District Students Ready for a New Curriculum with Engagement for the Classroom

The phrase which once served as an educational pillar “A mind is a terrible thing to waste” coined by the United Negro College Fund is now a past time.  But what happens when the teacher could no longer keep the mind of their pupils?  Sparking critical thinking to reach their full potential pass lunch time.  Should their potential just be shelved away?  Sort of like hundreds of books for District students once were?  What prompt such disconnect in the Districts Public School system?

What is the missing mechanism to keep students engaged in the classroom.  Why don’t students want to stay for the entire school week?  Many schools are getting much needed repairs, while some are still awaiting a few fixtures.  Could the students concern lie in who is teaching them the curriculum?  Or simply the environment of the school?

DCPS believes that their overall attendance work is driven by four strategies: (1) reducing truancy (2) increasing the attendance of all students (3) reducing suspensions, and (4) improving school climate.  DCPS held Student Support Teams meetings for 14, 873 students during the 2016-17 school year.  Students who accrued 5 or more unexcused absences resulting in attendance Student Support Team referrals.

The Attendance Student Support Teams (SST) are the foundational, school-based problem-solving teams that provide support for students who present attendance concerns.  DCPS is striving to make the academic experiences more joy-filled, enriching, and rewarding while maintaining rigorous instructional expectations.  They believe this will inspire students to improve their timeliness and school attendance.

There were 1,573 out of 1,969 students eligible for Child Family Service Agency referrals.  From the data, the kindergarten class is leading.  The referral list with 318 referrals to the agency for the 2016-17 school year.  There were only 15 for 8^th graders.  The current effort by DCPS is “Everyday Counts!”  Which intends to support, improve student attendance.  The district will continue to engage and inform students and parents about the importance of regular attendance and provide their schools with data and resources to better communicate this to students and parents.

Maybe modifying the core Curriculum would help keep students in the classroom.  Any recommendations is a start for students to return ready to learn. With graduation being the goal for most students, Benjamin Banneker High school class of 2017 consisted of 96 graduates with 77 being black students.  McKinley Technology High School had 110 black students graduate out of 119.  Coolidge High school had 69 graduates, and 57 were black students.  Eastern High school had 188 black graduates out of 195.

Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie was not satisfied with this data.  He says, “I am deeply upset by the findings of the DCPS attendance report, and in particular the revelation of widespread attendance fraud at Dunbar High School in Ward 5. I learned about this yesterday from Chancellor Wilson, just hours before the Mayor’s press conference, which I also attended.

While some details are still emerging, it is clear that the adults who are responsible for the alleged attendance fraud failed our students, their parents, and our entire education community. At the same time, the report suggests this situation is not just a few bad apples, but a systemic failure at DCPS.

I am also disappointed to learn that 87% of Luke C. Moore Academy students were found to have graduated in violation of the attendance policy.

I will be monitoring this situation closely and will be working with the community and stakeholders to rebuild trust with the DCPS community. We must ensure that administrators follow the law and DC students receive the quality education to which they are entitled.”