Scott Goldstein: In the chancellor search, an opportunity to rebuild trust in DC schools

Last week, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that she would be beginning the search for a new DC Public Schools chancellor. This moment presents us with the unique opportunity of an open and inclusive discussion on the direction of education in our city.

It’s an opportunity that wasn’t afforded us only two short years ago, when the previous process to appoint a new chancellor flouted the law and failed to engage the community. After an intense year of controversy for both DCPS and our charter sector, it’s time to consider the critical need for a real culture shift — one that moves us away from an oppositional system and toward a system of collaboration and inspiration.

More than 10 years has passed since Michelle Rhee, the first mayorally appointed chancellor, appeared on the cover of Time magazine with a broom in her hand, sweeping out a generation of teachers, principals and even schools that she believed represented the crux of the problem in stagnant growth. The reality is that the achievement gap has only grown since then. In fact, yearly scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress exams were actually rising at a faster clip in the several years before reform than they have in the years since. Yet despite improvements in our facilities, in teacher pay and in access to pre-K — improvements that should not go unnoticed — our city is still a long way away from the rhetorical dreamscape painted by reformers. And as a teacher, a parent and a community member, it’s hard for me to stomach the arguments that our city’s reforms have been an unabashed success, when in fact vast inequities remain, the achievement gap is wider than ever, teacher turnover is at crisis levels in our highest-poverty schools, and 50 percent of parents send their children to charter schools an average of 2.2 miles away from their homes. So let us commit to this test: Until we’ve closed the achievement and opportunity gaps that have long plagued our city, we haven’t yet succeeded.

When we think about selecting a new chancellor, we need a candidate who can honestly assess where we stand — both appreciating the progress made and also acknowledging where reform has failed to move the needle. We need a DCPS chancellor who will embrace a real shift in culture, provide real teacher and principal autonomy so these people can innovate on behalf of our unique student population, and continue focusing on the social and emotional work that’s so critical for our students and adults alike.

So how can this process of selecting a new DCPS chancellor and deputy mayor for education begin to solve some of these intractable challenges?

First, leaders can take concrete actions to restore credibility after a year of school scandals exacerbated an existing “trust deficit.” There should be meetings in all eight wards to discuss priorities for our next leaders, and the community input should be made publicly available, with an ongoing opportunity for communities to weigh in. The public needs to hear how their priorities will factor into the selection of potential nominees.

Sadly, the selection committee announced by the mayor has only one teacher and one student. This is not only a violation of the law (which requires multiple parents, teachers and students), but it doesn’t restore faith that our city’s leaders will begin listening to those with their ears closest to the ground.

Additionally, the selection process can begin a conversation about the issues our next chancellor (and deputy mayor for education) must prioritize. A broad coalition of education and civil rights organizations representing all eight wards began laying out a positive agenda last week.

First, we need a commitment to by-right neighborhood community schools so that every parent has access to a clear path from pre-K through 12th grade in their own neighborhood, with extensive wraparound services in our school buildings available to support the whole child. Second, if we’re going to be serious about academic progress for everyone and equity in our schools and city, we can no longer tiptoe around the issue of school diversity and integration.

Our schools are increasingly segregated, with 71 percent of black students at DCPS and DC charter schools having virtually no white peers and 93 percent of students from poor families attending charter schools having no white peers. As the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall said, “Unless our children begin to learn together, there is little hope that our people will begin to live together.” Diverse schools are proven to be better schools for everyone.

Third, we need a rich, broad curriculum in our schools that inspires our students to be in school and engages them in content beyond reading and math. Let the choices we make as adults remind our students that the purpose of schooling is not passing a test or attaining a grade, but about the learning itself. Right now our schools come to a virtual standstill for up to eight weeks every spring to prepare for building-wide testing. It’s not uncommon to even hold pep rallies to get our students ready for testing time. We’re losing instructional time, and we’re losing credibility. Our students see our energy focused on driving the data instead of lighting the fires of their imagination and creativity.

Finally, we need to look at all decisions through the lens of equity. If we’re retaining great teachers in Ward 3 but not in Ward 8, we haven’t cracked the code on teacher retention. If we’re promoting restorative discipline approaches west of the Anacostia River but punitive ones east of it, we’re not addressing systemic inequities in justice.

It’s time for a school system that reflects our values — equity, empowerment, transparency and trust. If we wish these values to be reflected in our young people, it’s time we live them ourselves. There’s no better time to start.

Scott Goldstein is executive director of EmpowerEd, a recently formed teacher empowerment group in DC.