Posts by Natalie Wexler — Contributor
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What Kaya Henderson really said about middle schools, and why it makes sense
Some have criticized DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson for reported remarks that the school system should “outsource” middle schools to charters. Here’s what she really said, which happens to be something that’s well worth considering. Middle schools have been the subject of much debate, not just in DC and not just in recent weeks. We’ll take… Keep reading…
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Morning bell: Many DC residents are giving the mayor a thumbs down on school quality. Will a new official help?
Most DC residents give low ratings to public schools: Approval ratings have doubled since the mid-1990s, but a Washington Post poll shows that only 38% think Mayor Vincent Gray has done a “good” or “excellent” job improving DC’s schools. Former school official named to head DCPS effort to improve secondary schools: Former Interim State Superintendent… Keep reading…
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DCPS online budget survey seems to be magnifying one person’s voice
DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson has said that this year she wants to involve the public more in the budget process. But a DCPS online survey platform confusingly highlights one person’s views, even though officials say they’ve gotten 200 responses. In past years, school system officials have waited until the spring to announce the details of the following school… Keep reading…
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Shallal and Wells air views on education at mayoral forum
At a debate among mayoral candidates in Georgetown on Thursday, Andy Shallal said DC schools need more social services to deal with the effects of poverty, and Tommy Wells vowed to put high-quality elementary schools within walking distance of every family. The debate, sponsored by the Current Newspapers, featured 6 of the declared candidates, including Shallal and Wells,… Keep reading…
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Morning bell: Should centrally located Dunbar become a selective DCPS high school?
Dunbar High School group has been working on a plan to revive school’s glory: A group of parents and alumni at the struggling Truxton Circle school have been working on a proposal to give the school more autonomy. That could include greater control over which students can attend. (Post) One parent might applaud the change: A DCPS parent says schools that draw students from… Keep reading…
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First-year teachers, part 3: Training is important, but all new teachers need on-the-job help
In the first two parts of this series, we surveyed various routes to teacher certification and discussed the challenges of learning to manage a classroom. New teachers also need targeted coaching, opportunities to collaborate with and observe experienced teachers, and help with lesson planning. Keeping order in the classroom may be the toughest skill for new teachers to master,… Keep reading…
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First-year teachers, part 2: How do you learn to keep a classroom from spiraling out of control?
Yesterday, in the first part of this series, we examined three different pathways to teaching. Today, we look at one of the biggest challenges for any new teacher: classroom management. One veteran of Teach for America (TFA), now in his third year of teaching at a DC charter school with a high-poverty population, says that what’s needed for effective classroom management… Keep reading…
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First-year teachers, part 1: Is there any way to make new teachers more effective?
Yesterday we heard from a college senior trying to decide how best to prepare herself for a teaching career. Today we begin the first of a three-part series drawing on interviews with first-year teachers who came to the profession in a variety of ways. Nationwide, between 40 and 50% of teachers leave the classroom within their first 5 years. For DCPS, that figure rises to 70%,… Keep reading…
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Morning bell: Mistakes have been made
Some DC teachers got erroneous evaluations: DCPS revealed that 44 teachers received evaluations based on a mistaken calculation of the “value” they had added, as reflected in their students’ test scores. Half were rated too highly, and the other half too low. (Post) More troubles at charter school: New court filings allege that a former senior official… Keep reading…
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Three linchpins of education reform
What’s the one thing we need to do to make the District’s public schools great? There is no one thing. We need to do many things, all important and many interconnected. But there are three things on which we should focus, starting now. Keep reading…