Ivory Roberts, Candidate for
Wards 3 and 4 Board of Education Representative in the
November 7, 2000, General Election
Parents United for DC Public Schools questionnaire, October 2000

Question: What are your highest priorities for the Board? What will you do about them?

Answer: Educational Technology, Fiscal Oversight, Educational Excellence, and Educational Partnerships

1. Educational Technology

• Develop and Implement an Information Technology Curriculum for All Grade Levels at All Schools
• Initiate Multimedia Learning Centers and Libraries for All District Schools
• Initiate "School-to-Work" Computer-Based Instruction and Computer-Based Training at All Schools

2. Fiscal Oversight

• Create a Strategic Budget and Spending Plan
• Ongoing Program Oversight
• Utilize Community Resources
• Fair and Equitable Resource Allocation

3. Educational Excellence

• Demand Competence in Performance of School Personnel and Require Student Academic Achievement
• Meet the Special Education Needs of District Students
• Strengthen Vocational Curriculum Throughout Schools
• Create and Maintain a Safe Learning Environment
• Increase "Stay-in School" Programs
• Onsite Inspections of Schools to Ensure Timely Repairs
• Meet the Multicultural Needs of District Students
• Retool Teachers and Administrators to Implement the Experimental Learning Concept

4. Educational Partnerships

• Develop Partners in Education (PIE) Programs
• Establish Government and Private Sector Liaison
• Utilize Community Resources

(a) What is the role of parents in the DC public schools at both the individual school and city-wide.

Answer: I recognize the importance of serving the best interests of all students and responding to needs of all segments of the community. This is best achieved through partnerships - partnerships first and foremost with parents, but also churches, merchants, as well as the Mayor and City Council. I developed, implemented, and have seen the success of such an alliance at Cleveland Elementary School in the District, as well as in the Fairfax County School system, to which I am an advisor, for the past five years. At these schools, parents are expected and have played a key role in the growth and development of not only their individual children but also the school and its entire student body.

(b) Should the Local School Restructuring Teams be continued and if so, how can they be made more effective?

Answer: Yes. However, the restructuring teams have not adequately assessed the future needs of the facilities under construction. For example, with the insurgence of "stay home moms" returning to work, there has been a greater need for early childhood development space – a space not currently planned for construction.

What is your view of the facilities planning process now underway?

Answer: Please see response above.

(a) What has been your personal involvement with DC public schools? Have your children been enrolled and for how long?

Answer: I am a fifteen-year resident of Washington, DC and current resident of Brightwood. While I do not have any children enrolled in DC public schools, I have actively been involved with the growth and development of all children. The following are examples of my commitment to education:

• Education: Elementary Education Graduate of Winston-Salem University and Post- Graduate Education, Ball State University
• Employment:
  • Director of Education, New Technology and Training, U. S. Army Intelligence and Security Command
  • Teacher DC Public Schools
  • Correctional Treatment Counselor in DC Department of Corrections
• Partners in Education Programs Developed
  • Cleveland Elementary School, New Bethel Baptist Church and the U.S Army Intelligence and Security Command,
  • Brightwood Elementary School, Aztec Software, The Washington Times and the U.S Army Intelligence and Security Command, and
  • Fairfax County School District and the U.S Army Intelligence and Security Command
  • A member of the Partners in Education Program Advisory Committee to the Fairfax County School District for five years. [Note: The Fairfax County School District is the fifth largest and one of the most successful school districts in the Nation.].
• Technological Education Programs
  • Developed and Implemented the First Multimedia Learning Center for US Soldiers Assigned to Operation Desert Storm
• Other Pertinent Experience
  • Successfully Developed and Implemented Worldwide Education Policy for the Army
  • Requested to conduct more than 100 educational workshops, e.g., Washington Times Newspaper, Fairfax County and Cleveland Elementary Schools
  • Chairman, Boy Scouts of America - Banneker District, Washington, D.C.

(b) Why are you interested in this position?

Answer: I am committed to educating children. Not just the children in my own ward, but all children – as demonstrated by my educational initiatives in the Fairfax County School District, and at Cleveland and Brightwood Elementary Schools in the District. I believe that as the District Two Representative, I can make the needed difference to ensure educational excellence for all children not just those who can afford a private education.

How can you avoid the acrimonious relationship between board members, and between the School Board, Superintendent, Mayor and Council that have prevented a concerted effort to bring to our children’s schools all of the resources needed to provide the high quality of public education our children need and our city needs for them?

Answer: Teamwork. A successful school system depends upon a cooperative effort of its governing body. If motivated by a desire to serve children and the community, a leadership team can prosper through the collaborative talents and treasures of its members in identifying strategies to achieve its educational goals, and ultimately avoid the political distractions that can undermine the continuous improvement of the school system.