Photo by bikinmom on Flickr.

Very few DCPS students attend their assigned schools: Only about a quarter of DC students go to the school where they’re assigned, according to data released in connection with the ongoing review of school boundaries and feeder patterns. And students living east of the river travel farther than students elsewhere. (Post)

Details on middle school exodus: The Washington Post polled DC parents and uncovered a lack of confidence in middle schools that leads many to exit the system.

Continuing anxiety over school boundaries: At a forum in Ward 2, Deputy Mayor for Education Abigail Smith faced a crowd of parents who fear their children will be assigned to lower-performing schools. (Current)

One charter will close its high school and another is taken over by KIPP: As part of a wave of closures and takeovers of underperforming charter schools, the Public Charter School Board (PCSB) voted not to renew the charter for Perry Street Prep’s high school and also approved the takeover of Arts and Technology Academy by KIPP DC. (Post)

Charter board postpones final decision on school for students with disabilities: The PCSB was scheduled to vote on revoking the charter for Options, where former officials have been accused of self-dealing. Instead they’ll hold a public hearing on the school’s future first. (Post)

Andy Shallal decries lack of progress in schools: The mayoral candidate pointed to the persistent achievement gap between low-income and high-income students in DC as proof that Mayor Vincent Gray’s reform policies have failed. (Post)

Two DCPS elementary schools want renovations immediately: Garrison and Murch say they can’t wait any longer for modernization and expansion plans. (Current)

Depositions begin in school closings lawsuit: In a civil rights lawsuit challenging last year’s closure of 15 DCPS schools, lawyers for the plaintiffs questioned Chancellor Kaya Henderson about the decision-making process. (Washington Informer)

Fairfax school superintendent wants fewer but better-paid employees: Karen Garza’s budget proposal calls for eliminating 731 staff positions and using the savings to help fund salary increases for those who remain. Fairfax teacher salaries lag behind those in neighboring districts. (Post)

More schools are moving away from suspensions: A New York Times op-ed applauds the growth of restorative justice programs and other alternatives to disciplinary policies that rely on depriving students of classroom time.

Magnet schools grow in popularity across the country: More school districts are embracing magnet schools as they come under pressure from charters and voucher programs, but critics say the schools siphon off the most motivated students and increase racial segregation. (NY Times)

Teachers’ union head says Common Core implementation is being botched: Although he supports the new academic standards in principle, the president of the National Education Association says that teachers aren’t getting the training, time, and materials necessary to make them work. (Post)

Upcoming events:

A Ward 6 Candidate Forum, focusing on education, will be held on Thursday, March 6, at Stuart-Hobson Middle School, 410 E St. NE, from 6:30 to 8 pm. Emma Brown, education reporter for the Washington Post, will moderate, and students from Ward 6 middle schools will participate.

Share Fair and STEMosphere are science-focused events for teachers and the public that will be held on Saturday, March 8, at George Washington University’s Charles E. Smith Center, 600 22nd St. NW. The events are free, but registration is required.