At the Ward 1 Education Town Hall, Mayor Fenty, Chancellor Michelle Rhee, Deputy Mayor Victor Reinoso, and State Superintendent Deborah Gist enlisted the help of over 150 parents, students, teachers, administrators, and community members to build a successful school year and support student academic achievement in the DC Public Schools (DCPS).
 
Ward 1 Town Hall participants discussed three questions:

Dialogue 1: What are the most important things we can do to improve student achievement?
The most important Ward 1 education issues are greatly improved communication between the schools and their parents and communities, particularly with language minority populations; a broader definition of achievement that acknowledges student performance not measured by standardized test scores; and instructional programming that includes the arts and sports and provides a broader offering of academic instruction.

Hispanic, Vietnamese, and Chinese parents ask that DCPS increase parental involvement and that all schools and administrators understand their obligations to integrate language minority students into all programs.  They urge that DCPS challenge the NCLB requirements that hold language minority students to rigorous English standards with little assistance in raising their English language proficiency.  They give great importance to increasing multilingual staff and to programs to help their children learn English quickly. 

Ward 1 participants want a broader, more inclusive definition of achievement and for DCPS to strive to develop the whole child. They ask that DCPS analyze why some schools are failing and others are succeeding and spell out how parents can help improve education levels at the school.  

Participants ask for an intensive focus on academic performance, consideration of a longer school day and/or year, and increased flexibility in programming.  There should be art, music, physical education, science, and library teachers at every school.  Also, they urge more field trips and more one-on-one counseling for students – especially ELL students who need help getting access to programs. 

Ward 1 participants also want better-maintained facilities, more attention to students’ mental health problems, and more support for students with special needs. 

Dialogue 2:  What are the most critical issues we need to address during this school year?
Ward 1 participants state that it is critical that DCPS immediately take steps to maintain discipline and provide a safe and productive learning environment, to break through language and literacy barriers, and to truly begin involving parents in the education of their children.

Parents and teachers express concern about crime in the schools between students and students and between students and teachers.  They suggest that administrators must monitor adolescents more closely to prevent truancy and must keep parents aware of their child’s absences and suspensions. Bilingual interpreters must be available to explain discipline issues to parents. Ward 1 parents say there is so little communication now between parents and school that parents don’t know when there are behavior problems.

Ward 1 participants say that there are language and literacy barriers and there must be new ways of communicating with parents who neither speak nor read English and who are not literate in their native language.  They urge the hiring of more bilingual staff and an increase in ESL (English as a Second Language) programs for families. 

Participants say that parents can’t help in the education of their children if schools don’t involve them more directly.  They say schools should help parents understand relevance of grades mean in the DCPS system.  The Chinese, Vietnamese, and Spanish-speaking parents urged that staff be assigned that work closely with them so they can help their children achieve.

Participants also urge greater support for and communication with staff and teachers and provision of wrap-around services for students with special needs. 

Dialogue 3. What is our most pressing question for Chancellor Rhee?
Among the numerous questions, this one stands out:

What will you do to improve communication between non-English speaking parents and school staff?

Chancellor’s Response:  We will orient our staff correctly from the start so that they know it is part of their job to engage non-English speaking parents.  It cannot be an afterthought, and it has to be taken into account every step along the way.