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Three PrioritiesArea 1: Strengthen community involvement in schools and schools responsiveness to community
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Area 2: Make DCPSs workforce the envy of the nation
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Area 3: Improve infrastructure of district so that schools focus on the teaching and learning processes and funds are better directed at the classroom
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Role of ParentsParents play a key role in making education work for all children. Parents across the city need to be vocal advocates for all children, and hold elected officials accountable for making sure that schools work. One key part of this activity is to vote in all elections, especially the school board. Parents who vote are the people school board members and future candidates will ask about their thoughts on how to improve the schools. Parents should take full advantage of their right to demand a high quality education for their children. Parents must also support the learning process by providing their children with the support necessary for them to be successful learners. Providing a good breakfast before school, healthy, non-sugar snacks, limited amount of television time, and structured homework time helps children learn. Involvement with the PTA and the LSRT gives parents better insight into whats happening in the schools. Finally, schools are under-staffed. Parents who volunteer their time and expertise to support schools in need with a positive, upbeat attitude, will help all children in the school system excel. I believe that LSRT should be continued. Under Area 1, above, points 1 and 2, explain how they can be made more effective. Facilities Planning ProcessThe Districts students and employees deserve wonderful learning facilities and the first step toward achieving this goal is to ensure that there is accountability around the use of capital expenditures. A system needs to be created through which the appropriate parties are held accountable for the funds being used on capital improvement and timelines are being met. Currently, $400 million has been targeted toward modernizing school buildings. As a School Board member, I will review what funds have been committed to each school, and the progress that has been made at each building toward fulfilling the improvement plans. Timelines and accountability measures need to be created and enforced. I attended the Facilities Planning Meetings over the past month and support the continuation of this process and implementation of plans based on community input. Many schools have been recommended for significant renovation or rebuilding. Through this process, priorities are being set that reflect the communitys voice. A baseline of stabilization has been completed and attention is being turned to modernization of buildings. A 1, 3, 5 and 10 year facilities plan, with appropriate accountability measures must be designed and implemented so that at no time in the future will so many buildings be in such poor condition simultaneously. Facilities improvement and maintenance has been underfunded in the past, so a new long-term plan must not allow for the development of this serious backlog. My Personal InvolvementI taught middle school science and math, and worked as Director of Technology, Teacher Recruitment and Curriculum Development in the SEED Public Charter Boarding School for its first two years of operation. I currently mentor two DCPS junior high school students. Through Teach for America, I also taught in another citys under-resourced public schools, seeing conditions and wasted potential similar to those existing in Washington. I bring to the Board experience in the classroom and administration of under-resourced public schools and in the education policy-making spheres that will enable me to provide informed, effective policy. Making urban schools work for all students is my passion, and has been since I forfeited a basketball scholarship while the captain of the womens team at Georgetown University in order to work with an organization that develops early childhood curriculum. Since then, Ive taught high school science through Teach for America, explored effective education strategies and learned education policy-making firsthand while on a Rhodes Scholarship and a White House internship, and was on the start-up team of a DC college-preparatory boarding charter school. I have chaired school accountability panels and participated in a Congressional roundtable on attracting and retaining competent science and math teachers. These experiences in education are complemented by my commitment to ensuring that policy reflects the voices of the students and community. I am wholeheartedly committed to ensuring that DC schools provide an excellent education to all students. Relationship between board members and between School Board, Superintendent, Mayor and CouncilThe responsibilities of these respective organizations need to be clearly defined so that each body focuses on its role in providing an excellent education for all children. Members of the Board must act as a team that speaks with a unified voice once policy has been agreed upon. Likewise, the Board, Superintendent, Mayor and Council must remain focused on the overall vision of the school system, and act professionally in working towards enacting this vision. A critical responsibility of the Board is to set strong precedent that this new structure will operate effectively in setting education policy. Board members will focus on policy-making and holding the Superintendent accountable to actualizing the schools vision rather than micromanaging. Importantly, in order for this to successfully occur, Board members must ensure that structures are in place through which community and parental concerns are met. Board members must also build capacity by convening external expertise and reviewing current research in making decisions. School board members must communicate respectfully and honestly with each other, the superintendent and diligently do their homework. Finally, the Board must create a meaningful process through which the goals and vision of the school system are defined, reflect the voices of all stakeholders and are lasting. At all times, Board members must remain tenaciously focused on the goal of providing an excellent education to all of DCs students. |
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