The Post's Bill Turque reports that more than 2000 new students have enrolled in charter schools this school year, bringing enrollment up eight percent. We wonder how the bump is spread across schools—considering how poorly a lot of District charters are ranked. Meanwhile, public school enrollment is down one percent, and charters now educate 41 [...]
Today the District released rankings of the 71 public charter school campuses in the city—not including adult- and disabled-serving schools. According to the Post: "Schools that win top-ranking are exempt from further in-depth monitoring by charter board staff. Officials said Tier III schools will get additional scrutiny, including consideration for possible closure by the board."
Complete [...]
Mayoral hopeful Vincent Gray released his education plan today which places heavy emphasis on transparency, citizen involvement, and giving charter schools more respect (but have they earned it?). On the Michelle Rhee front: He endorses a strong chancellor, but stops short of endorsing Rhee's top-down style. Embedded in all the lofty rhetoric, there's a few [...]
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT—"Lucky Bar Patron Not So Lucky," "Howard's Bid To Move Hospital Worries Those Left Behind," "Bag Tax Funding Restored To River Clean Up"
Howdy. D.C. Council [...]
A former history teacher at the Cesar Chavez charter high school on Capitol Hill has accepted a $15,000 settlement to end his dispute with the school's administration, which he claims fired him for trying to start a union.
David Krakow, 28, tells City Desk that, under the terms of the deal, the charter school has further agreed to [...]
It's high school graduation season here in the nation's capital which means two things: ridiculous crowds outside Constitution Hall all day, every day; and the publication of Education Week's graduation issue. It's the latter that is causing greater concern because contained in the June 11 edition are the results of the magazine's ten-year analysis of [...]
Note to potential D.C. Council witnesses: Best not to diss councilmembers ahead of your testimony. Especially in writing.
Just ask Robert Cane.
Yesterday, the executive director of Friends of Choice in Public Education was among dozens of charter school advocates who showed up at a council budget hearing to plead for a restoration of facilities funding for [...]
Last month, LL covered the sizable personality conflict between D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray and Deputy Mayor for Education Victor Reinoso.
The conflict remains.
On Tuesday, Reinoso showed up before Gray for his office's budget hearing. Among the topics discussed was the charter school facility allotment, which is, rather controversially, being cut by $24 million. Gray [...]
This morning, LL was all over Fenty's announced District gov job cuts. Our aggressive political scribe reported: "Of the remaining 776 employees the mayor is proposing to lay off, 250 are in DCPS—mostly teachers aides and support staff, Tangherlini says." This may not seem like scary news, but it is.
I know what your thinking: teachers [...]
The teacher's lounge has turned into a showroom. Everything wears a Post-It with a price in blue ink. The conference table is selling for $150. The fridge is going for $50. The microwave is a steal at $5. Today is the last day for the City Lights Public Charter School.
Everything must go. Including that microwave.
"This [...]
LL just caught Tom Nida, the chair of the Public Charter School Board, ahead of the board's monthly meeting tonight.
Asked about Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton's demand that, in the wake of the Washington Post's reporting on alleged self-dealing, he resign his post, Nida said, "I serve at the pleasure of the mayor."
Asked if he would [...]
On Sunday, the Washington Post dropped a huge investigative report on the many, many intertwined links between officials on the Public Charter Schools Board, their employers, and the schools they oversee.
Now Eleanor Holmes Norton is weighing in on the matter. She wants PCSB Chair Tom Nida and credit enhancement committee chair Barbara Hart to resign, [...]
WaPo Ombo Deborah Howell's got the scoop on how to get more women readers: "Opportunities abound, especially on Page 1, to draw in women with stories about families, relationships and parenting. The Post in print has precious little coverage of those topics outside of Style advice columnists. Washingtonpost.com has a blog, On Parenting, and women [...]
