Late December 2020 PDF Newsletter
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Ruth in the Media
December 2017 HTML Newsletter
December 2017 The terrible, heartbreaking story about Ballou should remind all of us that when there is inadequate oversight of our educational institutions, the losers are our kids, especially those whose educational needs are the greatest and whose families have the least political power. According to the WAMU report, most of the Ballou students who …
A Memo to the DC Public Schools Chancellor
by Markus Batchelor and Ruth Wattenberg, Ward 8 and Ward 3 members of the DC State Board Of Education lead article in City Paper, Aug 3, 2017, For the full article, click here: Enough with the mandates and rosy data. Our recommendations for really raising student achievement. “Most people don’t realize it, but the high schools …
How mayoral control could work better…
Testimony of Ruth Wattenberg to The DC Council Education Committee Roundtable on School Reform, March 19 Thank you for having this important discussion. The argument for mayoral control is that greater, focused accountability leads to greater results. Well, if that was true, it wouldn’t have been a young reporter from WAMU who told us the truth …
Why we should change how we report PARCC scores: Innocent error shows how city test score reports can mislead…
Oct 17, 2017 Sometimes an unintentional and innocent error helps us see a bigger problem. This year, due to a coding error, all of the students at Deal Middle School were classified as “economically disadvantaged.” Test scores are notoriously correlated with family income, with students from lower income homes scoring below those from more affluent …
Wilson HS budget cut update (7/17)
Despite DC council vote to increase school funding and relieve staff cuts… Wilson HS still faces large staff cuts, with no apparent plan to restore them Email Mayor eom@dc.gov, Deputy Mayor for education dme@dc.gov, about unrelenting staff cuts at Wilson. cc:ruth4schools@yahoo.com. Details below; scroll down for City Council addresses. Also, scroll down for information on: …
Decoding Dyslexia DC–Feb 2 hearing
Chairman Mendelson & The DC City CouncilWant to Know: Are DCPS & Charter SchoolsDoing Right by Struggling Readers?
Old Hardy Update: April 7, 2019
Old Hardy Update, April 7, 2019 New estimate projects enrollment in Wilson Feeder schools will rise even more than previously predicted: by 2000 in 5 years, over 3000 in 10 years. In my last newsletter, I wrote about the new report prepared by DCPS, in cooperation with the Ward 3/Wilson Feeder Education Network, showing that most schools …
Ruth’s testimony on school budget and at-risk transparency, 6-26-19
Testimony of Ruth Wattenberg, June 26, 2016 Bills 23-0046 and 23-0239, on at-risk and school budget transparency Thank you Councilmembers for holding this important hearing. My name is Ruth Wattenberg, I am the Ward 3 member of the DC State Board of Education. Proper use and reporting of At Risk funds First and foremost, I …
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Mayor’s below-inflation budget proposal is unsustainable for our schools
Sign the Petition/Email City Council View this email in your browser @ruth4schools ruth4schools.com ruth4schools@yahoo.com Please Circulate Mayor’s below-inflation budget proposal is unsustainable for our schools Unless the City Council intervenes in a big way, our schools will be badly hurt by the Mayor’s proposed education budget. This will be the third straight year in which …
Mayor’s below-inflation budget proposal is unsustainable for our schools Read More »