With enrollment growing in both DCPS and the city’s public charter schools, and with the number of students in charter schools almost as high as the number in DCPS, it is increasingly important for these two pillars of public education to work well together. However, the city still falls short when it comes to true planning and coordination between the two sectors. Too often, there are examples of how schools and communities are forced to compete over scarce resources instead of embracing joint strategies to build a better city-wide educational system
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The good news is, steps are being taken to tackle these systemic challenges. The Deputy Mayor for Education (DME) just launched a two-year effort to improve the city’s coordination between DC Public Schools and public charter schools by creating a Cross-Sector Collaboration Task Force. This group will focus on concrete strategies on a range of policy issues, including how to share best practices and data, coordinate school openings and closings, and promote student enrollment stability.
The Task Force will meet on a monthly basis, starting in January, and will wrap up in July 2017. It will be co-chaired by DME Jennie Niles and former Mayor Anthony Williams and includes 26 members from DCPS, the Public Charter School Board, other District agencies, parents, and community members.
All Task Force meetings will be open to the public, but DC residents can also participate in the process in other ways. Eight focus groups will be held in February to provide issue-specific input into various policy options and strategies being considered by the Task Force — you can sign up here. Other public engagement opportunities — such as community meetings and an online survey — are also being planned, but details are not yet finalized.
DCFPI looks forward to watching the progress of this work over the next two years. You can learn more about the DME Task Force here or with this FAQ sheet.
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