Posts tagged Early Childhood Education
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DC provides pre-K education, but you still have to use a lottery system to get your child in. Here’s how it works.
DC’s public school system guarantees pre-kindergarten education for all three and four-year olds. But to enroll their children, families have to apply for a seat through a lottery system. And unlike Kindergarten and beyond, children don’t always get to go to the school closest to them. Here’s how the lottery works, and some tips on how to navigate it. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Go for the (bike + transit) goal
Bike it like Beckham; Wasted time, wasted money; Farewell along the C&O Canal; Reston gets bikeshare; Safety for all on the 7000 series; Bike playground; And…. Keep reading…
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Are long waitlists for DC’s public preschools hurting the entire school system?
At some DC Public Schools, the programs that prepare kids for kindergarten by teaching pre-literacy and math skills, like learning the alphabet and counting, are in such demand that many neighborhood residents are unable to enroll their children. If DCPS doesn’t expand the number of preschool slots where demand is highest, it risks losing those families to charter and other… Keep reading…
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DC is giving low-income babies and toddlers the kind of childcare they need
The District has led the nation in making public preschool available to all children from the age of three. Now it’s beginning to focus on improving child care for low-income children during the crucial years before three. Last month, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced an initiative that promises to boost the quality of child care for some of the District’s youngest,… Keep reading…
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A book-of-the-month club for infants and toddlers aims to narrow the achievement gap
A new proposal to send a book a month to every DC child under five could help narrow the yawning literacy gap between poor and higher-income kids, which has its roots well before kindergarten. But ultimately, disadvantaged kids will need a lot more assistance than a book a month to catch up to their more affluent peers. Spurred by low achievement among DC’s low-income and… Keep reading…
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Wondering why a preschooler would ever need to be suspended? Here’s an explanation.
When people hear that schools in DC and elsewhere are suspending preschoolers, they can’t fathom why these suspensions occur. Some policy-makers grab at quick fixes like banning the practice. But one underlying cause of preschool suspension is the slow process for identifying and addressing the needs of children with disabilities. My experience teaching… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Slow change
Mayoral meddling; A “pop-up” pause; The future of Tysons; Teaching parents; Litter enforcement; Purple line procurement; Poverty and pedestrian deaths; Meaningless buttons; And…. Keep reading…
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Morning bell: Standardized test scores inch up
Slow going: DC’s annual standardized test results show a slight upward tick overall, with 54% of students scoring proficient in math and just under 50% in reading. The charter sector continued to outperform DCPS, and the achievement gap between low-income and minority students and others persisted. (Post) Keep reading…
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Morning Bell: Charters take DCPS to court
DC charters allege unfair funding: A charter association and two charter schools have filed a lawsuit contending DC has shortchanged them $2,150 per student for the past six years. Public education advocates counter that regular schools bear added costs of serving all students and the larger community. (Post) Keep reading…
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Morning Bell: Improving outcomes for African-American boys
A new DCPS position: A professor of urban education is joining the school system to spearhead innovation and research, with a focus on raising the performance of African-American male students. (Post) Keep reading…