Posts tagged Abigail Smith
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Tensions over DCPS-charter planning reflect different perspectives
Recent calls for coordinated planning between the DCPS and charter sectors have led to the fraying of a once-cordial relationship between the two. But the underlying tensions aren’t new. Recently, the DCPS Chancellor and the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME) have called for “joint planning” between the traditional public school and charter sectors that… Keep reading…
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Morning bell: Would joint planning by DCPS and the charter sector help or hurt DC schools?
What’s behind the conflict: Two DC education reporters and Deputy Mayor for Education Abigail Smith discuss DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson’s call for more coordinated planning between the charter and traditional public school sectors, and the resistance mounted by some charter advocates. (WAMU) Maryland educators oppose delaying school start date: Three… Keep reading…
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More coordination between DCPS and charters? Not if it threatens charter autonomy, says DC’s top charter official.
How much coordination should there be between DCPS and the charter sector? Probably more than there is now, says the Public Charter School Board’s executive director, but not so much that we return to the era of centralized planning. The DC education scene has no shortage of anomalies. Expensively modernized DCPS buildings that are half empty sit near vastly oversubscribed… Keep reading…
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How to assign DC students to schools? We now have a menu of possibilities
The committee working on changes in DC’s school assignment policy has floated some proposals. They’re not as radical as some feared—or perhaps hoped—but there’s still plenty of fodder for debate. The DC Advisory Committee on Student Assignment has been working for 6 months on the knotty issue of DC’s school boundaries and feeder patterns,… Keep reading…
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School boundary review, part 2: Parents at two Northwest DC schools want to keep current boundaries
As a committee works to redesign DC’s school assignment policies, some parents who are happy with the status quo are urging caution. In yesterday’s post we looked at issues the Advisory Committee on Student Assignment is grappling with as it reviews school boundaries and feeder patterns, which haven’t been overhauled since 1968. Today we’ll look… Keep reading…
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School boundary review, part 1: Committee grapples with a changed DC, while parents worry
The committee that has been reviewing DC’s school boundaries and feeder patterns will unveil several possible scenarios for a new assignment system on April 5. In the meantime, anxiety abounds in some neighborhoods. Keep reading…
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Morning bell: DC schools may get more money per pupil, but how much aid will those pupils get for college?
More money for DC schools?: A DC-government commissioned study has recommended that funding increase by about $2,000 per pupil, and that poor and other “at-risk” students should get more than that. The study, which will form the basis for Mayor Vincent Gray’s budget, also concluded that DC has not been funding charter schools at a level equal to DCPS schools,… Keep reading…
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The DCPS middle school plan, pt. 1: District-wide rather than piecemeal, with a chance of charter collaboration
This week’s DC Council hearing on school boundaries and feeder patterns gave the public some clues to the kinds of changes Chancellor Kaya Henderson has in mind for DCPS middle schools as she works on a plan to improve them. The ongoing review of how DC students are assigned to public schools has generated a lot of anxiety. With a number of low-performing elementary schools… Keep reading…
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DC begins to redraw school boundaries
The long-awaited, or perhaps long-dreaded, DCPS boundary-drawing process has begun. While it’s bound to be painful for some, it’s also long overdue. Yesterday a 20-member task force finally kicked off the review of DC school feeder patterns and boundaries that was originally supposed to have been finished by June 2013. The task force, led by the office of the Deputy… Keep reading…
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The Deputy Mayor for Education explains her role
We asked Abigail Smith, the Deputy Mayor for Education, to tell us about her job. Here’s her guest post. I often hear the following question: With a Chancellor, a Public Charter School Board, and a State Superintendent of Education, what does the Deputy Mayor for Education do? There are lots of cooks in DC’s education kitchen, and it can be hard to sort out who… Keep reading…