June 11, 2007
Concerned Citizen Section - Improving Public Schools
The Mayor is traveling to each ward to talk with residents about what they think would make public education work better. You may not have been able to attend one of his Education Town Hall Meetings, but the Mayor still wants your input.
What would you respond to the following questions?
1. What should be the top 3 early action priorities for improving DCPS and public education?
2. How can we ensure that schools are safe and provide a good environment for learning in DCPS and other public schools?
3. How can parents, guardians, and community members be best involved in DCPS and public education?
1. Erase the myth that a child will be able to be educated only between the hours of 9am-3pm during the school year.
A. Provide tutorial workshops for parents (especially for kgn.-6th grade) and expand the learning experience for DC youth throughout the year.
B. Develop a much stronger positive peer influence by providing tutorial workshops for high school students and allow those qualified to visit and frequently assist their little brothers and sisters of a neighboring elementary school under the supervision of a teacher or a school administrator . (The seniors of every DC high school are required to perform "community service" - what is better than their learning how to help their little brothers and sisters to be proud of learning ?)
C. Coordinate the thousands of local college students attending Howard Univ, UDC and all others to work together in a common effort at better developing the study skills of DC youth. (A common effort will beat 15 different programs who have operated during the school year without even knowing of each other
2. Begin to invite the many proud graduates of DC school to come back and serve as Big Brothers and Sister (or Uncles) and have DC youth to know that there will be someone that will stay in contact with them and help them to become a proud graduate of the DCPS. Organize social events between the graduates of Spingarn,Anacostia ,McKinley and other DC high school that will allow all attending to help raise funds to address the many needs of many of our little brothers and sisters.
3. Parents,guardians and all concerned citizens need to begin to graduate from merely attending 3 or 4 PTA meeting during the whole school year.
Realize that there is no panacea!
1. hire more teachers; smaller classrooms; more extracurricular activities
2. Teachers should exercise greater discipline in the classroom
3. greater parents/grandparents participation in school activities
Challenge - Try to volunteer as a tutor/mentor/coach for DCPS. See how far you get.
1- Leverage current and future technologies: i.e.: low cost wireless access; a converged Wi-Fi- mobile WiMAX solution will scale better for all of DC. Students socialize and learn through technology.. Books are important but are losing their value in teaching to the playstations, the U-tube etc. We need t supplement books with technology to provide th visual effects of the I-phone to education.
2- Establish a DC Government "My Space” Education Portal for students/parents to learn.
3- Partner with Parents and their Employers to provide part-time- mentors that monthly are available to counsel our youth on career choices with the parent’s insight. Have the kids take Career trips to visit the corporate in the DC Metro area and see how things function.
1- Leverage current and future technologies: ie: low cost wireless access ; a coverged Wi-Fi- mobile WiMAX solution will scale better for all of DC. Students socialize and learn through technology.. books are important but are losing their value in teaching to the playstations, the U-tube etc. We need t supplement books with technology to provide th visual effects of the I-phone to education.
2- Establish a DC Government "MySpace" Education Portal for students/parents to learn.
3- Partner with Parents and their Employers to provide part-time- mentors that monthly are available to counsel our youth on career choices with the parents insight. Have the kids take Career trips to visit the the corporate in the DC Metro area and see how things function.
Agencies 
