Photo from DCPS website.

If you build it, will they come?: Almost two-thirds of DCPS schools have been modernized, some in dazzling ways. Many are high schools that are being designed for populations larger than those they currently serve.(Washington Business Journal)

Shootings near Ballou: Three people were wounded, two of them 17-year-olds believed to be students at the high school, located in Congress Heights. Ballou’s aging building will be replaced next year by a new $120 million facility. (Post)

Kids’ mental health: A new study says that at least 5,000 of DC’s poorest children aren’t getting the treatment they need. (Post)

Hearings on school boundary changes: Mayoral candidate David Catania, chair of the DC Council’s Education Committee, plans to hold hearings in June on the controversial proposals to change the way DC assigns students to schools. (Post)

Test scores get worse in higher grades: National tests show increases in 4th and 8th grade, but high school results have stayed flat. (Huffington Post)

Teachers less diverse than students: Almost half the students in public schools are minorities, but just 18% of their teachers are nonwhite. Locally, the disparity is more pronounced in DC and Virginia than in Maryland. (Center for American Progress)

Nationally, charter wait lists grow: A charter advocacy group says the number of names on the lists increased by 13%. (Ed Week)

Congress will consider encouraging charter expansion: The legislation would consolidate existing federal programs that help new charters start up. (Post)

Students in the dark about the Common Core: A new survey showed that only 29% of students in grades 4-12 had heard of the new standards that have been adopted in over 40 states and DC, and even fewer knew about the new tests associated with them. (Huffington Post)

But they know which tests matter to them: The same survey showed students understand that classroom tests evaluate them, and state standardized tests evaluate their schools and teachers. It also showed that the number of teachers who think too much time is spent on testing has decreased in the past two years. (Ed Week)

Upcoming events:

My Brother’s Keeper … Responding to the Call: Paul Public Charter School will host a forum on the issues facing boys of color in DC TONIGHT, May 8, at Paul PCS, 5800 8th St. NW. Doors open at 5:15 pm for a reception, and the forum begins at 6:15 pm.

Capitol Hill Classic: The annual 10K race, which raises funds for the DCPS Capitol Hill Cluster School, will take place Sunday, May 18.