Today, we announced the new members of our High School Graduation Requirements Task Force! This initiative, announced earlier this month, marks an historic city-wide effort to review, analyze and, as necessary, make thoughtful, implementable recommendations to adjust DC’s high school graduation requirements for all DCPS and public charter school students. The Task Force, under the leadership of Ward 1 representative Laura Wilson Phelan and Ward 8 representative Markus Batchelor, will consist of 26 members who will provide unique insights relevant to high school graduation.
The application period closed at 12:00 noon on Friday, June 23, 2017. Each application was subsequently anonymized to ensure objectivity in selection. The SBOE Educational Excellence & Equity Committee reviewed each application and selected the following members to serve on the task force. To view a list of everyone who applied to the task force, click here.
The SBOE is excited to work with such diverse voices, including representatives from our education governing bodies, on such an important issue. Below are the selected members of the Task Force.
Laura Wilson Phelan (co-chair)
• Ward 1 Representative, SBOE
• Chair, SBOE Educational Excellence & Equity Committee
Markus Batchelor (co-chair)
• Ward 8 Representative, SBOE
• Chair, SBOE Public Engagement & Outreach Committee
Celine Fejeran
• Deputy Director, Raise DC
• Public Charter School Parent
• Ward 5 Resident
Cara Fuller
• Principal, DCPS Ballou Stay High School
• 5 years experience as Principal
• Ward 8 Resident
Carol Randolph
• Chief Operating Officer, DC Students Construction Trades Foundation (Ward 7)
• 16 years working to expand trade skills in District schools
• Ward 4 Resident
Cathy Reilly
• Executive Director, Senior High Alliance of Parents, Principals and Educators (S.H.A.P.P.E.)
• Ward 4 Education Alliance, C4DC
• Ward 4 Resident
Cosby Hunt
• Senior Officer of Teaching & Learning, Center for Inspired Teaching
• Public Charter School Parent
• Ward 5 Resident
David Tansey
• Math Teacher, DCPS McKinley Tech High School (Ward 5)
• Math for America, Washington Teacher’s Union (WTU)
• Ward 5 Resident
Dwan Jordon
• Senior Advisor for High School Research, Friendship PCS
• Former Principal, Sousa MS (DCPS); Friendship Collegiate PCHS (Ward 7)
• Ward 4 Resident
Jahari Shelton
• Student, Sidwell Friends School
• Aspen Institute’s National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development
• Ward 7 Resident
Jimell Sanders
• Director of Engagement, DC Language Immersion Project
• DCPS Parent
• Ward 7 Resident
Julie Camerata
• Executive Director, DC Special Education Cooperative
• Public Charter Middle School Parent
• Ward 1 Resident
Karla Reid-Witt
• Family Dynamics Specialist, JumpStart
• DCPS High School Parent
• Ward 7 Resident
Kimberly Martin
• Principal, DCPS Wilson High School
• 15 years experience as High School Principal
• DCPS Parent
• Ward 3 Resident
Larry R. Greenhill, Sr.
• Vice President, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 26
• 20 years experience with District apprenticeship programs
• Ward 8 Resident
Latisha Chisholm
• Special Education Coordinator, Anacostia High School
• Former English, Science, and Special Education Teacher
• Ward 8 Resident
Sandra Jowers-Barber, Ph.D.
• Director, Division of Humanities, University of the District of Columbia Community College (UDC-CC)
• Former History Professor
• Ward 4 Resident
Sanjay K. Mitchell
• Director of College & Alumni Programs, Thurgood Marshall Academy PCHS
• Former Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions
• Ward 7 Resident
Senovia L. Hurtado
• Bilingual School Counselor, School Without Walls
• DCPS High School Parent
• Ward 5 Resident
Shenita Ray
• Director of Online Operations, Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies
• 10 years experience in higher education
• Ward 5 Resident
Tom Brown
• Executive Director, Training Grounds, Inc.
• DCPS / Public Charter School Parent
• Ward 7 Resident
Erin Bibo
• Deputy Chief, College & Career Programs, DC Public Schools (DCPS)
Jane Spence
• Deputy Chief, Secondary Schools (MS/HS), DC Public Schools (DCPS)
Justin Tooley
• Special Assistant for Legislation & Policy, Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE)
Naomi DeVeaux
• Deputy Director, DC Public Charter School Board (PCSB)
SBOE Student Representative
• Member of 2017-2018 Student Advisory Committee, SBOE (TBA)
This task force will examine the following questions and recommend changes to the graduation requirements based on its findings:
- What do we as a city want our high school diploma to mean?
- How should we measure whether a student has achieved the standards of a diploma?
- What changes to DC’s graduation requirements, if any, should be made to ensure our diploma reflects achievement of these standards?
Task force meetings will meet two times per month, starting in July and concluding in Spring 2018. District residents will have many opportunities to stay involved and provide input throughout this process. The SBOE will convene parent focus groups and student focus groups to both generate ideas for the task force to consider and to brainstorm ideas during the course of discussions. The focus groups will be representative of the demographics of students in the city, where half of all DCPS and public charter students reside in Wards 7 and 8. For the latest updates on the work of the task force, please visit sboe.dc.gov/gradreqs.
D.C. State Board of Education Blog 