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District of Columbia

Rolling coverage of education issues in Washington, D.C.

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As Trump Shakes Up Oversight of Special Ed, Frustrated DC Parents Want Change

Linda Jacobson

Learning Loss Win-Win: High-Impact Tutoring in DC Boosts Attendance, Study Finds

Linda Jacobson

A High School for Dropouts: Goodwill Offers Adults a Second Chance at a Diploma

Greg Toppo

In and Out of Class, These Top Teachers ‘Thrive Off Connections’ With Students

Linda Jacobson

Hidden Figures Behind Student Funding in D.C., Maryland and Virginia

David J. Hoff

HBCU Leaders Decry Waves of Bomb Threats as Federal Investigators Probe Origin

Ariana Figueroa

From D.C., a Better Way to Hire Teachers

Lynn Olson & Thomas Toch

Literacy & COVID Learning Loss: How Teachers Can Help Kids Repair Reading Skills

The 74

COVID Learning Loss: Educators Talk Science of Reading & Closing Literacy Gaps

The 74

D.C.’s Missing Students and the Rush to Avert a COVID Classroom Crisis

Beth Hawkins

3 DC Charters Seek Greenlight to Keep Virtual Learning

Taylor Swaak

This Incredible Community Garden Is Growing Far More Than Food

Noah Robertson

How George Floyd's Murder Inspired a New Curriculum in My School

Riah Williams

Summer Waitlists: Amid COVID Precautions, Desperate Parents & Kids Left Stranded

Taylor Swaak

WATCH: How One School Uses House Calls to Keep Kids Learning During COVID

The 74

Early Look at Relief Funds Shows Districts Give Short Shrift to Learning Loss

Linda Jacobson

5 Key School Reopening Updates

Asher Lehrer-Small

D.C. Public Schools Won’t Lose Money This Year Despite Enrollment Loss; Experts Ask: Is That Enough For Post-COVID Recovery?

Taylor Swaak

Top Teacher Finalists Describe Leading During ‘Worst Year Ever’

Linda Jacobson

Alabama: How One District Looked for Ways to Ease Educator Workloads

The 74

Indianapolis: Turning to Bus Drivers to Keep Students on Track

The 74

Biden: $1.8 Trillion Agenda Offers Prospect of Birth to College Education

The 74

Relief Funds Fuel Efforts to Find Homeless Students

Linda Jacobson

Washington, DC Launched Free Internet Program For Students But Few Signed Up

Taylor Swaak

Opinion: Easier to See Racism in Police Brutality Than Segregated Schools

Conor P. Williams

Pandemic Causes ‘Huge Setbacks’ in State Pre-K Programs

Linda Jacobson

Texas Mom Mobilizes on Masks

Bekah McNeel

U.S. Schools Played Critical Role in 1950s Vaccine Trials

Harry McCracken

Court Documents Reveal How L.A. Teachers Union Gained Upper Hand in Pandemic Negotiations, Limiting Instruction Time

Linda Jacobson

Photo History: 52 Weeks of COVID & Schools, 52 Iconic Photos

The 74

Massachusetts: Inside the Study That Changed CDC’s Distancing Policy

The 74

Texas: A Spring Dilemma For Colleges — Time to Cancel Spring Break?

The 74

District of Columbia: How 2 Principals Restored Black Parents’ Trust

The 74

History: 10 Lessons in Learning Loss From Past Crises

The 74

D.C. Summer Jobs Program Will Pay Teens to Take Classes as City Combats Learning Loss

Taylor Swaak

Video Replay: What President Biden & Secretary Cardona Had to Say at March 24’s National Safe School Reopening Summit

The 74

Q&A — Learning Math Through Carpentry With ‘Wise Young Builders’: Founder Elijah Moses on Learning Pods, Exposing More Students to Trades & Post-Pandemic Schooling

Laura Fay

Analysis: Learning Loss Update — Districts Quiet on How They Plan to Help Students Recover From a Year of Continued Disruption

Sarah McCann & Bree Dusseault

Analysis: 10 Lessons from Past Educational Disruptions, and How They Can Help Students Make Up Lost Learning After COVID-19

Chad Aldeman

WATCH: How One School Is Using House Calls to Keep Kids Learning During the Pandemic

Jim Fields & Emmeline Zhao

1919 Data: Key Lessons in Learning Loss From the Spanish Flu

The 74

Ohio: Data Show Black Students Have Lost Half-Year of Learning

The 74

Texas: Universal Weekly COVID Tests Keep 200 Schools Open

The 74

Legos, Meditation, Video Field Trips: How One D.C. School Is Using Virtual Clubs to Help Students Break Through the Isolation — and Reconnect With Friends — During the Pandemic

Taylor Swaak

Bucking the Trend: How 2 D.C. Principals Restored Black Parents’ Trust in Returning Kids to the Classroom

Taylor Swaak

D.C.: More Schools Open But Many Black Parents Keep Kids Home

The 74

Analysis: What a Difference a Pandemic Makes — This Year, from School Choice to Teacher Pay to CTE, 48 State of the State Addresses Focus on COVID-19

The 74

One Year into Pandemic, Far Fewer Young Students are on Target to Learn How to Read, Tests Show

Linda Jacobson

Ohio: Alarming New Data Show Black Kids Have Lost Half-Year of Learning

The 74

South Carolina: Rural Libraries ‘Activate’ to Boost 3rd Grade Literacy

The 74

D.C.: Inside Biden’s $130 Billion Proposal For Schools, Teachers, Safety

The 74

Washington State: District Uses ‘Gifted’ Strategy to Boost All Students

The 74

Ohio: Can Pre-K Survive Pandemic? Programs Hope For Federal Funds

The 74

Special Ed: Feds Probe Lack of School Services For Special Needs Kids

The 74

District of Columbia: D.C. Council Disbands Education Committee

The 74

Minnesota: Inside the Fight to Reopen Minneapolis Schools

The 74

How a Diverse School District Is Using a Strategy Usually Reserved for ‘Gifted’ Students to Help Everyone Overcome COVID Learning Loss

Joy Resmovits

Aldeman: Lessons from Spanish Flu — Babies Born in 1919 Had Worse Educational, Life Outcomes Than Those Born Just Before or After. Could That Happen With COVID-19?

Chad Aldeman

As More DCPS Schools Open, Many Black Parents Keeping Kids Home

Taylor Swaak

Federal Probes into Lack of School Services for Special Needs Students Reflect Nearly a Year of Parental Anguish, Advocates Say

Jo Napolitano

As Schools Face ‘Crisis,’ D.C. Advocates Worry Disappearance of Dedicated Council Committee on Education Will Restrict Oversight

Taylor Swaak

Afterschool Survey: Participation Drops to Lowest Rate Since 2009

The 74

District of Columbia: City Sees Surge of Interest in Adult Education Programs

The 74

Testing: Cleveland’s Poorest Kids Avoided ‘COVID Slide’ on Tests

The 74

Student’s View: Why I Left a Top NYC Program for Homeschooling

The 74

Texas: Keeping Kids Fed During Pandemic Tests Limits of Bureaucracy

The 74

Analysis: U-Turn — Survey of 477 Districts Shows Surge in COVID-19 Cases Is Reversing Reopening Progress In America’s Schools

Betheny Gross, Alice Opalka & Padma Gundapaneni

Superintendents Call for ‘Faster Rollout’ of Vaccines; But Object to Delaying School Reopenings Until Children Get Shots

Linda Jacobson

Meet 2 Aspiring D.C. Public School Teachers in This College’s Inaugural Class of ‘Ready-to-Go’ Post-COVID Educators

Taylor Swaak

Analysis: What Does ‘Attendance’ Mean for Remote Learners in a Pandemic? How 106 Districts Are Dealing With Absenteeism, Student Engagement & Grades

Bree Dusseault & Alvin Makori

Alaska: Student Voice —Why Teachers Should Be Using Pass/Fail Grades

The 74

NYC Video: A School Reopens With No COVID Cases

The 74

Texas: A Racial Divide in Rushing Back to In-Person Learning

The 74

Extracurriculars: How to Preserve Student Engagement Without Activities?

The 74

Ohio: Budget Woes Threaten School Funding Overhaul

The 74

A ‘Plan B’: D.C. Sees Strong Interest in Adult Ed Programs During Pandemic as Many Seek Jobs or Help With Kids’ Virtual Learning

Taylor Swaak

New Data: College Enrollment for Low-Income High School Grads Plunged by 29% During the Pandemic

Richard Whitmire

Whether Learning is In-Person or Remote, Mental Health of Students Traumatized by COVID Can’t Be Ignored

Steaven Hamlin

New Data: Sharp Declines in Community College Enrollment Are Being Driven By Disappearing Male Students

Richard Whitmire

Photo Tour: Inside a Redesigned D.C. Elementary School, Partially Open For the First Time Since March

Taylor Swaak

Educator’s View: Embracing Remote Learning to Change How We Teach

The 74

NYC: Parents Vent Frustration & Fear With Closings

The 74

School Reopening ‘Churn’ Distracting District Leaders from Focusing on Improved Remote Education & Student Engagement, Researchers Find

Beth Hawkins

D.C. Public Schools Welcomes Hundreds to School Hoping to Expand After Thanksgiving; Advocates Ask that Safe, Clear Transportation Plans be Top of Mind

Taylor Swaak

Sign on, Zoom in, Drop Out: Pandemic Sparks Fears That Without Sports and Other Activities, Students Will Disengage from School

Greg Toppo

Four New Members to D.C. State Board of Education Appear Set; Will be Advisors on School Reopenings to Student Literacy as Pandemic Continues

Taylor Swaak

D.C. Sees Warning Signs Teachers are Considering Leaving Jobs Amid Weeks of Uncertainty, Stress Over How District Will Open Schools

Taylor Swaak

NYC: Former Principal Jamaal Bowman Elected to Congress

The 74

Louisiana: How New Orleans School Will Make Up Special Ed Losses

The 74

Texas: Families of Special Ed Students Eligible for $1,500 During Pandemic

The 74

District of Columbia: Free Internet Effort Struggles to Reach Families

The 74

Ohio: Voters Approve Cleveland Tax Increase to Avoid Pandemic Cuts

The 74

The Nation’s Aging Schools Must Improve Air Quality to Prevent Covid Transmission, Experts Say. But the Price Tag Can be Daunting

Wayne D’Orio

D.C. Public Schools Cancels In-Person Learning Plans Days Before Start, as Teacher Protests Grow and Staffing Questions Continue

Taylor Swaak

Study: Most Teachers Assigned Busy Work in Spring

The 74

Ohio: Low Test Turnout is Warning Sign for State Tests in Spring

The 74

Texas: Some Families Could Get $1500 in Aid

The 74

DC: Staff Have ‘No Idea’ If Buildings Are Safe

The 74

NYC: Teachers’ Ventilation Complaint Raises Complex Challenge

The 74

NYC Analysis: How to Avoid Needless COVID School Closings

The 74
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