Posts by Laura Dallas McSorley — Guest Contributor
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Education leaders want to end application “madness”
Parents trying to apply to out-of-boundary DC public schools or charter schools have to deal with a dizzying array of separate applications and last-minute shuffles. “It’s madness we’ve sent parents through,” said Councilmember David Catania last night, and called for a unified application and lottery for DCPS and charter schools. Catania was… Keep reading…
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Don’t forget about playgrounds
Playgrounds serve an important role in child development. They’re not just luxuries or “add-ons” in neighborhoods. Playgrounds and public parks are where children in cities gain crucial physical and social skills. To maximize learning during and after school, especially for our youngest learners, we should think about playgrounds as a public educational… Keep reading…
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Shocking rhetoric from John Townsend and AAA
This week’s Washington City Paper cover story quoted AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesman John Townsend calling Greater Greater Washington editor David Alpert “retarded” and a “ninny,” and comparing Greater Greater Washington to the Ku Klux Klan. Many other reporters, people on Twitter, and residents generally have clearly stated in response… Keep reading…
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When DCPS closes a school, what happens to the building?
DC Public Schools plans to close 15 schools, based on declining enrollment and changing demographics. This isn’t a new experience; DC closed other schools in 2008. What happened to those school spaces? There have been many debates in DC, and nationally, about whether it’s wise to close schools. But if schools do indeed close, it’s also worth talking about… Keep reading…
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There’s much to celebrate about pre-K in DC
As a former teacher, passionate education watcher, and eventual future parent in DC, there are a lot of things I want to change about the way we educate kids. It’s easy to overlook where we’re doing well and have already improved greatly. One such area is pre-kindergarten education. President Obama made early childhood education a central focus of his State of the… Keep reading…