Georgetown University, in partnership with DC Public Schools, the DC Public Education Fund and the Walton Family Foundation, recently announced the first-ever district-charter cohort of the McDonough School of Business “Executive Master’s in Leadership” program.
Featuring a model of 10 District public and charter school leaders, the 11-month DC Public School Leaders EML program aims to enhance the skills and capacity of public school principals.
“The role of today’s principal extends far beyond managing teachers, curriculum, and culture: Principals lead communities, work with children of different backgrounds, infuse technology and innovation in classrooms, and ensure student learning outcomes,” said Dr. Robert Bies, ELM program founder at Georgetown University. “This program will equip principals with essential tools to navigate the growing demands of being a school leader.”
Jada Langston, principal of Luke C. Moore High School in Northeast, said the program is an opportunity to learn from other principals.
“What I love about DC Public Schools is that I get to spend time with my colleagues, and this will be an opportunity to build connections and relationships with charter school colleagues,” Langston said. “We can do something phenomenal in this city through this cohort.”
Student Standouts
Anacostia High School senior Tija Odoms will attend the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, next year on a full ride thanks to the POSSE Foundation. She wants to study English and ultimately become a lawyer, a career she’s already preparing for on Anacostia’s mock trial team.
“I don’t just want to be a lawyer. I want to be a social worker and help people. I know that some people make mistakes and I want to prevent them from going back while also helping them get out of the situation they’re in,” Tija said.
She added that because her mother didn’t finish high school, she’s “trying to make things better” for herself because she’s seen the challenges and difficulties her mother has faced.
Tija is looking forward to Sewanee to experience “different people and personalities,” and is up for the challenge. “Anacostia has prepared me to face anything that happens when I’m gone,” she said.
Cameron Noel, a senior at Duke Ellington School of the Arts, will attend Sewanee next year on a full ride as well. His goal is to own a theater company someday, therefore, Cameron plans to major in theater and thinks Sewanee will prepare him for auditions, stage management, and “performing at a high level.”
He is involved in the Gender Orientation Alliance at Duke Ellington, a support group for LGBTQ students, and his favorite memory from high school so far is traveling to Peru on a service learning trip with the DCPS Study Abroad program, which he called an “eye-opening experience.”
Cameron said he is excited to get to Sewanee to “meet new people, expand [my] horizons and find new interests.”