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Got a minute or two?
It's April 2022 in review!
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Table of Contents
SY2022–23 Applications for the Student Advisory Committee and Student Representative positions are now OPEN!
 If you are a rising sophomore, junior, or senior and attend either a traditional public or public charter school in the District, apply by June 1, 2022!
Student Representatives participate in all State Board activities. Their votes are recorded but cannot affect the outcome of any policy measure. Student Representatives are expected to attend all official State Board meetings, which occur twice per month, on the first and third Wednesday in the evenings. Student Representatives also co-chair the Student Advisory Committee (SAC).
The Student Advisory Committee (SAC) serves as the voice of students in the State Board’s work. They are consulted on issues of policy before the Board. The SAC generally meets 1-2 times per month. Each year, the SAC sends the State Board a report on a matter of importance to District students, providing recommended next steps for the State Board to review and implement.
Help us spread the word by sharing our application link: https://bit.ly/SACapp2022
Reminder: The Student Advisory Committee released their city-wide survey for D.C. high school students, which seeks to capture their thoughts on topics like mental health, safe passage, and COVID-19 safety in schools. Please help share this survey widely! The survey is available in English and Spanish.
Survey in English: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SACCITYWIDESURVEY
Survey in Spanish: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SACSPANISH
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Working Session (4/6)
At the April working session, the State Board heard a presentation from its Student Representatives on a youth vaccination initiative, discussed the process by which an equity audit of the social studies standards’ revision process would be conducted, and reviewed committee work plans and respective funding requests for 2022.
Full minutes of the Working Session can be found here.
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Comments from the State Superintendent of Education
At the April public meeting, the State Board first heard comments from State Superintendent, Dr. Christina Grant, who gave updates on the social studies standards revision process, and OSSE’s upcoming presentations to the State Board:
- While OSSE had intended to issue the draft standards for public comment in April, the D.C. Social Studies Standards Technical Writing Committee, which is charged with the review and revision of the social studies standards, will work to submit a revised draft to OSSE. The State Board will now vote on the revised draft before the end of 2022. The new statewide standards are slated to be implemented by school year 2023–24 in District public schools.
- OSSE will be also working with the State Board on (1) attendance policy, with guidance and policy available by June and ready for a vote by the July Public Meeting, and (2) public engagement work on revisions to the statewide accountability system, with a vote on the ESSA amendment by the July Public Meeting.
Featured Panel: What Should Be Included in the District’s New Social Studies Standards?
The State Board then heard from a panel of experts on what to look for in the forthcoming draft social studies standards in alignment with the State Board’s Guiding Principles to ensure District students receive the highest quality instruction. The featured guests were:
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Dr. Danielle Allen, James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University, Director of Harvard’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, and Founding Director of the Democratic Knowledge Project
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Emory Calhoun, Social Studies Teacher at Dunbar High School
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Domonique Spear, Education Manager at DC History Center
 Panelists shared their insights on what specifically the District should expect public-school students to learn and know, as well as how the District should engage stakeholders and the public in the forthcoming review and public comment process.
Public Comment
During the public comment section of the meeting, State Board members heard from members of the public on school-based mental health, out-of-school-time (OST) programs, and supporting school librarians.
Administrative Items (Votes)
Afterwards, the State Board passed the following ceremonial resolutions:
The School Librarian of the Year Award honors K–12 library professionals for their outstanding achievement and exemplary use of 21st century tools and services to engage children and teens toward fostering multiple literacies. K.C. Boyd, School Library Activist and librarian at Jefferson Middle School Academy in Ward 6 has served for over 20 years as a school library media specialist. Boyd has excelled in her positions at Chicago Public Schools, East St. Louis School Districts, and now plays an integral role in fiercely advocating for her students and librarianship and is a strong voice in fighting to keep a librarian in every DC Public School (DCPS) building. Through her savvy use of social media, she has become an influential voice in school librarianship across the country. The State Board proudly honors Ms. K.C. Boyd’s commitment and dedication to the students, staff, and community of Jefferson Middle School Academy.
Community colleges provide opportunities and support to all students throughout their education careers, whether they attend to attain an associate degree or certificate, intend to transfer on for a bachelor’s or higher degree, or they take one or a few courses to learn a new skill or expand their horizons. Community College Month is a month-long education campaign to raise awareness of the value and contributions of community colleges, and to challenge the longtime stigmas associated with them. The State Board celebrates Community College Month and recognizes the hard work and achievement happening every day on community college campuses, including the University of the District of Columbia Community College, and all those across the country.
Find all of the State Board’s signed resolutions on our website here.
Watch the public meeting (with timestamps in the description of the video) on our YouTube channel here.
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In April, the following committees convened: Student Advisory, Accountability and Assessment, Outreach and Advocacy, Board Governance, Education Standards, and Teacher Practice and School Support.
Student Advisory Committee (4/11 and 4/25)
The Student Advisory Committee met twice in April. At both meetings, Donna Johnson, the Director of Accountability, Strategic Planning and Performance Officer at OSSE, shared information about the D.C. School Report Card and the Accountability Framework to receive feedback from SAC members. At the meeting on the 11th, SBOE President and Ward 6 Representative Jessica Sutter and SBOE Senior Policy Analyst, Alex Jue, presented on the current status of the social studies standards revision process and what to expect once the draft standards are open for public comment. On the 25th, the SAC was joined by George Washington University student, Shayna Druckerman, to share a summer opportunity with the SAC.
Accountability and Assessment Committee (4/21)
At the April Assessment and Accountability Committee meeting, members and staff discussed the following: reflections OSSE’s ongoing accountability system feedback sessions, updates from OSSE, finalizing the work plan and funding requests, plans to publish a Research Chart and Memo, and updating the State Board’s Assessment and Accountability Committee web page.
Debriefing the ongoing feedback sessions hosted by OSSE, members noted ways in which the State Board can support OSSE in sharing invitations to sit in on sessions or have OSSE present at community meetings. Updates included that OSSE will continue feedback sessions and public engagement through May, with an additional session in Spanish. Dr. Gasoi shared that OSSE will be providing updates to the State Board in June because they will have a proposed accountability amendment ready for review.
Read the full minutes here. Watch the recording here.
Outreach and Advocacy Committee (4/22)
Committee members discussed outreach and engagement plans for the proposed Family Advisory Council, finalizing the committee work plan and funding requests, public comment themes from the April public meeting, and other points of advocacy, including engaging with the Public Charter School Board on charter authorizations and plans for a resolution containing suggestions on how government agencies can inform the public on sexual assaults.
Read the full minutes here. Watch the recording here.
Board Governance Committee (4/26)
Committee members heard from Dan Davis, Chief Student Advocate at the Office of the Student Advocate (OSA), on education governance, further discussed finalizing the Committee work plan, and raised ideas for identifying feedback metrics and goals for District-wide engagement and surveys.
Mr. Davis presented on the current state and structure of education governance in D.C., comparisons between D.C.’s model of mayoral governance to other cities like Boston and Chicago, challenges within the D.C. education governance structure, and issues that OSA has heard from families, such as confusion around school policies, miscommunication, and frustration with attendance policies during the pandemic.
Regarding engagement, Ms. Thompson explained the Committee’s focus on receiving diverse and representative voices, and the need for intentionality in deciding the metrics needed for robust participation. The Committee will continue to plan intentional goals and metrics for equitable community feedback.
Read the full minutes here. Watch the recording here.
Education Standards (4/27)
Committee members discussed finalizing the Committee’s work plan and funding requests, updates to the social studies standards revision timeline, and plans for the student-focused education standards panel in May.
Policy Fellow Giselle Miranda shared information related to the student-focused education standards panel on May 25. She said that she has reached out to Washington State (re: student involved in ethnic studies course and elevating student voice), student members of the Social Studies Standards Advisory Committee (SSSAC) Alex O’Sullivan and Alyssa Richardson, and a student representative from Massachusetts.
Read the full minutes here. Watch the recording here.
Teacher Practice Committee (4/28)
Committee members discussed a proposed roundtable discussion featuring assistant principals and teachers on the topic of teacher retention, and plans to research state-to-state comparisons on teacher recruitment strategies (grow-your-own programs, apprenticeships, and mentorship programs) and teacher attrition trends due to Covid-19. Members also planned to invite state and school leaders from Tennessee to a future committee meeting to discuss Tennessee’s work on teacher apprenticeships and its other grow-your-own programs.
Read the full minutes here. Watch the recording here.
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Your representatives around town! Be sure to follow them on social media to stay in the loop.
 
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Here are our scheduled meetings for May:
- Wednesday, 5/4 at 5 p.m. Working Session
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Monday, 5/9 at 6 p.m. Student Advisory
- Tuesday, 5/10 at 5 p.m. Teacher Practice and School Support
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Wednesday, 5/18 at 5:30 p.m. Public Meeting
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Thursday, 5/19 at 4:30 p.m. Accountability and Assessment
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Friday, 5/20 at 10 a.m. Outreach and Advocacy
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Monday, 5/23 at 6 p.m. Student Advisory
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Wednesday, 5/25 at 5 p.m. Education Standards
- Friday, 5/27 at 1 p.m. Board Governance
Be sure to check out our meeting calendar for the most up-to-date information about our meetings and each meeting's Zoom link.
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Where can I find the State Board's meeting materials?
Agendas, meeting documents, testimony, reports and resolutions to be considered for all working sessions and public meetings after April 1, 2015 can be on our information sharing website, Simbli.
We publish our official documents, like adopted resolutions and reports, letters, and statements, on our website here.
How do I sign up for a public meeting?
There are 3 ways you can sign up:
We ask that you provide us with your name, email address, and subject of your testimony. You must sign up no later than 48 hours in advance of the meeting. Written testimony may be submitted at any time to sboe@dc.gov.
Learn more about our meetings here.
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Who is my representative and how do I get in contact with them?
Your representative is based on the ward you live in. If you are unsure which ward you live in, you can use this tool from the Office of Planning to find out!
We list each representative and their contact information on our website. Click on your representative's bio to find their email, phone number, and Twitter handle.
How do I join the Student Advisory Committee (SAC)?
If you are a rising sophomore, junior, or senior and are interested in joining the Student Advisory Committee, apply today!
Applications are now open until June 1, 2022! Apply at bit.ly/SACapp2022
You can learn more about the SAC's work here.
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The D.C. State Board of Education is an independent agency within the Government of the District of Columbia that advises the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), the District’s state education agency. The State Board is made up of nine elected representatives, each representing their respective wards, with one member representing DC at large, and four appointed student representatives. The State Board approves statewide education policies and sets academic standards, while OSSE oversees education within the District and manages federal education funding. More information about the State Board can be found at sboe.dc.gov.
The Office of the Ombudsman for Public Education serves as an external, impartial resource for current and prospective public-school students and their parents or guardians in the resolution of complaints and concerns regarding public education in a way that furthers the students’ best interest. The Ombudsman’s Office uses conflict resolution strategies, including coaching, facilitation, and mediation, to assist families and schools experiencing disagreement or conflict. More information about the Office of the Ombudsman can be found at educationombudsman.dc.gov.
The Office of the Student Advocate supports students, parents, and families in their advocacy through parent education, one-on-one coaching, resource supports, and trainings in order to amplify the voices of families and communities in processes and decision-making; to provide avenues for access to resources and understanding systems; and to support power families and communities already possess. Contact the Office of the Student Advocate Monday through Friday at (202) 741-4692 for questions or support with charter and neighborhood schools. More information about the Office of the Student Advocate can be found at studentadvocate.dc.gov.
For the latest information on the District Government’s response to COVID-19, please visit coronavirus.dc.gov.
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