Tonight I went to a public engagement forum held at Cardozo Education Campus, just up the hill from 1B12. The Mayor is gathering public input on the replacement to the Chancellor of DC Public Schools. The previous Chancellor resigned in scandal earlier this year, after reporters discovered that graduation rates were being calculated fraudulently.
The interim Deputy Mayor for Education chaired the forum. Attendees sat at tables of about 8, with one facilitator from the DC Government. Each group went through exercises designed to generate ideas about two critical questions: What should be the top priorities for DCPS? What are the critical qualities in the next Chancellor?
I learned a lot from the discussion at our table, a group of parents, alums, and future parents — including three political candidates and two education professionals. Everyone shared a commitment to making DCPS strong. All agreed that the school system was not on the right track. What did that mean for the priorities of the school system? Some themes in our discussion included:
- Equity. We must close the gaps between schools across the city.
- Human capital. Teachers need to be treated as professionals, to attract and retain great talent.
- Public trust. The next Chancellor must work to ensure the public can trust DCPS leadership and results.
- Readiness for the world. Our schools should prepare all students to thrive in tomorrow’s economy.
- Sharing best practices. DCPS should take practice the best schools, and bring them to schools that need improvement.
What do those priorities (and others) mean for the new Chancellor? In our discussion, four themes stood out to me:
- Unquestionable integrity
- Executive leadership skills (financial, administration)
- Extraordinary stakeholder management and community relations skills
- A bold vision for educational policy
Even if I’d had a videocamera, I wouldn’t have been able to capture everything that was discussed. So I’m very glad the DME team is orchestrating a clear, thorough process for the search. Two more community engagement forums will take place across the city.
It was a wonderful opportunity to be around so many education professionals, and to see that support for our school system is broad and deep, extending even to non-parents.
Garrison Elementary School sits right across the street from 1B12. My neighbors’ children attend school there, or at countless other institutions across the city. As ANC Commissioner, I’ll help ensure residents know how to interact with the city, and help organize efforts to make our voice heard on this topic. Commissioners don’t have any formal role in education policy, but there are few things more important — I think we all need to be engaged.
Tonight’s forum was a great start.
