Will someone take my daughter, please?

She’s very friendly. Likes sports. Has “great” attention span.  Is fairly charismatic and eager to start school .

Currently, she has virtually no where to begin her school experience in the fall. Our current boundary school is Bruce-Monroe Elementary, whose fate is in limbo ever since it was moved to Park View while the new Bruce Monroe is being built. In 2008 Chancellor Rhee closed the school along with 22 others, citing under-enrollment or poor physical conditions as the reason. However, demolition of the old school building just finished last month. And instead of reopening in fall of 2011 as originally intended, it is expected that our neighborhood will not see another school for at least another 3 to 5years.

Not wanting to go far from our neighborhood on Georgia Avenue, my wife and I visited nearly a dozen schools in Wards 1 and 2. None of them blue ribbon or “west-of-the-park” schools as conventional wisdom would suggest, just places we thought our daughter would be physically safe and academically challenged.    

Through DCPS’ lottery system we were able to apply to a maximum of 6 schools outside our “boundary”. The result… we did not get into any of our choices and were no lower on the waiting list than the 25^th spot.  The Out-of-Boundary Lottery allows parents to apply for kindergarten through 12th grade at a different DCPS school than their child's assigned school(s). As an advocate for DC Public Schools, I am thrilled that the demand for even moderately performing elementary schools is seemingly so high. Some schools like Bancroft and Thompson took no kids or less than four in the upcoming year’s new class of Pre-K students. However, where does this leave our child? Bruce-Monroe at Park View--while a very quaint school community--has struggled to meet AYP, sits in a 100 year old building, and is still transitioning aggressively to meet the needs of their 56% English Language Learner population. 

My wife and I cannot afford private school. And while, Ward 1 hosts some of this city’s best charter schools, the varying level of academic standards and quality of school facilities concerns us, considerably. More importantly, shouldn’t the public school system be relied upon to support local school communities?

We have less than 100 days until the new school year starts and she desperately needs a quality public school option in or near our own neighborhood.  

Jeff Smith

Executive Director, DC VOICE

What A New Contract for Washington's Teachers Could Signal for Professional Development

Although recent controversial news about DC Public Schools’ (DCPS) newfound budget surplus has overshadowed the release of Washington Teacher’s Union (WTU) and DCPS’ much awaited collective bargaining agreement on April 7th, there is still much to be celebrated. There has been an on-going negotiation between WTU and DCPS’ administration for the last two years, as teacher’s professional needs and student’s academic needs were seemingly coming into conflict. On the new agreement, the joint press release from both parties stated:

“We worked through our differences to come up with a plan for education that best serves the needs of D.C.’s schoolchildren. We never veered from the principle that we must raise academic and teaching standards while also treating teachers fairly and giving them the tools and conditions they need to be effective in the classroom.

“Our combined efforts at the bargaining table have produced an agreement that reflects the importance and value of great teachers in raising the academic achievement of students....the agreement offers a system of checks and balances that will ensure greater accountability from teachers and administrators.”

Specifically, DC VOICE is excited about new terms concerning Professional Development, as it coincides with the platform for our Equity Campaign. Included in Article 2 of the new contract are: 1) targeted Professional Development opportunities to help teachers improve their instructional practices based on DCPS’ Teaching and Learning Framework; 2) funding for three new “high functioning” teacher training centers, intended to organize school personnel into learning communities with clear goals and standards; 3) a city-wide support unit to be guided by a new "Teachers Center Policy Board;" and 4) agreement by WTU and DCPS to form a joint committee to develop and implement a comprehensive mentoring and induction program, intended to provide a continuum of Professional Development for all teachers and specific supports for new teachers during their first three years. To begin, both parties agreed to form the Full and Equal Partnership Committee (FEP). It will consist of the Chancellor and the President of the WTU and as many designees (an equal number from DCPS and the WTU) as they deem appropriate. The intention is that this board will be responsible for implementing the terms of the agreement and that they meet standards established by Office of the State Superintendent of Education.

As one of DC VOICE’s main priorities has been for every Local Education Agency to develop, fund, and publish a comprehensive professional development plan, this contract agreement proves that the voice of all stakeholders are being considered in decisions to bring better educational opportunities to DC Public Schools.

For more information and to read the entire agreement, click here.

Community Schools Report Release

In association with the Community Schools legislation, DC VOICE and the Coalition for Community Schools at the Institute for Educational Leadership has written a Community Schools report to share with the community to further understand benefits a community school offers students and families.

Community Schools Report 2010

If you would like a hard copy of the Community Schools report, please send an email to skashim@dcvoice.org.

School Communities & Community Schools: A Teach-In

Involved communities and parents help increase student achievement. When a community is informed about what is going on and empowered to be active in the decision-making, the result is high quality teaching and learning in schools. 

Delays in the redevelopment processes at both Bruce-Monroe/Park View and Turner/Green provide case studies of what happens when promises to a community and its parents are not only broken, but when there is no communication about what will happen next. 

The pending coomunity schools legislation proposed to City Council by DC VOICE provides a picutre of what is possible if "traditional" schools become community schools, which stay open longer and offer multiple services availble to students, families, and the surrounding community. 

 Come to the Teach-In sessions this

Thursday, April 15th, to learn more.

Engage in small group discussions about the facts,

and make recommendations for taking action.

THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010

1:30pm @ Bruce-Monroe/Park View ES

3560 Warder St. NW

TO RSVP, PLEAE CALL 202-986-8535 or EMAIL events@dcvoice.org

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!!

(Refreshments will be served.)

Demand Reform. Demand Equity.

- DC VOICE