Hello Virginia!
The notes from Ward 5 Community Conversation are here (there were five small groups, so the notes are listed by group):
Please let us know of you have any further questions!
Best,
Faith
--
President
Ward Five Council on Education
Sent from the iPhone of Faith Gibson Hubbard - please excuse any spelling errors
I just found this "Community Conversation" story, which includes remarks from the breakout session I attended, published in the August 8 Current Newspapers.The Ward 1 "report out" session did include some of these small-group remarks, including a call to repudiate the IFF, but there was no group process or call for a vote as in Ward 7 and Ward 4, just FYI.Does anyone know of a print of blog report on the Ward 5 meeting? I know something was posted here, but I would like to have something that is -- or can be -- public from each meeting.Virginia--------------- copied from August 8 Current --------------Ward 1 discussion focuses on access to quality schoolsBy DEIRDRE BANNONCurrent Staff WriterD.C. Deputy Mayor for Education De'Shawn Wright has launched a series of five "community conversations" to discuss improving access to quality education within the city's public school system. At the first session, hosted July 26 by CentroNía in Columbia Heights, conversation among some participants quickly turned to the continuing tensions between the city's traditional public schools and its charter schools.Attendees at the Ward 1 meeting questioned how well D.C. Public Schools officials are handling what some perceive to be alarming growth in the charter school sector. Some expressed concern that charter schools could take over the entire system, dissolving traditional neighborhood schools."We're not saying it's about charters versus traditional schools," said one participant. "The discussion should be about how DCPS and charter schools can co-exist and coordinate together to build a stronger system."Remarking on the D.C. Charter School Board's July proposal to allow experienced charter operators to open new schools on an accelerated timetable, one participant asked, "How many high schools do we actually need? If a new charter school wants to come in, we should be asking why, where should they go, does the community need it, and is it sustainable?" She also questioned the cost implications of having two separate school systems that she said don't seem to communicate.Another participant said there is "too much instability in the system around these issues," and suggested that the city impose a moratorium on closing any D.C. Deputy Mayor for Education De'Shawn Wright has launched a series of five "community conversations" to discuss improving access to quality educa- tion within the city's public school system. At the first session, hosted July 26 by CentroNía in Columbia Heights, conversation among some participants quickly turned to the continuing tensions between the city's traditional public schools and its charter schools.The concern that some expressed over possible school closures has roots in a controversial report released by the mayor's office in January. Conducted by Chicago- based group IFF, the study evaluated all D.C. public schools and suggest- ed that 37 be closed based on low test scores. Some attendees called into question the study's methodol- ogy, but they also drew attention to a perceived conflict of interest: IFF lends money to charter schools and consults on real estate deals in which charters purchase former public school buildings.Participants expressed concern that the IFF study is too influential in the offices of the deputy mayor and schools chancellor. In comments to deputy mayor Wright, they urged him to "repudiate" the study.In a brief interview at the meeting, Wright, who began his tenure as deputy mayor in January 2011, said the IFF study was not the driving force behind possible changes to the school system. He said the report instead served as a "starting point to identify needs in the system."Wright declined to talk about specific school closures, which, he said, are "not the focus" of this series of meetings. Instead, he said, he wanted to hear from community members what programs or services should be increased or expanded, and where there are unmet needs in the system.One participant said the impact of the IFF study is already deeply felt. He noted that some students and faculty started calling their institu- tions "dead school walking" after seeing the list of potential closures. He said that what's worse is — in his opinion — that neither Wright nor D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson has directly addressed community questions about possible school closures.During breakout discussions at the meeting, organizers asked participants to indicate which approach to school improvement — providing stable learning environments, expecting academic excellence or improving parent and community involvement in the schools — they liked best. Attendees commented that it was hard to understand why they were being asked to choose among them..........--------------- copied from August 8 Current --------------
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