Chancellor Appointment
Mayor Muriel Bowser is expected to name the new DCPS superintendent by Oct. 31. John Davis, who took over in an interim capacity after longtime Chancellor Kaya Henderson’s departure last month, is among candidates vying for the post.
Careers in Hospitality
With the support of the Marriott hotel chain, a group of high school students recently participated in a National Academy of Finance-sponsored outing during which they explored the possibilities of careers in the hospitality industry.
The New York City-based NAF helps solves some of the biggest challenges facing education and the economy by bringing together academic, business and community leaders to transform the high school experience.
Since 1982, the NAF has been partnering with existing high schools in high-need communities to enhance school systems at a low cost by implementing NAF academies — small learning communities within traditional high schools.
DCPS Goes to College
The Duke Ellington School of the Arts admissions team participated in the “Higher Achievement” high school fair on Oct. 20 at the Columbia Heights Recreation Center in Northwest.
McKinley Technology High School graduate Arin Blake knew she wanted to be a cardiothoracic surgeon after watching a surgery at George Washington University Hospital, which she was able to witness as part of the biotech class she took at GWU this year in a dual-enrollment program. She’s attending Barry University this fall with plans to study biology and pre-med.
Charter School Boards Clamor for Recognition
Naomi DeVeaux, D.C. Public Charter Schools deputy director, wrote in an Oct. 18 statement that when it comes to assessing who and what contributes to the quality of schools, charter school boards are often overlooked.
“These boards play an essential role, they provide the strategic vision for the school, hire leaders to run the school, hold those leaders accountable for academic success, and provide financial oversight,” DeVeaux wrote. “My colleagues and I at the D.C. Public Charter School Board, D.C.’s single public charter school authorizer, are in regular contact with public charter school board members as we carry out our responsibilities in approving new schools, providing oversight, permitting expansions and replications, and (when necessary) closing public charter schools.”
DeVeaux added that the Charter School Boards in the Nation’s Capital — a report by the Fordham Institute — “provides an important perspective about the composition and practices of boards, and how some of those practices align with strong school results.”
Charter School Groundbreaking
DC Prep officials and supporters, joined by families, alumni, board members and community and business leaders, officially broke ground Oct. 15 on a permanent new home for DC Prep’s Anacostia Elementary Campus in Ward 8 at a fun-filled neighborhood block party.
Plans call for the school to be open for the 2017-18 school year in a newly-renovated building at 1409 V Street in Southeast, formerly Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a 100-year-old historic landmark in the community.