Amanda Alexander's Departure

[Anonymous]

DCPS will never show any measurable improvement until it learns how to treat its administrators. This is not the case in neighboring MCPS or in the Howard County School System.

A few years ago, everyone sang the praises of Dr. Amanda Alexander. She was labeled a super star and was promoted from her role as principal at Ross to the role of assistant superintendent. She went on to serve DCPS in the role of interim chancellor during two very difficult periods, only to be passed over for the permanent position. Now, she is discarded without any fanfare, and a Broad Institute robot is installed as chancellor. Why is there no public interest or input into the decisions engineered by the Mayor?

[Anonymous]

Why do you think she’s gone?

[Anonymous]

This is a question that we should not have to ask.. Why don't we know? We should not have to rely on gossip that alleges that the Mayor did not like her. How does his lack of transparency affect public trust?

[Anonymous]

Correction: "this lack of transparency.."

[Anonymous]

DCPS is so dysfunctional. I don’t know if she is leaving or they are letting her go. But if she is leaving, I’m not surprised. They passed her over for someone who has no experience with DCPS and is a puppet for the mayor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCPS will never show any measurable improvement until it learns how to treat its administrators. This is not the case in neighboring MCPS or in the Howard County School System.

A few years ago, everyone sang the praises of Dr. Amanda Alexander. She was labeled a super star and was promoted from her role as principal at Ross to the role of assistant superintendent. She went on to serve DCPS in the role of interim chancellor during two very difficult periods, only to be passed over for the permanent position. Now, she is discarded without any fanfare, and a Broad Institute robot is installed as chancellor. Why is there no public interest or input into the decisions engineered by the Mayor?

Folks in DC like to complain but don't care to understand or really involve themselves in the politics of the school system. DCPS is an absolute failure as an organization yet it spends so much money and all those Ivy-league "best and the brightest" teaching fellows in high places.

[Anonymous]

This is a loss for DCPS. She was good and has been around a long time. But no room for institutional knowledge in the current administration. When she was passed over for chancellor many of us were upset (but not surprised.)
-signed DCPS teacher

[Anonymous]

I want to say she should have been given a chance given her experience and knowledge of dcps. But, then I think about how DCPS has been failing for years. So, is a experienced person that came up in and contributed to failing system helping? Perhaps she had ideas and changes she wanted to make to improve things that she was never able to implement. Idk
Of course out current dcps leadership doesn't seem like an improvement. Thought like other have said he was brought into be a "yes man" when the prior golden boy got fired. (Though I am sure had the information about jumping the wait list not been made public he would still be around)
Would love to see the mayor and most of the city government replaced but that is probably just a pipe dream in the near term at least.

[Anonymous]

Voting power usually helps get things moving in school systems. We don't really have a school board. The mayor seems to gets elected based on everything but the condition of our schools. There is no incentive to do anything that really makes a difference. I went to DCPS, taught in DCPS, and have a child in DCPS. I have never felt like I had any power in any of those roles. DCPS feels more like a corporation than a school system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCPS is so dysfunctional. I don’t know if she is leaving or they are letting her go. But if she is leaving, I’m not surprised. They passed her over for someone who has no experience with DCPS and is a puppet for the mayor.

The dysfunction is so deep that the dysfunction is not seen as the problem, people who fail to cover up the dysfunction are seen as the problem.

[Anonymous]

Did she depart?

[Anonymous]

That dysfunction can be addressed if the parents would only demand their right to be represented by a school board that is accountable to the residents. This configuration exists in the surrounding counties; however, it is ironic that the Mayor, who opposes rule by Congress, can then enforce that same model on the residents of the District.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS is so dysfunctional. I don’t know if she is leaving or they are letting her go. But if she is leaving, I’m not surprised. They passed her over for someone who has no experience with DCPS and is a puppet for the mayor.

The dysfunction is so deep that the dysfunction is not seen as the problem, people who fail to cover up the dysfunction are seen as the problem.

THIS. Which is why I have lost hope things will change anytime soon in improving DCPS. It’s all smoke and mirrors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS is so dysfunctional. I don’t know if she is leaving or they are letting her go. But if she is leaving, I’m not surprised. They passed her over for someone who has no experience with DCPS and is a puppet for the mayor.

The dysfunction is so deep that the dysfunction is not seen as the problem, people who fail to cover up the dysfunction are seen as the problem.

One of the best comments I’ve ever seen on this page. Succinct. Accurate. Scary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS is so dysfunctional. I don’t know if she is leaving or they are letting her go. But if she is leaving, I’m not surprised. They passed her over for someone who has no experience with DCPS and is a puppet for the mayor.

The dysfunction is so deep that the dysfunction is not seen as the problem, people who fail to cover up the dysfunction are seen as the problem.

Pp- you are spot on! Are you a DCPS teacher? My only suggestion would be that the word dysfunction is interchangeable with corruption.