Posts by Natalie Wexler — Contributor
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Join us Monday for a talk with David Catania
Just a reminder that we’ll be hosting a forum with Councilmember David Catania, chair of the DC Council’s Committee on Education, on Monday, December 9, from 6:30 to 8 pm. Keep reading…
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Morning bell: Schools keep an eye on the budget
Middle schools are among DCPS budget priorities: At the annual budget hearing, Chancellor Kaya Henderson also said she wants to improve the district’s 40 lowest-performing schools and ensure student satisfaction. The school system is starting the budget process earlier than usual, and offering an online survey, to get more community input. (Post) More classes… Keep reading…
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Troubled school improves without relying on suspensions
Four years ago, Stanton Elementary School in Anacostia was the lowest-performing elementary school in the District and in danger of being closed. But partly thanks to an innovative alternative to suspensions, Stanton is now on the rise. According to those who knew its “before” phase, Stanton now is almost unrecognizable. Before, says Ashley Johnson, who has… Keep reading…
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Morning bell: Middle schools in the spotlight
One DCPS middle school dies: Shaw MS entered a downward spiral after the murder of its principal in 2010 and was closed at the end of the last school year. (WAMU) And the birth of another is delayed: In the wake of controversy over the quality of DCPS’s middle school offerings, officials announced that the opening of Brookland MS will be delayed one year, until the fall of 2015. Keep reading…
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Join us for a conversation with David Catania
Have a question for Councilmember David Catania, chair of the DC Council’s Committee on Education? Please join other Greater Greater Education readers and contributors for a forum with Catania on Monday, December 9 from 6:30 to 8 pm. Keep reading…
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826DC uses volunteers to get students to write
The tutoring program 826DC has hundreds of volunteers working with 3,000 DC students on writing every year. It’s fun and quirky, and kids seem to love it. But can the program really teach them how to write? 826 National, the parent organization for 8 branches scattered across the country, has been getting a lot of attention lately. The program, founded by writer Dave Eggers,… Keep reading…
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DC launches common school lottery website
The new common application and lottery system for DCPS and most charter schools has launched its website. You can’t apply or enroll yet, but you can start learning about how the process will work. The website, My School DC, is being rolled out in three phases: Learn, Apply, and Enroll. Families will be able to apply to schools through the site beginning December 16. There… Keep reading…
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Is DCPS ready to outsource middle schools to charters?
Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson told a DC Council committee on Friday that DCPS hasn’t succeeded in attracting families to its middle schools and suggested that the District should just funnel middle school students to charter schools. What was she thinking? The Council’s Committee on Education held a roundtable hearing last week on the plan to revise DCPS… Keep reading…
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Morning bell: What do parents want?
Test results every year?: With ongoing debate over whether new curriculum standards should justify a “testing holiday,” Jay Mathews asks parents to weigh in on whether they would be willing to go for a year without getting test results. (Post) No change in school boundaries?: Jonetta Rose Barras acknowledges anxiety among parents about the re-examination of… Keep reading…
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Does Catania’s scholarship plan promise enough?
Councilmember David Catania has proposed a tuition-assistance program that would help lower-income DC students pay for college. So-called “Promise” scholarship programs have been tried elsewhere, with mixed success. Catania’s program, unveiled a month ago, would provide scholarships of up to $20,000 a year to students who both graduate from a DCPS… Keep reading…