Back to School

Many people will tell you that the role of school principal in DC is hard. Well, it’s actually exhausting and sometimes it’s thankless. While all of those statements may be true, what often doesn’t make headlines is the tremendous joy and…

The girls at Excel Academy in Anacostia weren’t sure whether they would have to change schools this year. But by the start of the school year last week, students navigated through a small crowd that cheered “Welcome back to school” and…

Mayor Muriel Bowser cut the ribbon last week on Ward 1’s newly renovated Bancroft Elementary School, which reopened to students Monday after a $68 million makeover that took nearly two years. The Aug. 17 ceremony kicked off a series of…

While test scores in DC are inching up at lower grade levels, high-poverty high schools continue to post abysmal results despite a decade of education reform. Some are pinning the blame on poverty and racism. But many DC schools have yet to…

As students begin a new school year, the public charter schools that educate nearly half of all DC public school students continue to provide more choices and higher-quality options. And the benefits of these educational programs to…

It appears District of Columbia education leaders and elected officials, including Mayor Muriel Bowser, have conspired to deliberately mislead the public about the academic achievement of public school students on this year’s standardized…

This week marks the return to school for most students in the District of Columbia. In the last decade, significant progress has been made to provide quality educational opportunities to our students. There have been great improvements in…

Few experiments in the recent history of education reform in the United States have garnered as much attention as the reform efforts ushered in by Michelle Rhee in this city just over a decade ago. A narrative was built that DC’s…

By the end of the year, parents will be able to compare all the public schools in the District — both traditional and charter — using one tool. But with work on a final design underway, the inclusion of a one- to five-star rating for each…

While designing a historical exhibit for their school, students at Marie Reed Elementary School found one particularly rich source of inspiration. Before her death in 1969, Bishop Marie Reed was a powerful force in the civic life of…

Politicians have an awful habit during election season of promising the stars, proffering to voters that they will cure every ill affecting every resident while staying within budget. After the dust has cleared, however, those stars are…

Maya Wilson squeezed through the crowd that packed Pennsylvania Avenue for the March for Our Lives. She was trying to reach the nearest Starbucks — anywhere with Wi-Fi — to send updates to be published on the Huffington Post’s social media…

There’s a temptation to parse the search for the next chancellor of DC Public Schools, with some education advocates arguing that any individual selected must focus on improving the quality of teachers and principals, providing equity…