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themail archives

District of Columbia Board of Education
Installation Ceremony
Elected Members

Tuesday, January 7, 2003
6:30 pm
The Charles Summer School
1201 Seventeenth Street, NW
Washington, D.C.

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Peggy Cooper Cafritz
President
District of Columbia Board of Education

Prior to serving on the Board, Ms. Cafritz has enjoyed a wide and varied 30-year professional career. She attended the George Washington University, earning an undergraduate degree in political science in 1968 and a law degree in 1971. While still in law school, she co founded the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Until her election to the Board, she served the school as its non profit fundraising affiliate -- The Ellington Fund. During her tenure as chair of the Ellington Fund, she created a unique governing partnership for the school with the Kennedy Center, the George Washington University, the D. C. Public Schools System, and the Ellington community.

Ms. Cafritz has also enjoyed many distinct honors. She was the youngest person ever selected as a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. From 1974 to 1977, Ms. Cafritz worked as a programming executive for Post-Newsweek and a documentary producer for WTOP-TV, earning both Emmy and Peabody Awards for her documentary work.

Ms. Cafritz has an extensive public service background in both education and the arts. From 1972 to 1976, she served on the Executive Committee of the D. C. Board of Higher Education, which implemented the merger of Federal City College, District of Columbia Teachers' College, and finally the Washington Technical Institute into the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). She served as a member of UDC's Board of Trustees from 2000 to 2001, resigning as required to serve the D.C. Board of Education. From 1979 to 1987, Ms. Cafritz chaired the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and in 1993 was appointed by President Clinton to serve as Vice-chair of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. From 1989 to 1990, Ms. Cafritz was Co-Chair of the Smithsonian Institution's Cultural Equity Committee, which led the effort to bring greater racial and cultural diversity to the Smithsonian's professional ranks, exhibitions and educational programs.

Among numerous other board and committees, Ms. Cafritz has served on the Advisory Board of the W.E.B. DuBois Institute at Harvard University since 1992, the Board of Trustees of Pratt Institute since 1990, the Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships Board of Trustees since 1994, and the Whitney Museum Painting and Sculpture Committee from 1991 to 1998.

In 1972, Ms. Cafritz received the John D. Rockefeller 3rd Award, given annually to "one young person in the world, for outstanding contribution toward the well-being of mankind, " and in 1975 a citation by the District of Columbia for outstanding contributions to the rehabilitation of the handicapped. In 1989, she received the Helen Hays/Washington Post Distinguished Community Service Award for her work on WETA-TV's "Around Town." In 1991, she received the Mayor's Art Award for Excellence in Service to the Arts, and the 20th Malcolm X Day Anniversary Award for Arts Advocacy. She received the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Outstanding Achievement Award and the National Society of Fundraising Executives Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year Award, both in 1993. She was voted "Woman of the Year" by Mademoiselle Magazine in 1971.

A resident of the District of Columbia since 1964, Ms. Cafritz is a native of Mobile, Alabama. She has two children - ages 16 and 9 from her marriage and has primary custody and guardianship of three other children. She has had primary responsibility for eight additional children. Ms. Cafritz resides in the Palisades section of Washington, D. C.

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Tommy Wells
District Three Member
District of Columbia Board of Education

Tommy Wells is beginning his second term on the school board representing Wards 5 and 6. In his two years on the board, he has fought to ensure that efforts to balance the budget do not eliminate a single teacher from the classroom. As Co-Chair of the board's committee on special education and student services, he has championed contracting reforms that will save million of dollars and move more special education services to our neighborhood schools. Mr. Wells also won passage of one of the nation's toughest anti-harrassment policies and has worked to protect student health, leading the board in setting a firm deadline for all students to obtain necessary immunizations.

In addition to serving on the school board, Mr. Wells is the director of the D.C. Consortium for Child Welfare, which represents the DC area's private, nonprofit foster care and family services agencies. He was instrumental in establishing the District's new family court to better track children in the foster care system; developing legislation to speed the adoption of abandoned and neglected children; and creating neighborhood collaboratives to provide services to at-risk children and their families.

A 20-year resident of the District, Mr. Wells served for six years as a neighborhood advisory commissioner and chairman. He received a law degree from the Columbus School of Law at Catholic University and a master's degree in social work from the University of Minnesota.'

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William Lockridge
District Four Member
District of Columbia Board of Education

William Lockridge, a twenty-one year resident of Ward 8, has served his community in many capacities.

Mr. Lockridge has served as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, a member of a Neighborhood Council for Youth, President of the Simon Elementary School PTA, President of the Alabama Avenue Task Force, a member of the Council of Governments Air Quality Committee and President of the Ward 8 Democrats.

Mr. Lockridge has 20 years of service with D. C. Public Schools. He has worked as an issues and policies researcher, teacher, teacher coordinator, a wrestling coach and an elected member to the Board of Education.

Mr. Lockridge co-chairs the Board of Education's Finance & Facilities Committee, and serves on both the Teaching and Learning and Special Education committees. He has served as the Board's Vice President for the past three years.

Mr. Lockridge received a Bachelor's degree in Education from Tennessee State University, and he is a member of the NAACP, the National School Boards Association, the Council of Urban Boards of Education and the Council of Black School Administrators. He has completed course work for a real estate appraisal license.

Mr. Lockridge is married to Wanda Lockridge. He has one daughter, Joy, and a son, Stefan, who attends Wilson Senior High School.

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Lift Every Voice and Sing

Lift every voice and sing,
Till earth and heaven ring
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.

Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chastening rod
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died,
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
Till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.

God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears
Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who hast by Thy might,
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,
Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand
May we forever stand,
True to our God,
True our native land

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Charles Sumner School Museum Staff
Nancy Suggs, Director

Coolidge Senior High School Choir
Arphelius Gading, Director

Student Ushers
Sharpe Health School Students
Anacostia Senior High School ROTC

Instrumental Jazz Ensemble - Duke Ellington School of the Arts
Justin Matthews
Joel Santiago
Herbert Scott
Nick Soberstrom

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Members of the Board of Education
Of The
District of Columbia

Peggy Cooper Cafritz
President

Julie Mikuta
District One

Dwight Singleton
District Two

Tommy Wells
District Three

William Lockridge
District Four

Laura D. Gardner
Appointed

Charles R. Lawrence, III, Esq.
Appointed

Miriam Saez
Appointed

Roger Wilkins
Appointed

India Alston
Timothy Wilson
Student Representatives

Dr: Paul Vance
Superintendent

Paula R. Perelman
Executive Director

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Peggy Cooper Cafritz, President
District of Columbia
Board of Education

The Real Deal Campaign for Children

Tuesday, January 7, 2003
6:30 pm
Charles Summer School
1201 Seventeenth Street, NW

Good evening ladies and gentlemen, my colleagues on the Board, Dr. Vance, Mayor Williams, members of the District of Columbia City Council, parents, students and staff of the D.C. Public Schools, and all of the D.C. community. I am pleased to stand before you to accept the office of President of the D.C. Board of Education for this second term. This evening, I would like to share my vision for a school system of excellence -- a system redesigned to provide programs and services administered by a highly qualified staff where students attain excellence. This vision, this campaign for children, has begun.

Two years ago, this newly organized reform Board joined with Superintendent Vance to redesign the D.C. Public Schools. His blueprint for action, The Children First Business Plan for Strategic Reform, established an aspirational and demanding mission for DCPS: "To develop inspired learners who excel academically and socially in dynamic schools that instill confidence and generate enthusiasm throughout the District’s many diverse communities and make D.C. Public Schools the first choice of youth and families."

To that end, the Board of Education adopted policies to guide the Administration in our efforts to enact sustainable change. I applaud the work of my colleagues and think it is particularly noteworthy that the vast majority of our votes have been unanimous. Thanks to the work of each committee, I can highlight a few of the Board’s accomplishments.

Mr. William Lockridge overhauled the way the system approaches budgeting leading to our first performance-based budget.

The Facilities and Finance Committee, co-chaired by Mr. Lockridge and Ms. Mirian Saez, also approved a policy to encourage participation between DCPS and private entities; and it is working furiously to find other ways to finance new school buildings. This committee just led us through the most arduous budget process the school system has ever seen.

Ms. Gardner and Mr. Wells completely overhauled the rules that govern the system’s approach to special education. The Special Education and Student Services Committee has also worked with our new Special Education Czar Ray Bryant and the city’s Special Education Task Force to produce remedies in record time. The city’s CFO has just certified that we are on schedule to save $27 million dollars this year in the area of special education.

Julie Mikuta and Charles Lawrence, co-chairs of the Teaching and Learning Committee, have brought together some of the finest minds in education to help fashion programs and policies which will lead to much more effective induction programs for teachers, high-level principals and laser-focused professional development.

The Operations and Vision Committee led by Roger Wilkins and Dwight Singleton has successfully pushed for increased parental involvement, revised our corporal punishment policy and clarified our field trip policy.

But more importantly, my colleagues have joined together at the end of all discussions and debates to make hard decisions in the best interest of our children and families.

Dr. Vance and his administration are tirelessly working in a thankless atmosphere to rebuild a system that had no -- I repeat no -- working infrastructure. In spite of criticism, they have refused to produce easy, sexy, band-aid results. They have kept their blinders on and their noses to the grindstone to produce what is right and sustainable for our children. For that, they have my profound respect.

The Board and the Administration have almost completed building an infrastructure and foundation that will transform our schools. In these next four years, I commit to continue to rebuild our schools for our children. I am determined to provide the leadership that is needed to create a school system that can compete head-to-head with the best systems in this nation.

Tonight, I ask the Mayor, the City Council, other city leaders, parents, the business community and residents of this city to join hands with the DC Public Schools to support our research driven work.

In order to do so, I believe we must make our children’s education and health the predictor and precursor of the city’s future. In concert with this philosophy, the Superintendent, the Board of Education and the Charter School Board should be included in the planning, design and redesign of our city. A city of magnificent intentions can only forecast its future through the filter of its’ children’s needs and possibilities. I envision DCPS, the Board of Education and the Charter School Board at the table when city planners forecast population shifts, neighborhood redevelopment and other development projects.

We applaud the past efforts of the city’s leadership for working with our schools. In a wonderfully successful partnership with the Commission on Mental Health, we have been able to increase mental health services provided to our children and families. This is an example of the type of partnerships we seek with our city agencies.

We embrace the mayor’s commitment to establishing schools as neighborhood anchors with D.C. services from recreation to healthcare to libraries on site to benefit children and families. Imagine what can happen when DCPS is included in plans for neighborhood service development. My vision for schools as neighborhood anchors has neighborhood public libraries housed in schools. The vision of our school libraries being used by the young and old adds to the brilliance of schools as anchors for community development. Think of how influential it would be for our children to see adults from their communities using their school … an exhilarating stamp of approval!

In every instance where the city is planning additional recreation centers, let DCPS plan with the city to combine rebuilding efforts so that recreation centers and services are in or adjacent to our schools. The use of expanded and enhanced recreational facilities will assist the schools in providing much-needed programs for all of our students as well as significantly increase the use of recreation department programs. We will have schools where students’ health, physical education and intramural programs could include swimming, fencing, ropes courses, tennis and other sports unavailable to most students now because of a lack of facilities. This idea does not cost money; it saves money.

The District of Columbia presently has the highest number of cases of HIV and AIDS in youth between the ages of 13 – 24 in the nation. We must turn that around. We can do it collaboratively by combining resources and programs so that services are where the students are – in our schools. Putting Public Health Department resources in our schools to counter this epidemic will help us deal with a problem that affects the overall health of our city.

The District also has the highest rate of asthma and juvenile diabetes among African American children in the nation. Clearly this is an impediment to learning. Jointly, our city and our schools can reduce these numbers through education. Together, we can ensure that our schools and capital-improvement programs afford students healthy environments where our children are in first-rate, clean buildings free from poor HVAC systems that mightily contribute to asthma, buildings that have no windows and don’t allow the sun in, carpeting that is decades old, and the present dearth of athletic facilities. We can change the health status of our children. We don’t need more money, just a redirection of attitude and of resources already available to the city.

At my first swearing in, I pledged to serve the citizens of DC in working to develop public schools that would provide first rate Academics, Athletics and Art education for all of our students. We have begun to build a system that will provide these necessities. The capital improvement projects for our schools include science labs and music rooms in elementary and secondary schools. The Board of Education endorsed and welcomed a ten million dollar partnership with the Kennedy Center to build and implement a world-class arts curriculum over the next three years. A partnership with VH-1 and Comcast Cable has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars in instrument donations. Our elementary schools have been the first beneficiaries of this program so that we can quickly build from the foundation grades musicians who will then enter our high schools.

I believe that even with the absence of resources and with the city’s fiscal constraints, we can succeed in improving our schools. We have had tremendous support from parents, students and neighbors. Now we need buy in from the Mayor, the City Council and the business community. We must all commit to making decisions based on data and research. We must commit to giving the children the REAL DEAL. The REAL DEAL for children is simply a chance built on truth, honor and rigor.

The mandate of the No Child Left Behind Act assures that every child will learn at high levels. This law requires all schools to teach every child and holds everyone accountable for student achievement. We will guarantee that these policies are implemented. The Administration and this Board are hard at work. But, we must hasten our work. Student achievement is our primary goal. I expect 90% of our students to become proficient in reading, math, science, the humanities and the arts by the end of this decade.

Many states say that the law is unfair and they seek ways to circumvent it by lowering standards. We believe in complying with the law and we are committed to accomplishing its’ requirements. Although testing is not the only means of showing growth and attainment, it is the only one we can use to compare ourselves with other school districts. It also means that we will rely on testing our teachers to show competency of subject matter. Rod Paige, U.S. Secretary of Education, has stated that "the goal of schools is not to issue diplomas but to educate students, because our nation’s freedom ultimately depends on an informed public and a high standard of educational excellence." Thus I propose the following. It is important to note that with the exception of extending the school day and increased testing, the adoption of these policies should not cost the system additional dollars:

• By 2005, extend the school day by two hours to enable student schedules to include arts education and intramural sports and other required electives and extra curricular activities without decreasing the amount of time we spend teaching the basics.
• Require that all students attain grade level mastery in reading and mathematics by end of 3^rd grade.
• Require an intervention strategy for all students who are at risk of not achieving reading and mathematical literacy by Grade 3. This strategy will require an intensive summer instructional program with highly trained teachers. In schools with more than 10% of students reading below grade level, the principal will be required to submit to the Superintendent a report on the weaknesses of their school’s instructional program and a plan for correcting those weaknesses. The Superintendent will develop a process for identifying such students at the beginning of each school year. The process will continue throughout the school year to ensure that any student whose academic achievement is falling below grade level is identified to provide preventive measures.
• We will seek private sector and corporate support to award students for outstanding academic achievement. Achievement will be defined by student performance on standardized tests aligned with the DCPS curriculum.
• Require the implementation of a single Standards-Based Curriculum and require that all students attain grade-level mastery before promotion to the next grade. We must require that all students learn the same content. We must have the same quality of standards based learning throughout the system, from school to school; the grading, the content, the standards and the levels of instruction must be the same. An A grade at Wilson must be equal to an A grade at Ballou; an A grade at Webb must be same as an A at Mann. Because we have a transient population, we must be able to promise parents, that if they move from one section of the city to another, their children will receive the same quality of education.
• Provide college-level training for instructional and support staff. All training must focus on and support classroom content.
• By virtue of the No Child Left Behind Act, all teacher’s aids who currently work for the system are required have at a minimum an Associate of Arts (AA) Degree by 2006. They will be notified of this requirement by May 30, 2003.
• Require that all teachers take examinations in their teaching certification areas. We cannot provide professional development and direction unless we have a handle on our universe.
• Require all secondary teachers to take a content and competency-based test in their respective disciplines by June 2006. (A minimum score in the 90^th Percentile must be achieved. Advanced Placement teachers will be required to take a complementary advanced examination in the subject that they teach. A minimum score designated by the Superintendent and approved by the Board must be achieved for teachers to continue teaching advanced placement courses. Teachers who do not meet the minimum requirement will be given prescriptive instructional support to help them achieve the required scores by 2006. If a teacher can document that 80% of his/her students have achieved grade level mastery on standardized examinations, he/she will be able to seek a waiver.
• Require all elementary school teachers to have 12 hours of college level math. Beginning in 2006, the system will administer specific tests to gauge applicants’ knowledge of elementary mathematics through Algebra I and Geometry. Remedial and advanced mathematic courses will be offered to teachers.
• Require all applicants hired in 2003 and beyond to achieve a score of 90 and above on the Praxis or other testing tools designated by the Superintendent and approved by the Board. In order to comply with the requirements of H.R. 1 of having highly qualified teachers in each classroom, the school system must begin to assess all teachers.
• Require all teacher’s aides to take literacy tests before July 1, 2003. Those aides who are found to be illiterate will be counseled out of the system, but will be given priority when they complete their A.A. degree. We must remind ourselves that most professionals including medical doctors continue to engage in professional development programs and undergo post-licensure assessment to determine their on-going competency. I recognize that the Washington Teacher’s Union does not support testing and that many of these proposals will be controversial, but I would much rather offend an adult than damage a child.
• Require the establishment of an "Office of Teacher Advancement" that will be responsible for making sure that every teacher in the system is advised of all grants, programs, fellowships and or other competitions available to them and provide technical support for teachers who request assistance in the application process. We must support our teachers and provide advancement, rewards and incentives for professional achievement. As we hold our teachers more accountable, we must also make provisions to acknowledge their hard work and guarantee that they are recognized.
• Require the system to provide each principal with an "Induction Plan" to assist new teachers. Implementation of the plan will commence July 1, 2003, and continue throughout the teachers’ first two years of employment. We must be committed as a school system to giving our new teachers full support.
• Host a "New Teachers Summit" each spring for first and second year teachers who are new to teaching or to DCPS to foster feedback and keep abreast of their continuing needs.
• Ensure that students receiving special education services have educational programs that are guided by their unique disability and ensure that the same curriculum standards be used for them. So far, most of our work in special education has been focused on the mechanics: running buses on time, rewriting rules, saving money. Now, we must deliver to our special education students learning programs equal to all others.
• All substantial contracts granted by DCPS will require that the contractor or vendor provide a training, apprenticeship and jobs program for our students. The training must be inextricably linked to the career tech/education program established by Dr. Arthur Curry, Director of Career Education, DC Public Schools. An example: If Xerox receives a contract from D.C., we would require them to establish a document management and archival program for 30 of our students each year. This could turn into summer and career jobs in D.C. law firms.

I believe our charter schools should be part of a seamless provision of educational choices for our community. We must be leaders in this movement so that newly chartered schools answer a particular need for our students as determined by research.

And finally, my vision for the school system is one of integrity, accountability and transparency. During our last two years in office, I am proud to say that 90% of the Board votes have been unanimous. This attests to the fact that we are committed to serving students and not to fulfilling our personal agendas. While there will always be people who will use our children for their personal benefit, we are committed to making decisions that serve the best interest of students and not for those intent on making money – from the most powerful businessmen and organizations to the smallest vendors.

We, the Board and the Administration, will be accountable for each and every dollar entrusted to us. We ended the fiscal year with balanced books and we will do so again and again and again. Clearly, we must take a more entrepreneurial approach to our work to make certain that we take advantage of all opportunities to secure funds to finance our goals.

In his speech during his swearing in ceremony, Councilmember Vincent Orange said that he would like to see a special education campus developed for DC students. He proposed the Macmillan Reservoir site. I look forward to working with Councilmember Orange in trying to achieve this goal.

We need your voice, your energy, your intellect and your selflessness to make the District of Columbia a city of learners, a city of productive tax paying citizens, a city of readers, and a city of contributors. We are committed to stopping the pipeline from our schools to the city’s culture and industry of dependency. We will be sending even more students to Princeton, Brown, Morehouse, Harvard, to Yale and Spelman, to work at Covington and Burling and Williams and Connelly. We will have even more students who are capable of succeeding Frank Raines at Fannie Mae, Tony Williams in City Hall and Rod Paige as Secretary of Education. We have achieved many things at a dizzying speed. District citizens have seen nothing yet; there is much more is to come.

Thank you for this opportunity.

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THE REAL DEAL CAMPAIGN FOR CHILDREN

The President’s Vision
Peggy Cooper Cafritz, President
District of Columbia Board of Education

Policy Recommendation #1

Priority: High Student Performance
Committee: Special Education and Student Services; Facilities and Finance; Operations and Visions and Teaching and Learning
Category: Student Achievement

• That the District of Columbia Public Schools extend the school day by two hours so that we can add arts intramural sports and other required elective to every student curriculum without decreasing the amount of time they spend in the classroom on the basics.

Superintendent’s Strategic Plan

• Implement first-rate learning environments, rigorous curricula, strong academic programs, and extensive enrichment offerings.

Performance Based Budget

• NOT REFLECTED IN THE BUDGET BUT WOULD REQUIRE AN INCREASE IN FY 2006 BUDGET. ADDITIONALLY, WE MUST LOOK TO SEEK SUBSTANTIAL PARTICIPATION IN THIS INITIATIVE BY THE BUSINESS AND THE PHILANTHROPIC COMMUNITY.

Timeline

September 2005 – ongoing

No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) Research Support

Extending Learning Time for Disadvantaged Students - Volume 1 Summary of Promising Practices – 199, 5 http://www.ed.gov/pubs/Extending/vol1/pt1.html 

• In coordination with appropriately challenging curricula, thoughtful instruction, and sensible management, extended-time programs can improve student achievement. And for students most in need of supplemental assistance, extended-time programs can offer much more: the best of these programs establish safe, stimulating environments that inspire and guide learning far beyond the traditional school day, week, or year. These programs involve children, families, and communities in a concerted effort to prevent student failure and nurture success.
• Designed to improve the academic performance of low-achieving students in low-income schools, Title I (formerly Chapter 1) is the largest federal program supporting elementary and secondary education. Recent national studies of Title I have recommended ways to use Title I resources for improving the educational prospects of disadvantaged children and helping meet national education goals for all students and schools. These recommendations include providing incentives for programs that extend learning time and requiring districts to use at least a minimum percentage of their Title I grants for these programs--or at least to offer information and assistance for this purpose. Further, the National Education Commission on Time and Learning recently recommended keeping schools open longer to meet the needs of all children and communities.
• Program planners must search for funding continuously and creatively, looking to both new and traditional sources of funding for support. Options include federal categorical programs, special funding from state departments of education, funds from private foundations and educational organizations, and support from community agencies and organizations.

The 1995 Leisure Research Symposium

Title: Evaluation of an After-School Program for At-Risk Youth
Author(s): Dwayne Butler, Texas A&M University, Peter Witt, Texas A&M University

• It is estimated that up to 40% of the time of children and adolescents is "unstructured, unsupervised, and unproductive…"
• Academic grades (math, science, reading and language) of participants at the highest two levels of participation (i.e. 3 or more activities) had significantly higher grades than non-participants.

Children first
District of Columbia Public Schools Business Plan for Strategic Reform (page 10)

Policy Recommendation #2

Priority: High Student Performance
Committee: Teaching and Learning
Category: Student Achievement

• Provide high quality Early Childhood Education programs in order to require that all students have grade level mastery in reading and mathematics before they are passed beyond 3^rd grade.

Superintendent’s Strategic Plan

• Implement first-rate learning environments, rigorous curricula, strong academic programs, and extensive enrichment offerings.

Performance Based Budget

• Build systemic infrastructure to insure 100% implementation of NCLBA
• Develop a common definition of school readiness across early childhood programs
• Conduct developmental screenings on 100% children ages 3 to 5 years
• Develop a process for the revision of early childhood standards and curriculum
• Identify and implement programs that are aligned with content standards
• Construct more precise indicators of success in improving student achievement and on closing gaps in performance.

Timeline

September 2004 – On-going

No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) Research Support

http://www-internal.sandi.net/standards/Math-eng/mathstand.htm Rigorous academic standards are essential for educational improvement. Coupled with appropriate instructional materials, instruction, and assessment, standards have the power to transform schooling and learning.

http://www.c-b-e.org/psi/intro.htm Academic standards outline the skills and knowledge that students should know and be able to do at different stages in their education, providing equity in educational quality and a mechanism for accountability in public schooling.

http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/atrisk/at700.htm Students identified as being at risk of educational failure often receive a watered-down curriculum that emphasizes the acquisition of basic academic skills. All students--especially those at risk--need to be engaged in interesting and challenging learning that goes beyond basic proficiencies. One of the best ways to ensure meaningful, engaged learning for all students is by developing whole-school programs in which classroom teachers, specialists, administrators, and support staff collaborate to provide improved schoolwide instruction. Supportive instruction within the regular classroom can be provided for those students who need additional help in meeting high academic standards. Strategies for promoting learning for at-risk students can be enhanced by appropriate assessment, ongoing professional development, and parental involvement.

Policy Recommendation #3

Priority: High Student Performance
Committee: Teaching and Learning
Category: Student Achievement

• Implement an intervention strategy for all students who are at-risk of not achieving reading and/or mathematical literacy by grade 3. This strategy will require an intensive summer instructional program with highly trained teachers. Each principal will be required to submit to the Superintendent a report on the weaknesses in his or her school’s instructional program inclusive of a plan for correcting those weaknesses. The Superintendent will be directed to develop a process for identifying such students at the beginning of each school year. The process will be continuous throughout the school year to ensure that any student whose academic achievement is deteriorating to the point of falling below grade level is identified so appropriate intervention measures can be taken.

Superintendent’s Strategic Plan

• Implement first-rate learning environments, rigorous curricula, strong academic programs, and extensive enrichment offerings.

Performance Based Budget

• Build systemic infrastructure to insure 100% implementation of NCLBA
• Develop a common definition of school readiness across early childhood programs
• Establish communities of learners among administrators and teachers to Participate in the on-going refinement and implementation of the curriculum, diagnostic/assessment strategies, and instructional strategies that raise student achievement
• Construct more precise support structures for administrators, teachers, and students so that all students can meet or exceed the standards

Timeline

June 2003 – On-going

No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) Research Support

Harrington-Lueker, Donna, Summer Learners, American School Board Journal, March 2000

• According to the Department of Education's report, Taking Responsibility for Ending Social Promotion: A Guide for Educators and State and Local Leaders, most districts working to end social promotion have found that summer school is a necessary component of any long-range plan.
• Recent reviews of research on summer school have also begun to cement the idea that high-quality summer programs can make a difference. According to University of Missouri psychologist Harris Cooper, a synthesis of research on summer-school programs over the past two decades shows that summer programs that focus on remedial or accelerated learning have had a positive effect on student learning.

Policy Recommendation #4

Priority: Student Incentives
Committee: Facilities and Finances
Category: Budget and Finances

• To establish a program that is designed to award incentives to students for outstanding academic achievement. Achievement will be defined by student performance on standardized tests that are aligned with the DCPS curriculum.

Superintendent’s Strategic Plan

• Maximize the dollars used to improve student achievement
• Strengthen partnerships with city agencies

Performance Based Budget

• In addition DCPS will seek private sector support for this initiative
• Identify new contest and award opportunities
• Solicit new scholarships to increase opportunities for post secondary education

Timeline

June 2003 – On-going

No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) Research Support

Paris and Mason (1995) describe compacts or business-school partnerships:

"Compacts or business-school partnerships are locally developed work-based strategies for increasing academic and occupational achievement in exchange for increased job opportunities and higher education for urban youth. In 1982, Boston formed this kind of public-private partnership between the city's schools, businesses, labor unions and local government. The Boston Compact is designed to motivate students to stay in school and achieve by offering guaranteed employment and financial aid for further education as incentives. Initially, money and jobs were to be supplied by the private sector and schools promised to improve academic achievement and reduce the dropout rate. In 1989, the compact agreement was renegotiated to emphasize high-skill employment for high school youth. Boston's Pro Tech youth apprenticeship program exemplifies the revised collaborative compact effort." (p. 43)

Charles Law, Jr., education and work consultant in Raleigh, North Carolina, talks about how business and education partnerships are beneficial for all involved. Excerpted from the video series Schools That Work: The Research Advantage, videoconference #7, Preparing Students for Work in the 21st Century (North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, 1992).

"I was in working with teachers and superintendents in South Carolina just the first part of this week. Private sector people there, and one of the partnerships that I saw that was tremendously exciting was a persons from the private structure who are restructuring their industries and taking what they're learning and in turn helping teachers and administrators learn how to restructure education, and so it's a match up not just for kids, but for schools, for institutions, for all levels."

Policy Recommendation #5

Priority: High Student Performance
Committee: Special Education and Student Services; Facilities and Finance; Operations and Visions and Teaching and Learning
Category: Student Achievement

• That the District of Columbia Public Schools implement a single Standards-Based Curriculum inclusive of reading and math standards that every student should meet and that parents are ensured that a course taken in one school has the same content as any other school.

Superintendent’s Strategic Plan

• Implement first-rate learning environments, rigorous curricula, strong academic programs, and extensive enrichment offerings

Performance Based Budget

• Continue to develop and disseminate content standards that are rigorous, clear, and describe, in succinct ways, the knowledge and skills expected for all students to possess
• Create effective and efficient ways to regularly assess and publicly report the implementation of the standard pre-k-12 curriculum. Use the results to inform the next generation of improvement efforts. These assessment tools and strategies will be aligned to the content standards

Timeline

June 2003 - On-going

No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) Research Support

• Christopher B. Swanson and David Lee Stevenson – Standards-Based Reform in Practice: Evidence on State Policy and Classroom Instruction from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) State Assessments pp. 1-27
• Department of Education – www.ed.gov/legislation/FEDRegister/finrule/2002-3/070502a.html
  Title I – Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged
  Agency: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of Education
• www.pen.k12.va.us/go/Sols/math.html

Policy Recommendation #6

Priority: Quality Instructional Programs
Committee: Teaching and Learning
Category: Academic Achievement

• That the District of Columbia Public Schools require the establishment of city-wide Standards-Based Field Trip Experiences designated to specific grade levels and complementary to grade level content.

Superintendent’s Strategic Plan

• Implement first-rate learning environments, rigorous curricula, strong academic programs, and extensive enrichment offerings

Performance Based Budget

• Identify and implement programs that are aligned with content standards for all schools
• Identify partners, resources, and programs to complement curricular offerings

Timeline

September 2003

No Child Left Behind (NCLBA) Research Support

Field Trips: The Board of Education encourages field trips when the experiences are an integral part of school curriculum and contribute the District’s desired and educational goals. Field trips are intended to allow students experiences that provide them with insight information or knowledge that cannot be adequately developed through regular classroom experience…..

http://www.k111.k12.il.us/policy/6_240.htm
Field Trip Guide: MoS-Learn More-Educator Resources-Field Trips
http://www.mos.org/learn_more/ed_ res/fieldtrips/
Museum Course &Day Trips
Educator Resources
Harrison Lyman Library
Museum Travel Program

Policy Recommendation #7

Priority: Quality Support Service
Committee: Special Education and Student Services and Teaching and Learning
Category: Support Staff

• To require that all paraprofessionals, who currently work for the system and who are required by virtue of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) to have at minimum an Associate of Arts (AA) Degree by 2006, be notified by certified mail as to these requirements and options for meeting these goals by Spring of 2003.

Superintendent’s Strategic Plan

• Develop, attract, and retain excellent principals and teachers (Paraprofessional Staff)

Performance Based Budget

• 100% of non-instructional staff attend at least one program

Timeline

January 2003 - January 2006

No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) Research Support

Improving Teacher Quality
State Grants
Title II, Part A Non-Regulatory Draft Guidance
December 19, 2002

• Definition: Highly Qualified Paraprofessional: A paraprofessional who has not less than two years of experience in a classroom; and post-secondary education or demonstrated competence in a field or academic subject for which there is a significant shortage of qualified teachers
  [Section 2101(4)]

Policy Recommendation #8

Priority: High Student Performance
Committee: Teaching and Learning
Visions and Operations
Category: Teacher Quality

• To require that all current teachers take a writing test this year and take examinations in their teaching certification areas by 2005.

Superintendent’s Strategic Plan

• Develop, attract and retain excellent principals and teachers

Performance Based Budget

• Ensure that 100% of classroom teachers are certified in relevant content areas
• Increase the District of Columbia universities’ role to developing a variety of mechanisms for teachers or applicants for teachers to obtain the required educational preparation
• Oversee employee performance evaluation process to ensure compliance with existing policy

Timeline

June 2003 – On-going
June 2005 - On-going

No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) Research Support

National Council on Teacher Quality: Teacher Quarterly Clearinghouse
October 4, 2002

• The Carnegie Corporation has released a report urging that teacher training be modeled after medical training, including a two-year residency requirement and a curriculum overhaul.
  http://www.state.ia.us/educate/ecese/tqt/tc/summary.html
• An evaluation system can be used to shape a standards-based teacher evaluation system that will meet all the expectations of a Teacher Quality Program.
• New evaluation systems should be built around a range of sources of data and information that will encourage and support the demonstration of teacher mastery of Teaching Standards.
• Teacher evaluation should provide opportunities for teachers at different developmental stages to be involved in processes and activities appropriate to their experience and expertise. In addition, teacher evaluation should be heavily focused on the formative aspects of evaluation, using staff-directed activities for the purpose of promoting professional development, especially development focused on improving student achievement as determined by district achievement goals.
• To accomplish the desired outcomes, it is recommended that local school districts use a basic three-tiered approach to evaluation.
• The primary purpose of Tier I is to generate usable and reliable data that will support making a decision to recommend for licensure a beginning teacher and will support the movement of the beginning teacher to the career teacher level. The procedures, processes, and relationships established and supported within Tier I should also help new staff develop professionally and personally, promote an environment that will encourage teachers and administrators to understand the importance and usefulness of evaluation, and support the practice of reflection and continuous professional development. It is important for local districts to coordinate local induction and mentoring programs with the Tier I requirements. This will help prevent overlapping responsibilities and work.
• This tier is focused on developing and supporting the professional development of teachers while also providing for the on-going assessment of the career teachers’ mastery of the Teaching Standards. The Individual Teacher Career Development Plan is designed for all career teachers in the district. The purpose of this tier is to provide a structured, supportive, and collaborative environment to promote professional development that will further the district’s comprehensive school improvement plan and enhance student achievement.
• The purpose of Tier III is to provide organizational support and assistance to career level teachers who are not meeting the Teaching Standards. The existence of this plan makes it possible for Tier II to focus on professional development rather than remediation. In designing Tier III, focus will be on the spirit of quality assurance, with support, that is expected to characterize the beginning teacher plan and the career professional development plan. This plan demonstrates the district's commitment to quality teaching by providing a supported, structured, serious system of assistance to ensure that every career teacher is meeting the Teaching Standards. Danielson & McGreal (2000) and Peterson (2000).

Policy Recommendation #9

Priority: High Student Performance
Committee: Teaching and Learning
Category: Teacher Quality

• To require all secondary teachers (Middle, Junior High and Senior High) to take an identified test in their respective disciplines by June 2006. A minimum score in the 90^th Percentile must be achieved. Advanced Placement teachers will be required to take the Advanced Placement Examination in the subject that they teach. A minimum score of 5 must be achieved. The teachers who take this test by June 1, 2003, will not be penalized for their results. However, teachers who do not meet the minimum requirement will be given a prescriptive instructional support program help them to achieve the required scores by 2006.

Superintendent’s Strategic Plan

• Develop, attract, and retain excellent principals and teachers

Performance Based Budget

• Ensure that 100% of classroom teachers are certified in relevant content areas
• Improve instruction, service delivery, and opportunities for teachers to upgrade the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom
• Mandate appropriate training for teachers of advance learners in all Advance Placement (AP) classes and in all International Baccalaureate Program classes

Timeline

June 2003 – On-going

No Child left Behind Act (NCLBA) Research Support

Teacher Quality and Student Achievement: A Review of State Policy Evidence
Linda Darling-Hammond
Stanford University, 2000

• Quantitative analyses indicate that measures of teacher preparation and certification are by far the strongest indicators of student achievement in reading and mathematics, both before and after controlling for student poverty and language status. This analysis suggests that policies adopted by states regarding teacher education, licensing, hiring, and professional development may make an important difference in the qualifications and capacities that teachers bring to their work. The implications for state efforts to enhance quality and equity in public education are discussed.
• Students who are assigned to several ineffective teachers in a row have significantly lower achievement and gains in achievement than those who are assigned to several highly effective teachers in sequence (Sanders & Rivers, 1996).
• A controlled study of middle school mathematics teachers, matched by years of experience and school setting, found that students of fully certified mathematics teachers experienced significantly larger gains in achievement than those taught by teachers not certified in mathematics. The differences in student gains were greater for algebra classes than general mathematics (Hawk, Coble, & Swanson, 1985).

Policy Recommendation #10

• To adopt a policy for all elementary school teachers to have 12 hours of college level math. The system will administer specific tests to gauge an applicant’s knowledge of elementary mathematics through algebra I and geometry beginning in 2006.

Superintendent’s Strategic Plan

• Develop, attract and retain excellent principals and teachers
• Implement first-rate learning environments, rigorous curricula, strong academic programs, and extensive enrichment offerings

Performance Based Budget

• 100% of classrooms have highly qualified teachers by 2005
• Develop rich and varied professional development strategies, in schools and classrooms, to focus on content knowledge, inquiry and classroom management by 2003

Timeline

July 2006 – On-going

No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) Research Support

Teacher Quality and Student Achievement: A Review of State Policy Evidence
Linda Darling-Hammond
Stanford University, 2000

• Reviewing findings of the National Longitudinal Study of Mathematical Abilities, Begle (1979) found that the number of credits a teacher had in mathematics methods courses was a stronger correlate of student performance than was the number of credits in mathematics courses or other indicators of preparation.
• Studies have found a somewhat stronger and more consistently positive influence of education coursework on teachers' effectiveness. Ashton and Crocker (1987) found significant positive relationships between education coursework and teacher performance in four of seven studies they reviewed—a larger share than those showing subject matter relationships.
• Evertson, Hawley, and Zlotnik (1985) reported a consistent positive effect of teachers' formal education training on supervisory ratings and student learning, with 11 of 13 studies showing greater effectiveness for fully prepared and certified vs. uncertified or provisionally certified teachers. With respect to subject matter coursework, 5 of 8 studies they reviewed found no relationship and the other three found small associations.
• Similarly, Monk's (1994) study of student's mathematics and science achievement found that teacher education coursework had a positive effect on student learning and was sometimes more influential than additional subject matter preparation. In an analysis of science teaching, Perkes (1967- 68) found that teachers' coursework credits in science were not significantly related to student learning, but coursework in science education was significantly related to students' achievement on tasks requiring problem solving and applications of science knowledge. Teachers with greater training in science teaching were more likely to use laboratory techniques and discussions and to emphasize conceptual applications of ideas, while those with less education training placed more emphasis on memorization.

Policy Recommendation #11

Priority: High Student Performance
Committee: Teaching and Learning
Category: Teacher Quality

• To require all applicants hired in 2003 achieve a score at the 80^th percentile or above on the teacher assessment designated by the Superintendent and approved by the Board. To require all applicants hired after 2006 achieve a score in the 90^th percentile or above. And to require that the Superintendent on November 1^st of each year report to the Board a profile of the new hires with regard to qualifications and test scores.

Superintendent’s Strategic Plan

• To develop, attract and retain excellent principals and teachers

Performance Based Budget

• Ensure that 100% of classroom teachers are certified in relevant content areas
• Increase the number of teachers that attain licensure via completion of teacher education certificate programs

Timeline

July 2003 – On-going

No Child left Behind Act (NCLBA) Research Support

No Child Left Behind Act

• "Highly qualified means that the teacher has obtained full State certification as a teacher or has passed the State teacher licensing examination and holds a license to teach in the State…

Testing Teacher Candidates: The Role of Licensure Tests in Improving Teacher Quality (2001)

• Tests as paper-and-pencil tools measure knowledge and skills. Tests are evaluated and scored using standardized processes. Assessments are broader. While assessments can include standardized paper and pencil measures, they may also include performance based evidence such as portfolios, videotapes and observation records.
• Licensing exams are viewed as a means for ensuring that advances in professional knowledge are incorporated into their professional education programs.
• Teacher licensure is intended to designate between those who are competent to enter the classroom in terms of the skills measured by the test and those who are not.

Policy Recommendation # 12

Priority: High Student Performance
Committee: Teaching and Learning
Category: Qualified Staff

• To require all teacher aides to take literacy tests before July 1, 2003. Teacher aides must pass the test with at least an 80% competency level to be retained as employees with the DC Public Schools.

Superintendent’s Strategic Plan

• Implement first-rate learning environments, rigorous curricula, strong academic programs, and extensive enrichment offerings.

Performance Based Budget

• 100% of non-instructional staff attend at least one program
• Develop rich and varied professional development strategies in schools and classrooms to focus on content knowledge, inquiry and classroom management by 2003

Timeline

March 2003

No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) Research Support

US Department of Labor
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Outlook Handbook. , retrieved on January 4, 2003, www.bls.gov 

• Teacher assistants provide instructional and clerical support for classroom teachers, allowing teachers more time for lesson planning and teaching. Teacher assistants tutor and assist children in learning class material using the teacher's lesson plans, providing students with individualized attention. Teacher assistants also supervise students in the cafeteria, schoolyard, school discipline center, or on field trips. They record grades, set up equipment, and help prepare materials for instruction. Teacher assistants are also called teacher aides or instructional aides. Some refer to themselves as paraeducators.
• Two-year and community colleges offer associate degree programs that prepare graduates to work as teacher assistants. However, most teacher assistants receive on-the-job training. Those who tutor and review lessons with students must have a thorough understanding of class materials and instructional methods, and should be familiar with the organization and operation of a school. Teacher assistants also must know how to operate audiovisual equipment, keep records, and prepare instructional materials, as well as have adequate computer skills.

Policy Recommendation #13

Priority: High Quality Teachers
Committee: Special Education and Student Services, Facilities and Finance and Teaching and Learning
Category: Teaching Staff

• To recommend the establishment of an "Office of Teacher Advancement" that will be responsible for making sure that every teacher in the system is advised of all grants, programs, fellowships and/or other competitions available to them and to provide technical support for teachers who request assistance in the application process.

Superintendent’s Strategic Plan

• Develop, attract and retain excellent principals and teachers
• Maximize the dollars used to improve student achievement

Performance Based Budget

• Increase the number of teachers receiving awards from 160 to 200

Timeline

June 2003 - On-going

No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) Research Support

Achieving Equality Through High Standards and Accountability, Title l
(Part A: Closing the Achievement Gap for Disadvantage Students) A Summary Statement from the Proposals

Helps States with Technical Assistance Funds to Help Turn Around Low-Performing Schools. Federal funds will be available to states and districts to augment their efforts to provide capacity building and technical assistance to schools identified as needing improvement. State technical assistance provided with these funds must be grounded in scientifically-based researched.

• Teachers will have the resources and support to teach solid curricula as well as independent information to help them know where children need extra attention.

• Just 41 percent of teachers of mathematics have math as an area of study in school
• In English classes 1/5 of all public school students in grades seven through 12 were taught by teacher who did not have at least a minor in English, literature, communications or journalism
• In history and physical science, more than one out of every two children is being taught by a teacher who has never studied or practice the subject in any concentrated way
• There are more that four million students in physics, chemistry and history classes with teachers lacking the best preparation for teaching their subjects.
• One way of assessing quality of the system is teacher participation in external programs and competitions. (More research available)

Policy Recommendation #14

• To recommend that the system provide each principal with an "Induction Plan" which must be implemented by July 1, 2003 and continue throughout the teacher’s first two years of employment and to recommend that the system create a bank of retired master teachers on whom principals can call for assistance in servicing new teachers.

Superintendent’s Strategic Plan

• Develop, attract, and retain excellent principals and teachers

Performance Based Budget

• 100% of schools have well prepared principals as instructional leaders in 2004
• 100% of new teacher participants in mentoring programs
• Improve instruction, service delivery, and opportunities for teachers to upgrade the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom

Timeline

July 2003

No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) Research Support

• Minority Faculty Development Program/Publications/Diversity Directory/Teacher Professional Development http://www.mfdp.med.harvard.edu/publications/diversity directory/teacher
• The Uses of Time for Teacher and Learning - Resources Required to Alter the Uses of Time http://www.ed.gov/pubs/SER/UsesofTime/chap4-2.html 

Policy Recommendation #15

Priority: High Quality Teachers
Committee: Special Education and Student Services, Facilities and Finance and Teaching and Learning
Category: Professional Development

• That the Administration sponsor "New Teachers Summit" each Spring for first and second year teachers who are new to teaching and/or the District of Columbia Public Schools to foster feedback on their induction and continuing needs.

Superintendent’s Strategic Plan

• Develop, attract and retain excellent principals and teachers
• Maximize the dollars used to improve student achievement
• Implement first-rate learning environment, rigorous curricula, strong academic programs, and extensive enrichment offerings

Performance Based Budget

• Recognize and reward outstanding teachers through both monetary and professional incentives
• Improve instruction, service delivery, and opportunities for teachers to upgrade the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom

Timeline

June 2003 – On-going

No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) Research Support

Title II, Part A: Guidance, Improving Teacher Quality State Grants
B. Components of Effective Teacher Professional Development Programs (pp 5-11)

• Teachers will have the resources and support to teach solid curricula as well as independent information to help them know where children need extra attention.
• Just 41 percent of teachers of mathematics have math as an area of study in school
• In English classes 1/5 of all public school students in grades seven through 12 were taught by teacher who did not have at least a minor in English, literature, communications or journalism
• In history and physical science, more than one out of every two children is being taught by a teacher who has never studied or practice the subject in any concentrated way
• There are more that four million students in physics, chemistry and history classes with teachers lacking the best preparation for teaching their subjects.

Policy Recommendation #16

Priority: Quality Instructional Programs
Committee: Special Education and Student Services, Operations and Visions and Teaching and Learning
Category: Staff and Student Development

• That the District of Columbia Public Schools require all DCPS instructional staff as part of professional development, and all DCPS students as part of the content-based curriculum complete course(s) in anger management and peer mediation in order to promote a climate of mutual respect for all.

Superintendent’s Strategic Plan

• Develop, attract, and retain excellent principals and teachers

Performance Based Budget

• Increase the number of school-based violence and drug prevention programs
• 90% of requested professional development, school-based and student training sessions to support the Peaceable Schools Initiative conducted

Timeline

June 2003 – On-Going

No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) Research Support

• AFT Survey of Discipline Codes in Large City School Districts, August 1995
  www.aft.org/research/reports/collbarg/disciplin/
• School Discipline & Classroom Management: A Bibliography
  www.falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/disciplinebib
• www.ncsu.edu/cpsv/
• Texas Policy Foundation cited 60% of teachers indicated discipline as their top concern. (Texas teachers moonlighting, and morale; 1980 – 2002, D. Henderson and T. Henderson, Texas Teachers Association, 2002.