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June 11, 2007
Dissection of D.C. public schoolsTwo articles in the Washington Post yesterday and today that dissected the many ailments of the Washington, D.C., public schools could run under the head, "As the Stomach Churns." The thoughtful reporting and analysis leave readers wondering where this school system is headed given the endemic problems it faces.
First, a history lesson: "Washington's unique status as a federal city has played out in often-tumultuous struggles over governance of the public schools. Congress created the school system in 1804, two years after the District was established as a municipal government. Nearly six decades later, the city opened public schools for African American children, separate from the system for whites. ...The system has operated under various boards, but always with congressional oversight and without an independent state education agency."
But tomorrow, the school system will start writing a new chapter as Mayor Adrian Fenty (D) assumes control of the schools and promises "to fix abysmal test scores, dysfunctional management systems, decaying buildings that have been identified, but never corrected, by one would-be reformer after another. Fenty is expected to try a familiar quick fix: replace the current superintendent, Clifford B. Janey, and install his choice in the job, which will be renamed chancellor."
Under Fenty's takeover plan, which was approved by Congress, the school board will become an advisory panel and function like a state department of education. All eyes, including BoardBuzz's, will be on the D.C. schools to see what's going to happen next.
For more, read BoardBuzz's recent coverage of the takeover here and here.
Posted June 11, 2007 2:44 PM | School Boards
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