Posts by Rahul Sinha — Elections Committee
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Why Marc Elrich is not the right choice for Montgomery County Executive
Marc Elrich is considered by many to be the front-runner in the Montgomery County Executive’s race. Greater Greater Washington has endorsed George Leventhal, but we know that many activists we agree with but for whom housing is not their top issue are supporting Marc Elrich. We wanted to explain why we believe he would be a dangerous choice for County Executive. Keep reading…
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DC has had rent control for 40 years, and it’s no longer working
High rent prices don’t represent a free market equilibrium, but rather the result of a distorted market that needs regulation. Keep reading…
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What is rent control and why do we have it in DC?
Over the past two years a number of efforts have been made to amend DC’s version of rent control, but larger unresolved issues remain if we want to maintain a stock of lower-cost rental units in the city. Here's what you need to know about the system. Keep reading…
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Allegations on test scores miss the whole story
DC Council Education Committee Chair David Catania has alleged that testing officials inflated the percentage of students reported as “proficient” on standardized tests given earlier this year. Officials say they were just trying to ensure this year’s scores could be compared with those from previous years. But according to multiple sources, the real… Keep reading…
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Choosing a school just got easier
Parents trying to decide which DCPS or charter school is the best fit for their child have faced a confusing array of data. But a newly launched website will give them easy access to information about which schools draw kids from their neighborhood, and more. The Open Schools website, created by a volunteer project called Code for DC, went live earlier this week. The site creates… Keep reading…
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Focus transportation on downtown or neighborhoods?
Should the design of major roads and our big transit projects favor moving large numbers of people in and out of downtown? Or should DC focus on making streets feel more like neighborhood streets, and transportation investments that help people travel within and between neighborhoods? This is the major tradeoff that residents considered in a series of public meetings that concluded… Keep reading…
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Catania’s reforms, part 2: Ending “social promotion”
Last week, Councilmember David Catania announced 7 proposals to restructure operations at DC Public Schools (DCPS). Yesterday we looked at a bill that would give some schools extra money, and school principals control over their budgets. Another bill would discourage the practice of “social promotion.” In social promotion, a school advances a child to a new… Keep reading…
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Catania’s reforms, part 1: School funding and autonomy
Four days ago, Councilmember David Catania announced 7 proposals to restructure DC Public Schools’ operations. I’ll look at each of his proposals in turn, starting in this article with a proposal to change how much money each school receives, and who controls it. Presently, DCPS gives funds to each school based on the size of its student body. With a few exceptions,… Keep reading…
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Daycare is education, part 2: Early childhood care matters
We know daycare in the US is high-cost and low-quality. We know France and Sweden provide better services at no cost to families. But do we understand how vital daycare is to childhood development and the economic and personal growth of their parents? Last month, I wrote about the difficulty of finding good, affordable childcare in the United States. While President Obama and… Keep reading…
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Does an “equal” education promote inequality?
Could it be that preparing all children for college, as most schools do today, is worse for most students than a non-academic, practical life skills education? Academics may want to consult deceased rapper Tupac Shakur, who felt traditional education failed him. Academics have long debated whether kids are best served by “educational equality,” in which everyone’s… Keep reading…