Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.goodweatherfordc.com/issues/issue-2?source=970ada09-bc4f-4b61-8268-38feef064457

From Gary Goodweather's website:

Education

Washington, DC has everything it needs to lead the nation in public education. We have the resources, the talent, and families who show up every day believing our schools can do better. A Goodweather administration will make that belief real.

Every student accounted for. Every child reading by third grade. Every teacher supported. Every neighborhood connected to opportunity. That is the future we will build together.

Every Student Accounted For

When students are in the building, everything else becomes possible. A Goodweather administration will treat attendance as the foundation of student success and build systems that make showing up easier, safer, and expected.

Real time attendance tracking will allow schools to identify struggling students in weeks, not months. Safe Passages will expand to every school where students need safer routes to class. The ONSE Leadership Academy will scale from three high schools to ten, providing mentorship and leadership opportunities for young people. Principals will have greater flexibility to direct at risk funding where it is needed most, and Fare Free DC transit will ensure transportation is never a barrier to getting to school.

Every Child Reads by Third Grade

Through third grade, students learn to read. After third grade, students read to learn. If we want our students to succeed in every subject, literacy must come first.

In 2013, Mississippi decided every child would read by third grade. They implemented mandatory screening, Individual Reading Plans, and intensive intervention. By 2019, they posted the largest NAEP reading gains of any state in the country, with a ten point increase.

DC has more resources, more talent, and more reason to lead. We will.

We will fully implement the Science of Reading across DC schools with evidence based instruction focused on phonics, decoding, fluency, and comprehension. Every K through third grade student will receive universal literacy screening multiple times per year so struggling readers are identified early.

Students who need additional help will receive Individual Reading Plans, with parents notified within ten days. We will introduce a Third Grade Reading Gate with retests, summer reading programs, and appropriate exemptions for English language learners and students with individualized education programs. Universal dyslexia screening will begin by first grade, and free one on one tutoring will be available for students in grades one through twelve.

“Every child who walks into a DC school deserves to walk out able to read, able to think critically, and able to see a future. That’s the standard.”
— Gary Goodweather

Invest in the People Who Show Up Every Day

Education does not end at the school door. Students need safe spaces, strong mentors, and clear pathways to opportunity.

A Goodweather administration will expand after school and summer programs with tutoring, enrichment, and safe spaces for young people. Late night recreation centers will provide supervised spaces staffed by mentors. Every school will have a full time nurse and a mental health clinician so students receive the care they need to succeed.

Through the Capital Corps Youth Track, high school students will gain access to structured civic service, job training, and career development opportunities that connect education directly to the workforce. Career and Technical Education will expand, including the creation of an Advanced Technical Center in every ward.

Is he proposing Mississippi miracle style holding kids back if they can’t pass the reading test? Schools here don’t have the capacity to hold many kids back.

I appreciate that he is acknowledging we are just passing kids along who are functionally illiterate. Something needs to change because a DCPS diploma means absolutely nothing right now in terms of educational achievement. Or even basic life skills.

Have you been following the proposed updates to the graduation requirements?

Anonymous wrote:We need someone who is not going to just be more of the same.

“I hope no one wastes time on trying to change where the boxes are in governance,” Bowser said. “Let’s just settle this. It’s working, and let’s just make sure that we can continue to invest in our teachers and make sure that we’re able to retain the best of the best in the system that we have in place.”

https://www.washingtoninformer.com/dcps-chancellor-transition-impact/?fbclid=IwY2xjawR_9IlleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA80MDk5NjI2MjMwODU2MDkAAR5zhjeGoRKQBBx9OQmom6V7oUtqCEZmzycjcXe1YczEG22HJPz_WnMfoWjVwQ_aem_aa1EpRL0Z4Xo9uPu4LXWJQ

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.goodweatherfordc.com/issues/issue-2?source=970ada09-bc4f-4b61-8268-38feef064457

From Gary Goodweather's website:

Education

Washington, DC has everything it needs to lead the nation in public education. We have the resources, the talent, and families who show up every day believing our schools can do better. A Goodweather administration will make that belief real.

Every student accounted for. Every child reading by third grade. Every teacher supported. Every neighborhood connected to opportunity. That is the future we will build together.

Every Student Accounted For

When students are in the building, everything else becomes possible. A Goodweather administration will treat attendance as the foundation of student success and build systems that make showing up easier, safer, and expected.

Real time attendance tracking will allow schools to identify struggling students in weeks, not months. Safe Passages will expand to every school where students need safer routes to class. The ONSE Leadership Academy will scale from three high schools to ten, providing mentorship and leadership opportunities for young people. Principals will have greater flexibility to direct at risk funding where it is needed most, and Fare Free DC transit will ensure transportation is never a barrier to getting to school.

Every Child Reads by Third Grade

Through third grade, students learn to read. After third grade, students read to learn. If we want our students to succeed in every subject, literacy must come first.

In 2013, Mississippi decided every child would read by third grade. They implemented mandatory screening, Individual Reading Plans, and intensive intervention. By 2019, they posted the largest NAEP reading gains of any state in the country, with a ten point increase.

DC has more resources, more talent, and more reason to lead. We will.

We will fully implement the Science of Reading across DC schools with evidence based instruction focused on phonics, decoding, fluency, and comprehension. Every K through third grade student will receive universal literacy screening multiple times per year so struggling readers are identified early.

Students who need additional help will receive Individual Reading Plans, with parents notified within ten days. We will introduce a Third Grade Reading Gate with retests, summer reading programs, and appropriate exemptions for English language learners and students with individualized education programs. Universal dyslexia screening will begin by first grade, and free one on one tutoring will be available for students in grades one through twelve.

“Every child who walks into a DC school deserves to walk out able to read, able to think critically, and able to see a future. That’s the standard.”
— Gary Goodweather

Invest in the People Who Show Up Every Day

Education does not end at the school door. Students need safe spaces, strong mentors, and clear pathways to opportunity.

A Goodweather administration will expand after school and summer programs with tutoring, enrichment, and safe spaces for young people. Late night recreation centers will provide supervised spaces staffed by mentors. Every school will have a full time nurse and a mental health clinician so students receive the care they need to succeed.

Through the Capital Corps Youth Track, high school students will gain access to structured civic service, job training, and career development opportunities that connect education directly to the workforce. Career and Technical Education will expand, including the creation of an Advanced Technical Center in every ward.

Is he proposing Mississippi miracle style holding kids back if they can’t pass the reading test? Schools here don’t have the capacity to hold many kids back.

I appreciate that he is acknowledging we are just passing kids along who are functionally illiterate. Something needs to change because a DCPS diploma means absolutely nothing right now in terms of educational achievement. Or even basic life skills.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be worthwhile at all these mayoral debates/forums/interviews for people to start asking the candidates what they will look for in their next chancellor. I’m not feeling optimistic, but would be useful to hear.

Yes, we should! There are some well documented policy positions from George Lewis that seem to separate her from McDuffie, but he has been too quiet on this issue for my taste too.

From the voter guide published in The 51st-

"When it comes to schools, both McDuffie and Lewis George agree on one general principle: mayoral control should remain in place. But Lewis George wants to do away with the IMPACT teacher evaluation system — which ranks teachers and offers pay increases to those deemed most effective — because of concerns that have repeatedly been raised by the Washington Teachers Union, while McDuffie does not. She also wants to make the Office of the State Superintendent for Education independent; in his time on the council, McDuffie didn’t sign on to bills that would have done that."

The WaPo editorial board isn't very impressed with Lewis George on this topic: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/05/14/janeese-lewis-george-plan-would-weaken-mayoral-control-dc-schools/. However, given the WaPo these days that may be enough for some people to vote for her...

In summary- Lewis George is seen as cozy with the WTU. While that may mean a more teacher-friendly Chancellor (someone getting rid of IMPACT), it could mean much more depending on exactly how much she pushes and implements OSSE independence. The last push for this (from WTU backed orgs like EmpowerED) proposed giving the State Board of Education (SBOE) more power and oversight. The concern is that giving SBOE oversight of education standards, policy priorities, etc. will set the city back in terms of progress. OSSE controls a lot of things that impact parent and kids- transportation, MySchools DC, SYEP, DC TAG, licensure and credentials for teachers. The theory is that injecting more politics into oversight would diminish progress.

McDuffie seems to be the candidate that will keep the structures the same- doubt there will be much in way of dramatic changes. He will tout the fact that DCPS is trending upward in student outcomes, cite tutoring (which honestly has been successful because it is mostly handled outside of DCPS by a non-profit), and install a go-along-to-get-along Chancellor.

So, it seems that if you want a WTU-informed reform it seems you vote for Lewis George and if you want more of the same, you choose McDuffie?

However, I would love to know more about what McDuffie really would do. If we got to hear more specifics about who they would be seeking in this role it could be VERY telling.

When he first launched his campaign, McDuffie talked about AI in education in positive way; I can’t find anything on his website, which says to me that he saw the writing on the wall about people’s perceptions of AI, but I really worry about him as a Bowser-repeat in terms of being willing to give big contracts to tech companies selling snake oil.

So I think the above assessment is correct; if you like how Bowser has run DCPS, you’ll probably like McDuffie. If you want something different, Lewis George is more promising.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This might have something to do with it

https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/us-attorney-pirro-dc-student-truancy-records-teen-takeovers-chipotle/65-5b7e59f6-b047-40ac-94e3-43c1031a8b12

He should not have given those records AND DCPS is horrible at attendance-keeping. They should fire the people at JRHS. You can report an absence and they'll get it wrong. The police/AO should NOT have those records, especially since they are wrong.

Anonymous wrote:This might have something to do with it

https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/us-attorney-pirro-dc-student-truancy-records-teen-takeovers-chipotle/65-5b7e59f6-b047-40ac-94e3-43c1031a8b12

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.goodweatherfordc.com/issues/issue-2?source=970ada09-bc4f-4b61-8268-38feef064457

From Gary Goodweather's website:

Education

Washington, DC has everything it needs to lead the nation in public education. We have the resources, the talent, and families who show up every day believing our schools can do better. A Goodweather administration will make that belief real.

Every student accounted for. Every child reading by third grade. Every teacher supported. Every neighborhood connected to opportunity. That is the future we will build together.

Every Student Accounted For

When students are in the building, everything else becomes possible. A Goodweather administration will treat attendance as the foundation of student success and build systems that make showing up easier, safer, and expected.

Real time attendance tracking will allow schools to identify struggling students in weeks, not months. Safe Passages will expand to every school where students need safer routes to class. The ONSE Leadership Academy will scale from three high schools to ten, providing mentorship and leadership opportunities for young people. Principals will have greater flexibility to direct at risk funding where it is needed most, and Fare Free DC transit will ensure transportation is never a barrier to getting to school.

Every Child Reads by Third Grade

Through third grade, students learn to read. After third grade, students read to learn. If we want our students to succeed in every subject, literacy must come first.

In 2013, Mississippi decided every child would read by third grade. They implemented mandatory screening, Individual Reading Plans, and intensive intervention. By 2019, they posted the largest NAEP reading gains of any state in the country, with a ten point increase.

DC has more resources, more talent, and more reason to lead. We will.

We will fully implement the Science of Reading across DC schools with evidence based instruction focused on phonics, decoding, fluency, and comprehension. Every K through third grade student will receive universal literacy screening multiple times per year so struggling readers are identified early.

Students who need additional help will receive Individual Reading Plans, with parents notified within ten days. We will introduce a Third Grade Reading Gate with retests, summer reading programs, and appropriate exemptions for English language learners and students with individualized education programs. Universal dyslexia screening will begin by first grade, and free one on one tutoring will be available for students in grades one through twelve.

“Every child who walks into a DC school deserves to walk out able to read, able to think critically, and able to see a future. That’s the standard.”
— Gary Goodweather

Invest in the People Who Show Up Every Day

Education does not end at the school door. Students need safe spaces, strong mentors, and clear pathways to opportunity.

A Goodweather administration will expand after school and summer programs with tutoring, enrichment, and safe spaces for young people. Late night recreation centers will provide supervised spaces staffed by mentors. Every school will have a full time nurse and a mental health clinician so students receive the care they need to succeed.

Through the Capital Corps Youth Track, high school students will gain access to structured civic service, job training, and career development opportunities that connect education directly to the workforce. Career and Technical Education will expand, including the creation of an Advanced Technical Center in every ward.

Is he proposing Mississippi miracle style holding kids back if they can’t pass the reading test? Schools here don’t have the capacity to hold many kids back.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.goodweatherfordc.com/issues/issue-2?source=970ada09-bc4f-4b61-8268-38feef064457

From Gary Goodweather's website:

Education

Washington, DC has everything it needs to lead the nation in public education. We have the resources, the talent, and families who show up every day believing our schools can do better. A Goodweather administration will make that belief real.

Every student accounted for. Every child reading by third grade. Every teacher supported. Every neighborhood connected to opportunity. That is the future we will build together.

Every Student Accounted For

When students are in the building, everything else becomes possible. A Goodweather administration will treat attendance as the foundation of student success and build systems that make showing up easier, safer, and expected.

Real time attendance tracking will allow schools to identify struggling students in weeks, not months. Safe Passages will expand to every school where students need safer routes to class. The ONSE Leadership Academy will scale from three high schools to ten, providing mentorship and leadership opportunities for young people. Principals will have greater flexibility to direct at risk funding where it is needed most, and Fare Free DC transit will ensure transportation is never a barrier to getting to school.

Every Child Reads by Third Grade

Through third grade, students learn to read. After third grade, students read to learn. If we want our students to succeed in every subject, literacy must come first.

In 2013, Mississippi decided every child would read by third grade. They implemented mandatory screening, Individual Reading Plans, and intensive intervention. By 2019, they posted the largest NAEP reading gains of any state in the country, with a ten point increase.

DC has more resources, more talent, and more reason to lead. We will.

We will fully implement the Science of Reading across DC schools with evidence based instruction focused on phonics, decoding, fluency, and comprehension. Every K through third grade student will receive universal literacy screening multiple times per year so struggling readers are identified early.

Students who need additional help will receive Individual Reading Plans, with parents notified within ten days. We will introduce a Third Grade Reading Gate with retests, summer reading programs, and appropriate exemptions for English language learners and students with individualized education programs. Universal dyslexia screening will begin by first grade, and free one on one tutoring will be available for students in grades one through twelve.

“Every child who walks into a DC school deserves to walk out able to read, able to think critically, and able to see a future. That’s the standard.”
— Gary Goodweather

Invest in the People Who Show Up Every Day

Education does not end at the school door. Students need safe spaces, strong mentors, and clear pathways to opportunity.

A Goodweather administration will expand after school and summer programs with tutoring, enrichment, and safe spaces for young people. Late night recreation centers will provide supervised spaces staffed by mentors. Every school will have a full time nurse and a mental health clinician so students receive the care they need to succeed.

Through the Capital Corps Youth Track, high school students will gain access to structured civic service, job training, and career development opportunities that connect education directly to the workforce. Career and Technical Education will expand, including the creation of an Advanced Technical Center in every ward.

Is he proposing Mississippi miracle style holding kids back if they can’t pass the reading test? Schools here don’t have the capacity to hold many kids back.

Anonymous wrote:https://www.goodweatherfordc.com/issues/issue-2?source=970ada09-bc4f-4b61-8268-38feef064457

From Gary Goodweather's website:

Education

Washington, DC has everything it needs to lead the nation in public education. We have the resources, the talent, and families who show up every day believing our schools can do better. A Goodweather administration will make that belief real.

Every student accounted for. Every child reading by third grade. Every teacher supported. Every neighborhood connected to opportunity. That is the future we will build together.

Every Student Accounted For

When students are in the building, everything else becomes possible. A Goodweather administration will treat attendance as the foundation of student success and build systems that make showing up easier, safer, and expected.

Real time attendance tracking will allow schools to identify struggling students in weeks, not months. Safe Passages will expand to every school where students need safer routes to class. The ONSE Leadership Academy will scale from three high schools to ten, providing mentorship and leadership opportunities for young people. Principals will have greater flexibility to direct at risk funding where it is needed most, and Fare Free DC transit will ensure transportation is never a barrier to getting to school.

Every Child Reads by Third Grade

Through third grade, students learn to read. After third grade, students read to learn. If we want our students to succeed in every subject, literacy must come first.

In 2013, Mississippi decided every child would read by third grade. They implemented mandatory screening, Individual Reading Plans, and intensive intervention. By 2019, they posted the largest NAEP reading gains of any state in the country, with a ten point increase.

DC has more resources, more talent, and more reason to lead. We will.

We will fully implement the Science of Reading across DC schools with evidence based instruction focused on phonics, decoding, fluency, and comprehension. Every K through third grade student will receive universal literacy screening multiple times per year so struggling readers are identified early.

Students who need additional help will receive Individual Reading Plans, with parents notified within ten days. We will introduce a Third Grade Reading Gate with retests, summer reading programs, and appropriate exemptions for English language learners and students with individualized education programs. Universal dyslexia screening will begin by first grade, and free one on one tutoring will be available for students in grades one through twelve.

“Every child who walks into a DC school deserves to walk out able to read, able to think critically, and able to see a future. That’s the standard.”
— Gary Goodweather

Invest in the People Who Show Up Every Day

Education does not end at the school door. Students need safe spaces, strong mentors, and clear pathways to opportunity.

A Goodweather administration will expand after school and summer programs with tutoring, enrichment, and safe spaces for young people. Late night recreation centers will provide supervised spaces staffed by mentors. Every school will have a full time nurse and a mental health clinician so students receive the care they need to succeed.

Through the Capital Corps Youth Track, high school students will gain access to structured civic service, job training, and career development opportunities that connect education directly to the workforce. Career and Technical Education will expand, including the creation of an Advanced Technical Center in every ward.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be worthwhile at all these mayoral debates/forums/interviews for people to start asking the candidates what they will look for in their next chancellor. I’m not feeling optimistic, but would be useful to hear.

Yes, we should! There are some well documented policy positions from George Lewis that seem to separate her from McDuffie, but he has been too quiet on this issue for my taste too.

From the voter guide published in The 51st-

"When it comes to schools, both McDuffie and Lewis George agree on one general principle: mayoral control should remain in place. But Lewis George wants to do away with the IMPACT teacher evaluation system — which ranks teachers and offers pay increases to those deemed most effective — because of concerns that have repeatedly been raised by the Washington Teachers Union, while McDuffie does not. She also wants to make the Office of the State Superintendent for Education independent; in his time on the council, McDuffie didn’t sign on to bills that would have done that."

The WaPo editorial board isn't very impressed with Lewis George on this topic: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/05/14/janeese-lewis-george-plan-would-weaken-mayoral-control-dc-schools/. However, given the WaPo these days that may be enough for some people to vote for her...

In summary- Lewis George is seen as cozy with the WTU. While that may mean a more teacher-friendly Chancellor (someone getting rid of IMPACT), it could mean much more depending on exactly how much she pushes and implements OSSE independence. The last push for this (from WTU backed orgs like EmpowerED) proposed giving the State Board of Education (SBOE) more power and oversight. The concern is that giving SBOE oversight of education standards, policy priorities, etc. will set the city back in terms of progress. OSSE controls a lot of things that impact parent and kids- transportation, MySchools DC, SYEP, DC TAG, licensure and credentials for teachers. The theory is that injecting more politics into oversight would diminish progress.

McDuffie seems to be the candidate that will keep the structures the same- doubt there will be much in way of dramatic changes. He will tout the fact that DCPS is trending upward in student outcomes, cite tutoring (which honestly has been successful because it is mostly handled outside of DCPS by a non-profit), and install a go-along-to-get-along Chancellor.

So, it seems that if you want a WTU-informed reform it seems you vote for Lewis George and if you want more of the same, you choose McDuffie?

However, I would love to know more about what McDuffie really would do. If we got to hear more specifics about who they would be seeking in this role it could be VERY telling.

When he first launched his campaign, McDuffie talked about AI in education in positive way; I can’t find anything on his website, which says to me that he saw the writing on the wall about people’s perceptions of AI, but I really worry about him as a Bowser-repeat in terms of being willing to give big contracts to tech companies selling snake oil.

So I think the above assessment is correct; if you like how Bowser has run DCPS, you’ll probably like McDuffie. If you want something different, Lewis George is more promising.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be worthwhile at all these mayoral debates/forums/interviews for people to start asking the candidates what they will look for in their next chancellor. I’m not feeling optimistic, but would be useful to hear.

Yes, we should! There are some well documented policy positions from George Lewis that seem to separate her from McDuffie, but he has been too quiet on this issue for my taste too.

From the voter guide published in The 51st-

"When it comes to schools, both McDuffie and Lewis George agree on one general principle: mayoral control should remain in place. But Lewis George wants to do away with the IMPACT teacher evaluation system — which ranks teachers and offers pay increases to those deemed most effective — because of concerns that have repeatedly been raised by the Washington Teachers Union, while McDuffie does not. She also wants to make the Office of the State Superintendent for Education independent; in his time on the council, McDuffie didn’t sign on to bills that would have done that."

The WaPo editorial board isn't very impressed with Lewis George on this topic: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/05/14/janeese-lewis-george-plan-would-weaken-mayoral-control-dc-schools/. However, given the WaPo these days that may be enough for some people to vote for her...

In summary- Lewis George is seen as cozy with the WTU. While that may mean a more teacher-friendly Chancellor (someone getting rid of IMPACT), it could mean much more depending on exactly how much she pushes and implements OSSE independence. The last push for this (from WTU backed orgs like EmpowerED) proposed giving the State Board of Education (SBOE) more power and oversight. The concern is that giving SBOE oversight of education standards, policy priorities, etc. will set the city back in terms of progress. OSSE controls a lot of things that impact parent and kids- transportation, MySchools DC, SYEP, DC TAG, licensure and credentials for teachers. The theory is that injecting more politics into oversight would diminish progress.

McDuffie seems to be the candidate that will keep the structures the same- doubt there will be much in way of dramatic changes. He will tout the fact that DCPS is trending upward in student outcomes, cite tutoring (which honestly has been successful because it is mostly handled outside of DCPS by a non-profit), and install a go-along-to-get-along Chancellor.

So, it seems that if you want a WTU-informed reform it seems you vote for Lewis George and if you want more of the same, you choose McDuffie?

However, I would love to know more about what McDuffie really would do. If we got to hear more specifics about who they would be seeking in this role it could be VERY telling.

Anonymous wrote:It would be worthwhile at all these mayoral debates/forums/interviews for people to start asking the candidates what they will look for in their next chancellor. I’m not feeling optimistic, but would be useful to hear.