Question 1:
Age: 31
Occupation: Visiting Professor, University of the District of Columbia (UDC) - The National Center for Urban Education (NCUE)
Education: Current doctoral candidate in Exceptional Education
- The George Washington University, Education Specialist (Ed.S.) - Special Education
- The American University, Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) - Secondary Education
- Gettysburg College, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Management & minors in: Spanish, Economics and Visual Arts
Qualifications for office sought: In my nine years as an educator in public, private, and charter schools throughout the city, I have developed a thorough understanding of education in the District of Columbia. I care passionately about the education of every child in the District, but I'm particularly excited for the opportunity to advocate for improvements in the area of Special Education as a member of the State Board of Education.
Currently, I am a visiting professor of Special Education at the University of the District of Columbia - National Center for Urban Education, where I implement evidence-based practices that help educators prepare students for success in the 21st century. As a former Curriculum Specialist for grades K-12, I reviewed and selected quality resources for educational leaders and teachers and developed specialized instruction for students with special needs or learning differences.
Also, I am a doctoral candidate of Exceptional Education and have spent my career as an educator of exceptional students. Because of that role, I have extensive familiarity with regulations set by the State Board of Education and the Office of the State Superintendent of Education and have successfully adapted my teaching methodologies to ensure that ALL students are given an opportunity to reach their full potential.
Question 2 - What State Board of Education policies would you advocate? The State Board of Education is making educational improvements and I would continue to advocate for those policies. First, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) is developing a State Longitudinal Education Database (SLED) that can functionally improve the way collect, use, and examine student data. Second, DC has adopted the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics on July 22, 2010. Accordingly, this will ensure that all students, regardless of where they live, will have access to a high-quality education. Additionally, common standards of learning will provide a greater opportunity for leaders, principals and teachers to share best practices within the District to improve our ability to serve our students. Third, public and charter school enrollment has increased. If elected as a Ward 4 member, I will continue to advocate for the aforementioned with the addition of the following:
1) Promote rigorous, engaging and relevant curricula, activities, lessons and assessments in elective and other core courses in public and charter schools.
2) Use Race to the Top funds to recruit, develop, retain and recognize highly effective educators and leaders.
3) Enforce safe, productive, engaging and inclusive environments that promote meaningful teaching and learning. All students whether exceptional, culturally linguistically diverse, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (GLBTQ) youth deserve an engaging and safe learning environment that embraces diversity.
Question 3 - What are the major challengers to implementing the common core standards of learning? Some of the major challenges of implementing the Common Core Standards of Learning are:
1) Ensure that the standards and content are taught consistently across the District.
2) Provide professional development to allow educators to create and deliver meaningful, relevant, and engaging activities and assessments for our students.
3) Provide our leaders, educators, parents and students with adequate access to additional resources such as innovative technology and media.
Although these may emerge as challenges, generally the Common Core Standards will prepare students and educators for success. The standards are clear and focus on preparing students for post-secondary success whether they choose college, employment, training or independent living. As a former Special Education teacher, I know that this allows greater flexibility in teaching to the students' ability and needs. Additionally, educators can adjust the rigor of both content and the application of knowledge by using higher-order thinking skills to prepare our students for lifelong learning.
Questions 4 - Should high school students be required to have a semester of DC history and government? The CCSL are valuable in preparing our students for the future, whether students decide to go to college or focus on their careers. Yet, it is equally important to learn about our local history and government. For this reason, DC History and Government should be required for all students attending public schools in DC. Currently, the DC History and Government class is often taken during 12th grade and is one semester long. Most seniors enroll in US Government during the other semester before graduation.
There are many benefits of offering and requiring this course. First, adolescents build upon their identity by learning about their environments and who they are. Students have the opportunity to learn and describe:
1) the dramatic changes in the District, from its creation through the present, and causes and effects of these changes; 2) how the influx of immigrants from all over the world have made the city a multicultural center; 3) efforts to overcome discrimination in the public sphere, employment, housing, and education in the District;
4) explain the local and national effects of these efforts; and 5) identify key milestones and efforts that led to greater self-government and suffrage for Washington, DC residents.
Second, the aforementioned standards allow students to identify and understand people and societies; understand change and how our societies evolve to be the way they are today. Similar to other states, DC has its unique history and governance structure. Our curriculum should reflect the importance of this history and allow our students to relate and understand their identity based on the content.
Last, it is necessary that our students understand why DC is unique compared to other states. Topics such as urban expansion and challenges in the 20th-Century allow students to identify the important features of the city, including geography, L'Enfant's
(Response cut off as it exceeded the 300 word limit.)
Questions 5 - Is there a role for the State Board of Education in making charter schools accountable? Yes, there is a role for the SBOE in holding charter schools accountable, but it's a minor role given that they are governed by a board of trustees, and have legal status as a Local Education Agency (LEA) with all the rights and responsibilities of a school district. According to Friends of Choice in Urban Schools (FOCUS), public charter schools educate nearly 40% of all public school students in DC and are "subject to strict oversight by the DC Public Charter School Board (PCSB), whose board members are appointed by the Mayor. The PCSB approves charter applications, monitors charter schools, and may revoke the charters of schools that do not meet the terms of their charter." Additionally the School Reform Act of 1995 (DC's Charter school law) protects the public charter schools from legislative or regulatory incursions into their autonomy. This allows charter schools to have direct control over their administration, personnel, instructional methods, and expenditures. Given these provisions, the SBOE's only role is to ensure that charter schools have the resources to succeed and if the PCSB revokes a charter, the SBOE needs to support their decision too.
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