Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Monday 18 June 2018

DC's public schools go from success story to cautionary tale

By ASHRAF KHALIL addresses to avoid those
WASHINGTON (AP) — As fees. Ellington parents have
recently as a year ago, the sued, claiming they're be-
public school system in the ing railroaded by an ad-
nation's capital was be- ministration eager to prove
ing hailed as a shining ex- strong oversight and repair
ample of successful urban its reputation. The issue is
education reform and a working its way through
template for districts across courts.
the country. The brutal year for Washing-
Now the situation in the Dis- ton schools doesn't seem
trict of Columbia could not to have hurt Mayor Bowser
be more different. After a as she runs for re-election.
series of rapid-fire scandals, Bowser, campaigning on
including one about rigged the improved economy in
graduation rates, Wash- the capital, has no signifi-
ington's school system has cant opposition in the all-
gone from a point of pride important Democratic pri-
to perhaps the largest pub- mary Tuesday as she seeks
lic embarrassment of May- a second term.
or Muriel Bowser's tenure. The issue of the school sys-
This stunning reversal has tem was the only down
left school administrators note in Bowser's otherwise
and city officials scrambling Winston Clarke, the father of a Duke Ellington High School junior, speaks during a May 23, 2018, triumphant State of the Dis-
for answers and pledging news conference in front of the school in Washington. trict speech in March. Bows-
to regain the public's trust. Associated Press er could only acknowledge
A decade after a restruc- "significant bumps in the
turing that stripped the concluded that more than kinds of abuses. The interim The Wilson scandal speaks road," and promise rapid
decision-making powers one-third of the 2017 grad- chancellor, Amanda Alex- to some of the unique dy- changes.
of the board of education uating class should not ander, told the committee namics and pressures of the Defenders of the school
and placed the system un- have received diplomas the estimated graduation D.C. school system. Parents system point out that in-
der mayoral control, city due to truancy or improper rate for 2018 would end up who don't like their local dependent measurements
schools in 2017 were boast- steps taken by teachers just over 60 percent, a drop "in-bound" school can ap- such as the National As-
ing rising test scores and a or administrators to cover of more than 10 percent- ply to any public school in sociation of Educational
record graduation rate for the absences. In one egre- age points now that the the city through a complex Progress test have shown
high schools of 73 percent, gious example, investiga- attendance rules are be- and highly competitive lot- consistent improvement
compared with 53 percent tors found that attendance ing properly enforced. The tery process. One local col- that shouldn't be lost in the
in 2011. Glowing news ar- records at Dunbar High chancellor's office runs the umnist dubbed the school controversy over gradua-
ticles cited examples such School had been altered public school system while lottery system "an academ- tion rates.
as Ballou High School, a 4,000 times to mark absent the Office of the State Su- ic Hunger Games." Critics view the problems,
campus in a low-income students as present. The perintendent of Education Most recently in the head- particularly the atten-
neighborhood where the school system is now being oversees both the public lines has been one of the dance issue, as an indict-
entire 2017 graduating investigated by both the schools and Washington's jewels of the school system, ment of the entire data-
class applied for college. FBI and the U.S. Education robust charter school sys- the Duke Ellington School driven evaluation system
Then everything unraveled. Department, while the D.C. tem. of the Arts, alma mater of instituted a more than a
An investigation by WAMU, Council has repeatedly Repeated efforts to inter- comedian Dave Chap- decade ago when then-
the local NPR station, re- called for answers and ac- view both Kang and Alex- pelle and musician Me'Shell Mayor Adrian Fenty took
vealed that about half of countability. ander for this story were un- Ndegéocello. In May, an over the school system
those Ballou graduates "We've seen a lot of dishon- successful. internal audit alleged that and appointed Michelle
had missed more than esty and a lot of people While the attendance more than one-quarter Rhee as the first chancel-
three months of school and fudging the numbers," said scandal was still fresh, a of Ellington students were lor. Rhee's ambitious plan
should not have gradu- Council member David new controversy engulfed fraudulently coming in from to clear out dead wood
ated due to chronic tru- Grosso, head of the edu- the top public school of- neighboring Maryland or and focus on accountabil-
ancy. A subsequent inquiry cation committee, during ficial. Chancellor Antwan Virginia. ity for teachers and admin-
revealed a systemwide cul- a hearing last week. "Was Wilson was forced to resign Students from outside istrators landed her on the
ture that pressured teach- it completely make-believe in February after revela- Washington can attend cover of Time magazine
ers to favor graduation last year?" tions that he skirted his own city schools if they pay holding a broom. But now
rates over all else — with School Superintendent rules to place his daughter tuition, but the investiga- analysts question whether
salaries and job security Hanseul Kang promised in a prestigious high school tion alleges widespread Rhee's emphasis on per-
tied to specific metrics. Grosso a "new accountabil- while skipping a 600-stu- residency fraud with par- formance metrics has cre-
The internal investigation ity system" to prevent these dent waiting list. ents faking Washington ated a monster.q