DC School Report Card & ESSA Task Force Update
Group collaboration during December ESSA Task Force Meeting
On December 7 at DCPS’s Tubman Elementary School in Ward 1, SBOE President Karen Williams joined Mayor Muriel Bowser, State Superintendent of Education Hanseul Kang, Deputy Mayor for Education Paul Kihn, DC Public Schools Interim Chancellor Amanda Alexander, and DC Public Charter School Board Executive Director Scott Pearson for the launch the first annual DC School Report Card and School Transparency and Reporting (STAR) Framework. The new, interactive data-driven website - https://dcschoolreportcard.org/ - provides students, families, and educators clear and detailed information to better understand how every DC public and public charter school is performing. District families now have access to easy, clear, and meaningful information about schools in order to make the best decisions for their children. The State Board of Education and its ESSA Task Force partnered with OSSE over the last year to solicit community feedback and help build the new DC School Report Card.
At this month’s ESSA Task Force meeting on December 11, members spent time testing the new DC School Report Card website and providing direct feedback to representatives from the OSSE on what works and what areas of the site need improvement. The OSSE team shared feedback on the first few days of the site going live and information on how to submit information for fixes. If you see errors on your school’s page, you can email dcschoolreportcard@dc.gov directly and the team from OSSE will respond.
The ESSA Task Force meets next on January 8, 2018. The task force meeting will be streamed live via Periscope for those community members who are unable to attend in person. For more information on the work of the task force, please visit sboe.dc.gov/essa.
Resources
- OSSE Resource Page for Parents
Videos
- DC School Report Card Overview (English)
- DC School Report Card Overview (Spanish)
- DC School Report Card Detailed Walk Through
- STAR Framework Overview (Spanish)
- STAR Framework Overview (English)
Family Partnership in District Education
Family partnership panel at December public meeting
The Office of the Student Advocate (OSA) has made recommendations regarding the mandatory integration of a family engagement framework at the District level for public education policy and decision-making processes. During this month’s public meeting, the SBOE welcomed local and national experts to discuss best practices for this important work.
- Faith Gibson Hubbard, Chief Student Advocate, DC Office of the Student Advocate
- Nicole Newman, Senior Specialist, DC Public Charter School Board
- Maya Martin Cadogan, Founder & Executive Director, Parents Amplifying Voices in Education (PAVE)
- Allyson Criner Brown, Associate Director, Teaching for Change
- Natasha Quiroga, PREP Director & Senior Counsel, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
- Sherrell Lewis, Partnership Manager, Turning the Page
The need and importance of student, family, and community engagement in public education is not new. A quality system of public education depends on the trust and partnership of families. As an education system, must differentiate the ways in which we engage and partner with families to truly meet the needs of students. Families and communities must be a welcome presence at the decision-making table for our public education processes, policies, and planning. More information on family engagement can be found on the Student Advocate website.
Laura Wilson Phelan, Ward 1
Ward 1 ESSA Community Meeting 2017
Laura has served as a representative on the State Board since January 2014, and has been fiercely dedicated to improving educational outcomes for all students. She is a former middle school teacher, who left the classroom to lead social change efforts at grassroots and management levels for the past twenty years. Laura’s co-chairmanship of the SBOE’s High School Graduation Requirements Task Force led to the incorporation of the strongest efforts to create a truly representative education policy task force in the history of the District of Columbia, with a particular focus on representation from Wards 7 and 8, where a majority of the District’s school aged children live. Laura’s commitment to equity and professionalism have made a lasting impact on the activities and outreach of the State Board of Education her incredible dedication to closing the opportunity gap and increase educational equity is admirable.
Mark Jones, Ward 5
Mark Jones at public meeting
Mark has served on the State Board for nearly a decade, first taking his seat in January 2009. Mark is also a public school parent, longtime public servant in multiple mayoral administrations, school and community volunteer, and accomplished small business person. He has always been a champion of the SBOE’s authority and vital role in the District’s education landscape, providing strong guidance as President in establishing the independence of the agency. Mark has been a steadfast advocate for the professional staff of the State Board and through his leadership helped to create the strong foundation upon which the SBOE operates. He played a crucial role in the reestablishment of the Office of the Ombudsman for Public Education and the creation of the Office of the Student Advocate, independent offices within the SBOE that provide direct services to District families and students.
Joe Weedon, Ward 6
Joe Weedon talks with Student Advisory Committee 2018
Joe has served on the State Board since January 2015 and has always been dedicated to increasing the engagement of parents in decisions that impact the success of District schools. Joe has been a vocal advocate for increased school reporting transparency and support for more robust public engagement in our school systems. Joe has served on the Eastern High School and Eliot-Hine Middle School Local School Advisory Teams (LSATs), the Office of the State Superintendent of Education's (OSSE) Title I Committee of Practitioners and the board of three non-profits focused on expanding after-school programming. Joe’s participation in SBOE committees and task forces has been exemplary, especially his chairmanship of the Administration & Budget Committee and participation in the Every Student Succeeds Act Task Force. Additionally, Joe has been a consistent voice for the continued improvement of all schools, based in equity of funding and opportunities.
Teacher and Principal Retention
Retention Forum 2018
On November 28, the SBOE partnered with EmpowerEd, a teacher advocacy organization, to host a public forum on teacher and principal retention to identify potential solutions to issues that both the traditional and public charter sectors are facing. Our October report commissioned from independent researcher Mary Levy provided us with data, but developing solutions requires that educators, parents, school leadership, and policymakers work together.
Thanks to the over 100 educators, policymakers, students, parents, and advocates who joined us, engaging in small group discussions and considered the strategies that they would prioritize to address retention, as well as the changes that would be needed to implement their proposed strategies.
DC has among the highest rates of teacher turnover nationally and among similar urban school districts. We had diverse voices from every section of our city weigh in and help the State Board bolster our advocacy for the support and resources educators need to stay in our system and support our students.
Key Takeaways from Retention Forum
- Need to understand where pressures are coming from and the effect on teachers/principals
- Create strategies to develop healthier work/life balance
- Look at extending principal contracts past one year to create consistency
- Appreciate teacher value and offer opportunities for mentorship
- Offer more flexible staffing to enable teachers to step into more leadership roles
Earlier this week, the online survey, that was published using information from our November 28 public forum, was completed. We want to thank the public for their strong participation in both the forum and the survey. The over 450 unique views of the survey, combined with the nearly 150 forum registrants, has provided strong input. Our staff will work over the holidays to refine the feedback and input into recommendations for the State Board to consider in January.
Office of the Student Advocate Update
 Bullying Prevention Workshop January 14th
On Monday, January 14, the Office of the Student Advocate will host a Bullying Prevention Workshop, in partnership with DC Office of Human Rights Citywide Bullying Program, at Shaw Neighborhood Library (1630 7th St NW) from 6:30-8 pm. For more information or to RSVP, please visit the training and events section at https://sboe.dc.gov/page/training-events.
District of Columbia Student Discipline Guide
Developed in partnership with The Every Student, Every Day Coalition, the DC Student Discipline Guide explains new rules for school discipline that all public schools must follow under DC law. The guide will explain the Student Fair Access to School Amendment Act of 2018, define terms to know related to discipline, and provide information for self-advocacy when discipline issues arise. This resource will be released in January 2019.
For more information about the office’s upcoming events or resource supports, give the office a call at 202-741-4692, email at student.advocate@dc.gov, or visit their website studentadvocate.dc.gov.
Student Advisory Committee Update
Student Advisory Committee at December meeting
Student Representative Marjoury Alicea hosted the school year’s fourth Student Advisory Committee (SAC) meeting on December 17. The SAC was joined by SBOE President Karen Williams.
During the meeting, the SAC broke into committees to discuss their experiences with teacher retention and school equity. Students noted examples in which they had not been provided trained teachers or substitutes for core classes, sometimes for weeks or longer. Other SAC members related that it was challenging to build relationships with teachers that they knew would not be there more than a year.
The SAC also discussed the inequities between their schools in terms of opportunities as well as tangible materials. SBOE staff discussed with the SAC the complicated nature of school funding in the District of Columbia.
EdFEST18
Policy Fellow Brian Robinson talks with community member at EdFEST18
On December 8, State Board members and staff from the SBOE office, the Office of the Ombudsman for Public Education, and the Office of the Student Advocate shared information and resources with parents and families at this year’s annual public school fair, EdFEST. The event was held as a kickoff to this year’s My School DC lottery application period, with families gathering at the DC Armory to learn more about the city’s many public school options (PK3-12). Representatives from more than 200 DCPS and public charter schools attended to highlight their school offerings.
My School DC Common Lottery
The My School DC common lottery is a single, random lottery that determines placement for new students at all participating schools. Student-school matches are based on the number of available spaces at each school; sibling, proximity, and other lottery preferences; how each student ranked his or her school choices; and each student's random lottery number.
Dr. Frazier O'Leary, Our New Ward 4 Member
Dr. Frazier O'Leary Sworn-in by Councilmember Robert White
It’s official! Welcome to the SBOE Dr. Frazier O’Leary. Dr. O’Leary was sworn in to office on December 14, 2018 by Councilmember Robert White as the State Board’s newest member, representing Ward 4. Dr. O’Leary will serve as a representative through 2020.
Upcoming Events
The new State Board of Education will meet in closed session on January 3, 2019 from 9:00am-2:00pm pursuant to the DC Open Meetings Act (DC Official Code § 2–575(a)(10) and (12)). This meeting will provide training and development for all State Board members in the role and authority of the State Board and discussion of the strategic vision and plans of the agency.
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