Current News

DCEC October 2009 Newsletter
(09/25/2009)

DCEC September 2009 Newsletter
(08/31/2009)

DCEC July 2009 Newsletter
(07/27/2009)

DCEC Summer Learning Opportunities Newsletter 2009 Reloaded
(06/12/2009)

DCEC Summer Learning Opportunities Newsletter 2009
(05/22/2009)

DCEC May 2009 Newsletter
(05/04/2009)

DCEC March/April 2009 Newsletter
(04/01/2009)

Dropout Prevention Early Warning Signs Brochure
(09/18/2009)

Espanol_Prevencion de la Desercion Escolar_Primeras Senales de Advertencia
(09/18/2009)

The Economic Benefits of Reducing High School Dropout Rates in the Washington, DC Metro Area
(09/18/2009)

High School Dropouts from Class of 2009 Represent Nearly $335 Billion in Lost Income
(09/15/2009)

Better Late Than Never? Examining Late High School Graduates
(08/30/2009)

Listening to Latinas: Barriers to High School Graduation
(08/30/2009)

State Test Score Trends Through 2007-08, Part 2: Is There a Plateau Effect in Test Scores?
(08/30/2009)

Local Wellness Policy (LWP)
(08/28/2009)

Keeping an eye on your children’s health: Childhood obesity rates have tripled in the last thirty years. Over 35% of children in the District of Columbia are overweight or obese, ranking the ninth highest for states in the U.S. Because of increased obesity rates, children have higher rates of type II diabetes, and are increasingly burdened with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other traditionally “adult” diseases. It’s time for change: Did you know that a local wellness policy (LWP) is required under federal law in all school districts, including D.C.? The LWP requires each district to have a comprehensive set of nutrition and physical activity policies to provide healthy school environments. The District of Columbia Public School’s Local Wellness Policy (LWP) is among the strongest in the nation! Click here to see the policy: Next time you’re in your child’s school, ask the school administrators if they’ve seen the policy and have taken steps to comply with the requirements.

A Framework for Choosing Effective Strategies to Transform Failing High Schools
(08/23/2009)

With federal stimulus dollars from the Race to the Top education reform fund poised for state proposals, educators and politicians across the nation are putting their heads together to find the best uses for the money. U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has targeted high dropout rates as one of his top priorities, a goal that puts Ohio squarely in the forefront of efforts to turn around failing high schools. As noted in the new report Graduating America:Meeting the Challenge of Low Graduation-Rate High Schools, from Jobs for the Future and the Everyone GraduatesCenter at Johns Hopkins University, Ohio is one of 17 states that together produce approximately 70 percent of the nation’s dropouts. As both federal and state attention turn again to the dropout problem, we provide an excerpt of that report and its recommendations for how to make strategic reform decisions.

ACT Prognosis: 23 % Could Earn C, At Best, in First-Year College Courses
(08/23/2009)

Even as high school graduates in recent years have grown increasingly better prepared for college, too many members of the class of 2009 cannot adequately perform all of the academic skills they will need to succeed, a report says. Just 23% of students, up from 22% last year, earned test scores suggesting they can earn at least a C in first-year college courses in English, math, reading and science, says the report, released today by the non-profit Iowa-based testing company ACT. It's based on scores of 1.48 million 2009 high school graduates who took the ACT's college entrance exam.

DOH Announces Back-to-School Vaccination Clinics and Extended Hours
(08/23/2009)

Washington, DC - The DC Department of Health (DOH) announced four temporary vaccination clinics in DC Public Schools (DCPS) and extended hours at the DOH Immunization Clinic, to give families the opportunity to meet vaccination requirements before the start of school on August 24. All public and private school students are required to have their vaccinations by September 8. Parents should bring their children's immunization cards with them when taking their child to get vaccinated. There are new immunization requirements for all grade levels for the 2009-10 school year. "The best way to protect your children from entirely preventable diseases such as measles, mumps or chicken pox is to get them vaccinated," said the Director of DOH, Dr. Pierre N.D. Vigilance MPH. "Every child that goes unvaccinated increases the chances that an outbreak will occur." Required immunizations for all students already in place: DTP/DTaP/Td Polio MMR Hepatitis B Hib New required immunizations: All students - Chickenpox (Varicella) Vaccine 4 years of age or younger - Pneumococcal Vaccine (1-4 age appropriate doses) and Hepatitis A Sixth through twelfth grade - Meningococcal Vaccine, tdap booster if five years have passed since last dose of DTP/DTaP/Td beginning at age 11, Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPV) for female students enrolling in sixth grade for the first time

Alliance for Excellent Education: Reinventing the Federal Role in Education:
(08/14/2009)

As part of a series on the shortcomings of NCLB as it relates to high school accountability and improvement, the Alliance for Education has released a policy brief proposing a strengthened federal role in preparing students for college and career. At a moment when "emerging best practices have shed light on more effective approaches to high school improvement, the national discourse on high schools has begun to shift from one about the crisis to one about solutions." The brief argues for "harness[ing] this progress and momentum," strategically designing the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to "move the nation toward the goal of all students graduating from high school ready for college and careers." Federal policy must therefore establish college and career readiness as the common goal for all students; ensure meaningful accountability for high school outcomes around common indicators; replace the current one-size-fits-all school improvement process with state- and district-led systems that are differentiated and data driven; support strategies for high school improvement on a larger scale, including district-wide; build system capacity to implement bold approaches to teaching and learning, school organization, and system structure; and provide new funding for the implementation of these innovative solutions. Read more: http://www.all4ed.org/files/PolicyBriefReinventingFedRoleEd.pdf

CCSSO, Child Trends: Disparities in Early Learning & Development: Lessons from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B)
(08/14/2009)

Child Trends, Resarch to Results: Why Teens are not Involved in Out-of-School Time Programs: The Youth Perspective
(08/14/2009)

Child Trends, Research to Results: Data Driven Decision Making in OUt-of-School Time Programs, Part 6 in a Series on Implementing Evidence-Based Practices in Out-of-School Time Programs:The Role of Organization-Level Activities
(08/14/2009)

Child Trends, Research to Results: How Program Adminstrators Can Support Out-of-School Time Staff
(08/14/2009)

Child Trends, Research to Results: Non-Participation of Children & Adolescents in Out-of-School Time Programs: Child, Family and Neighborhood Factors
(08/14/2009)

Child Trends, Research to Results: Online Resources for Identifying Evidence-Based Out-of-School Time Programs: A User's Guide
(08/14/2009)

Fork in The Road: Where Does the District Go In K-12 Education:A survey of 1,001 Registered Voters in the District of Columbia
(08/14/2009)

A new poll sponsored by a coalition of groups including DC Children First, shows that DC residents want school choice and reform. In particular, there is overwhelming community support for the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program. Seventy-four percent of respondents (the same number who favor public charter schools) said they favor or strongly favor the Opportunity Scholarship Program which offers scholarships for low-income families to find the right school for their child. Support for the program is even higher –over eighty percent – for parents with school aged children.

Infusing Career and Technical Education into High School Reform-Lessons from California
(08/14/2009)

Measuring and improving school climate: A strategy that recognizes, honors and promotes social, emotional and civic learning The foundation for love, work and engaged citizenry
(08/14/2009)

Moving Beyond AYP: High School Performance Indicators Alliance for Excellent Education Policy Brief
(08/14/2009)

A number of high school performance indicators have emerged as being predictive of high school graduation and college and career readiness. Those factors include attendance, course success, on-track-to-graduation status, course-taking patterns, success on college- and career-ready assessments, postsecondary success rates, and school climate. This brief describes the research behind those indicators, measurement options and challenges, and current use across the nation.

Raising Rigor, Getting Results: Lessons Learned From AP Expansion
(08/14/2009)

Advanced Placement (AP), which enables high school students to take introductory college-level courses, is the nation’s oldest example of a rigorous, common curriculum. Students who score well on AP exams are more likely to persist in college and earn a degree. The Advanced Placement Expansion project of the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) was one component of a large-scale initiative launched in 2005 to redesign the American high school. Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Nevada, and Wisconsin received funding to expand Advanced Placement (AP) courses to minority and low-income students at 51 pilot high schools in rural and urban school districts. The NGA Center, working in partnership with the College Board, has demonstrated that it is possible for states to raise rigor and get results at scale.

The APPLES Blossom: Abbott Preschool Program Longitudinal Effects Study (APPLES) Preliminary Results Through 2nd Grade, Interim Report
(08/14/2009)

American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009
(08/10/2009)

ARRA Funding for Statewide Longitudinal Data System
(08/10/2009)

Basic Reading SKills and the Literacy of America's Least Literate Adults
(08/10/2009)

Evaluation of Beacon Community Centers Middle School Intiative: Report on the First Year
(08/10/2009)

Left Behind in America: The Nation's Dropout Crisis
(08/10/2009)

Long-Term Economic Benefits of Investing in Early Childhood Programs: Proven Programs Boost Economic Development & Benefit the Nation's Fiscal Health
(08/10/2009)

Making Adolescent Reading an Immediate Priority in SREB States
(08/10/2009)

Public Charter School Dashboard 2009
(08/10/2009)

Reaching Out to Families and the Community: How Some High-Performing Schools are Engaging Families and Citizens to Support Student Achievement
(08/10/2009)

Reaching Out to Family and the Community Issue Brief
(08/10/2009)

The Costs and Benefits of an Excellent Education for America's Children
(08/10/2009)

The School Readiness Checklist for Elementary, Middle, and High School Students
(08/10/2009)

Why Isn't Johnny in Preschool: A Group of Chicago Parents Surveyed Thousands of Families in Their Communities to Find the Answers to This Question
(08/10/2009)

Annie E. Casey 2009 KIDS COUNT Data Book
(07/28/2009)

New poll Shows Support for DC Opportunity Scholar Program
(07/28/2009)

GAO Evaluation of DCPS Reform
(07/24/2009)

DC CAS Scores Released: Reading and Math scores are up
(07/13/2009)

Preparing Students for College and Career: California Multiple Pathways
(06/30/2009)

Ready to Assemble: Grading State Higher Education Accountability Systems: DC Score Card
(06/30/2009)

Moving Beyond AYP: High School Performance Indicators
(06/29/2009)

Putting Middle Grades Students on the Graduation Path
(06/26/2009)

2009 State of Learning Disabilities
(06/23/2009)

Meaningful Measurement: The Role of Assessments in Improving High School Education in the Twenty-First Century
(06/23/2009)

On the Frontlines of Schools: Perspectives of Teachers and Principals on the High School Dropout Problem
(06/22/2009)

Diplomas and Dropouts: Which Colleges Actually Graduate Their Students (and Which Don't)
(06/16/2009)

Lost Opportunity: A 50 State Report on the Opportunity to Learn in America
(05/26/2009)

NAEP 2008 Trends
(05/11/2009)

The Dropout Crisis Editorial and Report
(05/11/2009)

Compendium of Key Studies of the No Child Left Behind Act
(04/29/2009)

Five Key Education Priorities for the Obama Administration
(04/29/2009)

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Public Schools
(04/02/2009)

Who Gets Title 1 Funds From The Economic Stimulus Package?
(04/02/2009)

2009 Junior Achievement Essay Competition
(08/17/2009)

Federal Register of ARRA 2009 RaceTo The Top Guidelines
(07/27/2009)

Communities In Schools of the Nation's Capital Launches $40,000 Matching Campaign
(06/19/2009)

Scholarship and Financial Aid Online Resource
(06/17/2009)

Target: Early Childhood Reading Grants
(05/31/2009)

Change to Posse Nominations Schedule - High School Juniors
(05/22/2009)

Media Competition: Teens to Teens on Nonviolence
(05/13/2009)

Music Is Revolution Mini-Grants
(04/15/2009)

Free Classroom Resources!
(04/06/2009)

Fund for teachers: Grants for Travel and Growth
(04/02/2009)

President Obama's Address to Students of America
(09/08/2009)

American Graduation Initiative
(07/14/2009)

Tell the Truth About Colleges
(06/30/2009)

Catalyst Chicago: April 2009: Early Childhood Education
(06/23/2009)

Rhee's Silent Treatment
(06/21/2009)

About 250 DC Teachers are Given Pink Slips
(06/19/2009)

Two Years of Hard Lessons for DC Schools' Agent of Change
(06/14/2009)

Senate Leader Introduces ASCD High School Redesign Bill
(05/11/2009)

The Dropout Crisis Editorial and Report
(05/11/2009)

In four decades, high school progress is almost nil
(05/05/2009)

Tuning USA: Lumina Foundation launches faculty-led process that will involve students and employers in linking college degrees to workplace relevance and students’ mastery of agreed-upon learning objectives
(04/24/2009)

What ails education reform: poor use of symbolism
(04/24/2009)

Goodwill Community Foundation Online Learning
(04/22/2009)

How to Raise the Standard in America's Schools
(04/22/2009)

NGA, CCSSO Launch Common Standards Drive
(04/22/2009)

The Wilson Quarterly: 3 New Books on Urban Schooling
(04/22/2009)

Secretary of Education Duncan's ARRA Implementation Briefing
(04/13/2009)

Are we serious about educating students for the global competitive economy of the future?
(04/06/2009)

ASCD's Whole Child Petition
(04/06/2009)

Maryland Exemplifies Integrated Childhood Education
(04/03/2009)

Some New and Surprising Links Between Early Skills and Later Academic Success
(04/03/2009)

DCEC is in Loose Lips Column in Washington City Paper
(03/10/2009)

DCPS 2009-2010 School Opening Report
(09/15/2009)

Young Education Professionals Launches News Website: www.yepdc.org
(08/26/2009)

For child care, disability accommodations, and/or language interpretation services (Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Amharic, French, and American Sign Language)
(08/22/2009)

For child care, disability accommodations, and/or language interpretation seFor child care, disability accommodations, and/or language interpretation services (Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Amharic, French, and American Sign Language)call or email Luke Kohlmoos at (202) 442-5194 (Luke.Kohlmoos@dc.gov) at least two days in advance. Note: year round service

Edutopia: What Works in Public Education
(08/14/2009)

DCPS has a New Website
(08/11/2009)

McKinley Technical High School Student Mentors Teach Game Design
(08/10/2009)

DC Family Education Expo Call for Presenters
(06/22/2009)

DC STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION OPENS STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE RECRUITMENT PERIOD
(05/26/2009)

UDC 2009 Tuition and Fee Schedule
(04/16/2009)

District of Columbia Public Education Agencies' FY 08 and 09 Performance Indicators
(04/02/2009)

Vote 18 and Teach For America Seek Teachers and Facilitators for Youth Voter Engagement Program
(09/17/2009)

NHT/Enterprise After School Coordinator Part-Time Position
(08/10/2009)

AYPF EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
(06/24/2009)

Media Competition: Teens to Teens on Nonviolence
(05/13/2009)

Shine the Light on AmeriCorps During AmeriCorps Week
(05/09/2009)

Paid Education Fellowship for D.C. Youth Leaders
(05/05/2009)

Casey Trees Summer Internship
(05/01/2009)