Author: Paul Negron

SBOE Weekly EdLinks: 07/15/2018

Paul Negron Leave a comment

By: Paul Negron, Public Affairs Specialist

Here’s your weekly rundown of education local/national news and events here in the District.

SBOE QUOTED IN THE NEWS
D.C. Officials Irked by Report of Unlicensed Teachers | Washington Informer

Statement on Mayor’s Veto of School Promotion and Graduation Fairness Emergency Act of 2018 | Markus Batchelor

How 2 Communities in DC, One White One Black, Work Together | Afro

NATIONAL NEWS
Detroit schools will hire teachers without classroom experience, sparking debate | Chalkbeat
Detroit’s main district is proceeding with a plan to hire teachers who are certified but have received no training in the classroom — adding an element of controversy to efforts to fill hundreds of teacher vacancies by the end of summer.

Indiana State Board of Education approves graduation pathway policy | Fox59
The Indiana State Board of Education (Board) on Wednesday approved policy guidance for Graduation Pathways by a 10-0 vote. The policy guidance will be used by the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) and schools across the state to implement Graduation Pathways, which the Board approved in December 2017.

Controversial Discipline Program Not to Blame for Parkland School Shooting, Commission Finds | EdWeek
A controversial school discipline program adopted by the Broward County, Fla., district to reduce student arrests cannot be blamed for the shooting by a former student there, a state commission said Tuesday.

Continue reading →

SBOE Weekly EdLinks: 07/06/2018

Paul Negron Leave a comment

By: Paul Negron, Public Affairs Specialist

Starting today, we are launching a weekly rundown of education local/national news and events here in the District!

SBOE QUOTED IN THE NEWS
Bowser Waited Until After The Primary to Find The Next Public Schools Chancellor | Washington City Paper

Student journalists at Wilson High’s Beacon look to build on high-profile year | DC Line

NATIONAL NEWS
K-12 and the U.S. Supreme Court: Highlights of the 2017-18 Term | EdWeek
After a major term for K-12 education the year before, the U.S. Supreme Court had a more measured term in 2017-18.

The Largest Teachers’ Union Predicts a 14 Percent Membership Loss Over Two Years | EdWeek
The National Education Association is projecting a nearly 8 percent membership loss over the course of the next school year, along with a $28 million budget reduction, due to an adverse Supreme Court ruling.

New York, Virginia become first to require mental health education in schools | CNN
New York’s law updates the health curriculum in elementary, middle and high schools to include material on mental health. Virginia’s law mandates that mental health education be incorporated into physical education and health curricula for ninth- and 10th-graders.

Ohio teacher evaluations get an overhaul teachers like | Columbus Dispatch
Once again, Ohio teachers are going to face a new state-mandated evaluation system — but this time, most agree it’s a good thing. Ohio lawmakers have struggled for years to craft a teacher evaluation system that both teachers and administrators think is fair, not overly burdensome and actually furthers the goal of better classroom instruction.

Education by the Numbers: 9 Statistics That Have Made Us Think Differently About America’s Schools This Academic Year | 74
Even with a perpetual media carnival unfolding around the Trump presidency, and ahead of midterm elections that could result in an even more hectic news environment next year, the events of 2018 have been shaped to an extraordinary degree by America’s K-12 schools.

Continue reading →

State Board in the Community: June 2018

Paul Negron Leave a comment

By: Paul Negron, Public Affairs Specialist

In June, SBOE members criss-crossed the District visiting DC public schools and public charter schools, attending high school graduation events, and participating in important community gatherings.

Karen (Ward 7 / President), Ashley (At-Large), and Joe (Ward 6) attended Mayor Bowser’s press conference announcing the new search committee for DC Public Schools Chancellor


Karen (Ward 7 / President) was the keynote speaker at Total Sunshine’s annual school grade awards ceremony honoring D.C.’s public and charter high school valedictorians and salutatorians

Jack (Ward 2 / Vice President) honored award recipients at the Critics and Awards Program for High School Students Awards (Cappies) ceremony

Continue reading →

SBOE at School Without Walls

Paul Negron Leave a comment

By: Paul Negron, Public Affairs Specialist

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Last month, Principal Richard Trogisch and his team welcomed SBOE members Ruth Wattenberg, Joe Weedon, and some of my SBOE staff colleagues to tour the beautiful School Without Walls campus. “Walls,” as the school is affectionately known, is the only DC Public Schools high school located in Ward 2 and is currently an application school. This public magnet high school first opened its doors in 1971, and since that time has become a shining star in DCPS.

During the first portion of the visit, we were treated to a 15-minute senior project presentation from a graduating senior. Every Walls student is required to pass a class devoted to one senior project/paper in conjunction with George Washington University. Each SBOE Board member and staff had the opportunity to provide feedback to the student, who did a terrific job. Every student walks out of Walls knowing how to write a research paper.

Continue reading →

State Board in the Community: May 2018

Paul Negron Leave a comment

By: Paul Negron, Public Affairs Specialist

In May, SBOE members criss-crossed the District visiting DCPS and charter schools, attending community events, and participating in important policy summits.

Karen (Ward 7 / President) lauded District teachers for their exceptional contributions at the Gold Standard of Excellence Awards.


Jack (Ward 2 / Vice President) honored parents, families, and the LGBTQ community at the PFLAG 45th Anniversary Reception.


Ruth (Ward 3) attended #FirstFridays at Rocketship Rise Academy and visited the Smithsonian Anacostia Museum.


Ashley (At-Large) and Joe (Ward 6) were up early to join District students at the Bike to School Day event.


Markus (Ward 8) joined Councilmember Trayon White and members of the community to help along safe passage routes near Ballou High School.


Ruth (Ward 3) and Joe (Ward 6) joined SBOE staff during May school visits to School Without Walls and Center City Shaw.


Laura (Ward 1) participated in the citywide PAVE Parent Policy Summit on education.


Joe (Ward 6) joined students, District employers and partners at Eastern High School’s College and Career Day.


The State Board looks forward to continuing our engagement with the community throughout the month of June!

New SBOE Leadership for 2018

Paul Negron Leave a comment

By: Paul Negron, Public Affairs Specialist

At this month’s public meeting, the DC State Board of Education (SBOE) elected Ms. Karen Williams of Ward 7 as President and Mr. Jack Jacobson of Ward 2 as Vice President. Both members served in these roles during 2017 and both bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to their roles.

Additionally, the SBOE formally adopted a structure for upcoming policy, governance, and engagement committees to help achieve the goals of increasing equity and academic excellence in District public schools. The Board looks forward to continuing its work on the ambitious goals laid out in the SBOE strategic plan.

Below are the 2018 SBOE Committee assignments:

Administration & Budget – This committee monitors and oversees the State Board’s budget, personnel and governance.

  • Chair: Jack Jacobson, Ward 2
  • Members: Mark Jones, Ward 5; Lannette Woodruff, Ward 4; Karen Williams (ex officio)

Student Advisory – The Student Advisory committee ensures the voice of students is heard in improving education in the District.

  • Co-Chairs: Tallya Rhodes & Tatiana Robinson
  • Members: Students, Karen Williams (ex officio)

Educational Excellence & Equity – Regulations & Laws – This committee will focus on conducting high-quality policy research and analysis to support the State Board’s role in approving District education regulations.

  • Chair: Laura Wilson Phelan, Ward 1
  • Members: Ashley Carter, At-Large; Markus Batchelor, Ward 8; Karen Williams (ex officio)

Educational Excellence & Equity – Educational Standards – This committee will focus on reviewing and analyzing District educational standards.

  • Co-Chairs: Ruth Wattenberg, Ward 3; Mark Jones, Ward 5
  • Members: Jack Jacobson, Ward 2; Karen Williams (ex officio)

ESSA Task Force – ESSA implementation began during the 2017-18 school year. The task force will work diligently with the Office of the State Superintendent of Education to continue gathering input from diverse stakeholders on the design and development of the new accountability system for the District.

  • Chair: Lannette Woodruff, Ward 4
  • Members: Jack Jacobson, Ward 2; Joe Weedon, Ward 6; Karen Williams (ex officio)

Public Engagement & Outreach – This committee is tasked with ensuring that all voices are heard on key education policy issues. Priorities will include developing a community engagement strategy that includes diverse stakeholders and expanding the breadth of participation at SBOE community meetings, forums, and roundtables around the District.

  • Co-Chairs: Markus Batchelor, Ward 8; Ashley Carter, At-Large
  • Members: Jack Jacobson, Ward 2; Karen Williams (ex officio)

Make Your Voice Heard on the ESSA School Report Card

Paul Negron Leave a comment

By: Paul Negron, Public Affairs Specialist

The DC State Board of Education (SBOE) will hold its monthly public meeting on Wednesday, January 17, 2018, at 5:30 p.m. in the Old Council Chambers at 441 4th Street NW. The SBOE wants to hear the community’s thoughts on the proposed content of a new school report card that will provide the same information about every public and public charter school in the District. The school report card will contain two kinds of data: information that is required by the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and information that is important to the residents of the District. The public may sign up online to testify at this month’s SBOE Public meeting about the school report card. The deadline to sign up is 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 16, 2017. Residents who testify will have three minutes to provide their input and recommendations to the SBOE.

At Tuesday night’s SBOE ESSA Task Force meeting, representatives from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) outlined updates to their content and format proposal for the new report card. Task force members reviewed the proposal and provided comments and recommendations. This proposal was based on feedback from State Board members, community members, and the members of the ESSA Task Force. Over the next few weeks, OSSE will work with the SBOE to finalize the content proposal with the intention that the State Board will vote on the proposal at its February public meeting.

Community Engagement at EdFest 2017

GalleryPaul Negron Leave a comment

By: Paul Negron, Public Affairs Specialist

Rain, sleet and snow did not stop the SBOE from heading to EdFEST17 on Saturday, December 9th! Members from the State Board and the Office of the Ombudsman and Student Advocate joined a number of DC public schools and public charter schools to showcase the city’s public school options (PK3-12) for the upcoming school year at DC Armory.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The common lottery application is now officially open! Parents may start filling out applications here ahead of the February 1st high school and March 1st PK3-8 application deadlines.

EdFEST featured many free services and fun activities for the whole family:

  • Lottery application information and guidance from the My School DC team. Immunizations for youth and adults, health screenings for kids and teens, and lots more family fun, games and entertainment brought to you by the DC Department of Health and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital  
  • Recreational activities for all ages brought to you by the DC Department of Parks and Recreation
  • Story time with DC Public Library

#ESSATaskForce Hears #DCReportCard Parent Feedback

Paul Negron Leave a comment

By Paul Negron, Public Affairs Specialist 

The SBOE Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Task Force met on Tuesday, December 5, 2017 to discuss the new version of DC’s school report card. Maya Martin, Executive Director of Parents Amplifying Voices in Education (PAVE), Josh Boots, Executive Director of EmpowerK12, and representatives from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) provided task force members with an overview of recently held parent feedback sessions on the DC school report card.

PAVE held meetings with each of its Parent Leaders in Education (PLE) Boards in Wards 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. Parents were asked to rank the top five things they looked for when they chose a school for their student. Parents then examined PCSB’s Performance Management Framework Reports, DC Public School’s Scorecards, and the LEARN DC profiles, and discussed the pros and cons of each. In addition, PAVE canvassed and collected surveys from 51 total parents. 85% of parents who attended sessions said “Student Performance by Subgroup” and “Teacher Quality” were the most important factors needed on a DC school report card. Re-enrollment, School Funding, and Attendance were also rated highly. Parents want one source where they can get data, and one that helps them interpret quality more easily.

Continue reading →

Center City PCS-Congress Heights Hosts First Fridays

GalleryPaul Negron Leave a comment

On Friday, November 3rd, Center City Public Charter School in Congress Heights hosted community members and education advocates for this month’s First Fridays tour. In one of the most engaging parts of the day, students welcomed and engaged in small group discussions with attendees prior to the start of the presentation giving some true insight into what it’s like to be a student.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Principal Ms. Niya White gave opening comments before attendees broke up into tour groups. Guests relished the opportunity to drop in and observe classes throughout the building. Ms. White said that teachers and administrators focus on “what we teach and how we teach” in order to ensure students are successful. Center City PCS Congress Heights offers constant opportunities for students to learn, with math, reading, and writing lessons posted on walls throughout the school’s hallways and stairwells.

Continue reading →