concerns about the school. "We have a number of neighbors within the community who are retired educators, and we've tried to be as tolerant as we possibly could in weathering these issues, but as time has gone by, they seem to have mushroomed," he said.

In fact, Younger said, many neighbors have begun to wonder whether the neighborhood - which is home to seven charter schools, including two high schools - has reached its saturation point.

"When you have that many teens and that many schools with those ages, you're going to have some type of disturbance," he said. "We're all for educating the next generation, but at the same time, there are a whole variety of safety issues that come into play." Advisory neighborhood commissioner Judi Jones said the issue is really about putting two high schools so close together.

Ideal Academy is located at 100 Peabody St. NW, only a few steps away from Young America.

"If you have two high schools across from each other, they' re going to clash," she said. "We just think you have to be more thoughtful about how you place them and where you place them."

Ward 4 Council member Muriel Bowser agreed.

She said the charter board should consider the number of schools in a given area when approving charter applications. "The board should look into what the impacts might be on the surrounding community," she said.

But Public Charter School Board deputy director Tamara Lumpkin said finding space is already difficult enough.

"Should more [D.C. Public Schools] facilities be made available, that would be very helpful in us being able to be more thoughtful about where schools could be located," she said. "But without that, it is very much dependent on the applicant's being able to find space wherever it is available."