abbyragan

My Final Thoughts – Abby Ragan

By: Abby Ragan, Policy Fellow My name is Abby Ragan and I am finishing up a term as a Policy Fellow here at the State Board. I graduated magna cum laude from American University last December with a bachelor’s in International Relations. Although my background has been more in the nonprofit space, I later realizedContinue reading “My Final Thoughts – Abby Ragan”

The Future of American Schools is Bright

By: Abby Ragan, Policy Fellow On April 25, The Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institute and George W. Bush Institute co-hosted a forum called “Beyond Reading and Math: How to Accelerate Success for Students.” Under the new federal school accountability law, ESSA, states and schools now have the ability to both widen the definition ofContinue reading “The Future of American Schools is Bright”

NAEP Results Are In

By: Abby Ragan, Policy Fellow On April 10th, practitioners, scholars, researchers, and advocates, including members of SBOE staff and Representative Wattenberg, gathered together to celebrate the release of the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results, known as the Nation’s Report Card. The biennial assessment is considered one of the most reliable measures ofContinue reading “NAEP Results Are In”

Big Hairy Audacious Goals at Jefferson Academy

By: Abby Ragan, Policy Fellow Earlier this month, SBOE representatives Ashley Carter and Ruth Wattenberg joined SBOE staff in a visit to Jefferson Academy (JA), a DCPS community middle school located in Ward 6. The environment at Jefferson Academy during the SBOE visit was warm and welcoming from the moment we entered the building. EveryoneContinue reading “Big Hairy Audacious Goals at Jefferson Academy”

Visit to Chavez Prep Middle School

By: Abby Ragan, Policy Fellow and Matt Repka, Policy Analyst Last week, two SBOE staff members had the chance to visit a Chavez Prep Middle School open house. Chavez Prep is one of the Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools for Public Policy, a DC-based charter school network. Serving grades 6-9, Chavez Prep has served ColumbiaContinue reading “Visit to Chavez Prep Middle School”

Pre-K Teachers: Ensuring Access to High-Quality Bachelor’s Degrees

By: Abby Ragan, Policy Fellow On January 26th, New America held an event highlighting the publication of the report Preparing Pre-K Teachers: Envisioning Equitable Pathways to High-Quality Bachelor’s Degrees and creating a space for discussion of the report’s findings. Early childhood education (ECE) is an important phase for cognitive, behavioral, and social development in aContinue reading “Pre-K Teachers: Ensuring Access to High-Quality Bachelor’s Degrees”

SBOE Visit to DCI School

By: Abby Ragan, Policy Fellow Earlier this week, Ward 3 representative Ruth Wattenberg, Ward 4 representative Lannette Woodruff and SBOE staff visited the new campus of DC International School. The group was welcomed by Principal Simon Rodberg and taken on tours of the building by pairs of student ambassadors. The SBOE team was able toContinue reading “SBOE Visit to DCI School”