Posts by Natalie Wexler — Contributor
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Five lessons one woman’s story teaches us about poverty and education in DC
Over two decades ago, Tenille Warren was a student at a high-poverty junior high school in Southeast DC. Last week, at the age of 37, she started college. What happened in between holds lessons for anyone trying to improve educational outcomes for low-income students. According to a story in Sunday’s New York Times, when Warren was a student at Kramer Junior High—now… Keep reading…
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Some see the DCPS-charter relationship breaking down, but charter leaders disagree
Shortly before the advisory committee on school boundaries and feeder patterns released its final proposal, the DC Public Charter School Board’s representative resigned in protest over one of the committee’s recommendations. Does that move reflect a deepening rift between the charter and traditional public school sectors? It depends on who you ask. There’s… Keep reading…
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Reassign students before improving school quality, not the other way around
Both of the leading candidates in the DC mayoral race have come out against Mayor Gray’s new school assignment plan, saying school quality should be addressed first. But reassigning students may be the only real way to inspire parent confidence in less desirable schools. Councilmember and mayoral candidate David Catania announced yesterday that he will “take… Keep reading…
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Anxious about the new school boundaries? Here are some things to consider.
Last week DC Mayor Vincent Gray accepted the new school boundaries and feeder patterns proposed by the advisory committee that has been working on the issue for the past 10 months. While some residents have legitimate concerns about the change, it may not prove as bad as they fear. Even after the committee backed away from the more radical proposals it floated in April, the plan… Keep reading…
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Does education reform have to be impersonal?
Do education reformers rely on “impersonal” solutions, as a recent New York Times op-ed argues? Not from what I’ve seen in DC. Teachers care about students, but the effects of their caring are hard to measure. And caring may not be enough. Today’s education reformers ignore the “inherently complicated and messy human relationships”… Keep reading…
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A summer break, and then some changes
Greater Greater Education will be on hiatus until August 19th because I’ll be out of town. When I return, there will be a few changes. Keep reading…
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A school choice advocate argues for a student assignment proposal that no longer exists
An op-ed in yesterday’s Washington Post expressed support for a “recently released proposal” that would shift DC from a system of neighborhood schools toward “a geographically broader school assignment process.” But that proposal, which DC officials put forward in April, was abandoned months ago in favor of one that would keep neighborhood… Keep reading…
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Morning bell: Back to Latin at some schools, onward to technology at others
Latin and literacy: Some educators, including a few in DC, are advocating spoken Latin as a remedy for literacy problems, including those among low-income and special-education students. At School Without Walls @ Francis-Stevens, Latin begins in preschool. (Post) Keep reading…
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The promise, and the limits, of tutoring
Tutoring can be an effective way to bring a struggling reader up to grade level. But, as I discovered when I volunteered with one highly regarded tutoring program, it isn’t always easy. And it may not be the whole solution to a problem that is at the root of the achievement gap. If a child isn’t reading on grade level by 3rd grade, chances are she’ll never catch up. Keep reading…
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Morning bell: Changes ahead
What Common Core means in practice: On the Kojo Nnamdi show, two local educators discuss how the new Common Core State Standards will change the way teachers teach. (WAMU) Keep reading…