Posts tagged Schools
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Visit an abandoned Catholic school in Anacostia
Since June 2007, a three-story Catholic school in Historic Anacostia has sat quietly, unused and largely unnoticed. Last week, staff from the Archdiocese of Washington took me on a tour of the abandoned building, last known as the Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, with a small group of architects and contractors. Keep reading…
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MCPS superintendent responds to my Post op-ed
On Friday, Montgomery County Public Schools superintendent Joshua Starr responded to my Post op-ed about the inequities in the school system. But he didn’t provide any real answers. Last week, Dr. Starr spoke at the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board, and chair Evan Glass asked him what he thought of my column. Dr. Starr said, “There’s no shortage of self-professed… Keep reading…
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Plan to rank charter preschools is a good first step
The Public Charter School Board has proposed a new system for evaluating charter preschools, and some parents are up in arms. The system may not be perfect, but when the Board takes up the proposal on Monday it should vote to approve it. Last month the Public Charter School Board (PCSB) unveiled a plan to rank charter schools serving young children according to a formula that includes… Keep reading…
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Do DC’s standardized writing scores mean anything?
There’s been a lot of talk about the most recent DC CAS reading and math scores and what they mean. But another set of test scores, assessing students’ writing skills, hasn’t gotten much attention. What do they mean, if anything? The DC CAS has included a composition section since 2011, but the 2012-13 school year is the first time the scores have been factored… Keep reading…
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Morning Bell: What’s in the future for DCPS and charters?
Top five issues to watch this year: Will charters achieve equitable funding, resist outside regulation, surpass DCPS in popularity, be authorized by Chancellor Henderson, or gain access to closed DCPS school buildings?…Will DCPS get a boundary overhaul, combine its lottery with charters, retain popularity over charters, give closed school buildings to charters, or be affected… Keep reading…
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Montgomery schools can’t coast on their good reputation
A Montgomery County school board member once told me, “There are no bad schools in Montgomery County.” This is sort of true, but so stellar a reputation often distracts people from the real problems Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) faces, such as a persistent achievement gap, de facto segregation by class and race, and suggestions of middle-class flight. Keep reading…
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Happiness isn’t the best measure of student progress
Citing studies that show a connection between happiness and student performance, Montgomery County Public Schools are surveying students and staff on how hopeful and engaged they are. But it may not be a good measure of a school’s quality. MCPS hired national polling firm Gallup to administer the surveys, which cost $900,000 for 3 years of work and can be found online. Keep reading…
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DCPS will consolidate all elementary schools into one
This article was posted as an April Fool’s joke. Building on its successful effort to consolidate schools, DC Public Schools announced a new round of school closures. The new policy, tentatively named “One City, One School, will combine all city elementary schools into one campus, removing the wasteful overhead of running multiple elementary schools. Last… Keep reading…
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Morning bell: Sharing is caring
DC school facilities plan considers charters; DC truancy bill passes committee; New Jersey takes over Camden schools; Indiana vouchers upheld; New NAEP will test technology literacy; Innumeracy is like dyslexia?; TFA is actually valuable; Autism warning signs infographic. Keep reading…
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Morning bell: Look inside a school
High school life; Schools under mayors raise achievement; Rewards for “achievers”; Deputy Mayor Smith; Where to put Ward 5 middle school?; Maddening incentives; Pop Tart guns OK?. Keep reading…