Educators and education experts discussed parental engagement, equity in education and teacher diversity, during a special breakfast session for the NNPA’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Public Awareness Campaign in Washington, D.C.
The session took place during the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s (NNPA) Black Press Week, an annual celebration of the relevance and lasting legacy of Black publishers.
Panelists included Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes; DNA Educational Solutions and Support CEO Dr. Robert L. Kirton Jr.; NAACP Washington Bureau Chief Hilary O. Shelton; Prince George’s County School Board Member Curtis Valentine; and Dr. Lannette Woodruff, an ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) taskforce member for the Office of the State Superintendent of Education in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Elizabeth Primas, the project manager for the NNPA’s ESSA Public Awareness Campaign, served as moderator for the session titled, “Striving for African American Excellence in Public Education: The Role of the Black Press” at the Dupont Circle Hotel in Washington, D.C. on Friday, March 16.
“I’m pretty fired up about education,” Rolark Barnes said of the current state of education in the Black community. “As we celebrate 191 years of the Black Press in America, it’s important to remember that the education of Black people is rooted in the Black Press and the Black Church.”
Rolark Barnes also reminded the audience that one of the founders of the Black Press, Samuel Cornish, graduated from the Free African School and became a minister, before he started the Freedom’s Journal.
Shelton noted that the Black Press has been the voice of the Black community for a very long time; the NAACP Washington bureau chief also said that education is the bridge over troubled waters.
Kirton recounted a false, yet familiar adage that suggested that “The best way to hide something from Black people is to put it in a book.” Kirton used the saying to shine a light on the paucity of high-quality education options in the Black community.
“I got into the [education] fight, because I want to make a difference,” Kirton said.
Valentine advocated for increased parental engagement in our schools at every level.
“We need policies that are more welcoming for our parents to come in,” Valentine said.
Woodruff agreed.
“We want programs in our schools, so that children understand what [parental engagement] is all about,” Woodruff said.
In 2017, the NNPA received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support a three-year, multi-media public awareness campaign focusing on the unique opportunities and challenges related to the implementation of ESSA, according to a press release about the campaign.
Under the ESSA, states have more flexibility under federal regulations to design customized solutions to improve elementary and secondary education in the nation’s public schools. The law also ensures that every child, regardless of race, income, background, or where they live can obtain a high-quality education; ESSA received bipartisan support and was signed into law by President Barack Obama on December 10, 2015.
The NNPA selected Primas, a decorated and award-winning educator, as program manager and she famously refers to all her students as her children.
“‘My children’” are all of the children in schools that have been underserved, undereducated, and for all intents and purposes, forgotten about,” Primas said.
Washington, DC – The DC State Board of Education (SBOE) will hold its next Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Task Force meeting on Tuesday, February 6, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. in Room 1117 at 441 4th Street NW. The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) will provide task force members with an overview of the content proposal for the ESSA school report card. Task force member Josh Boots, Executive Director of EmpowerK12, will present on the 2017 District Equity Reports. After the presentations, task force members will breakout into committee work related to leadership, academic rigor, school resources and funding equity, and school climate.
All task force meetings are open to the public. However, individuals and representatives of organizations are not permitted to speak or participate during task force sessions. District residents may stay involved and provide input throughout this process in a variety of ways. Individuals and representatives of organizations may submit written testimony or information for consideration by the task force by emailing sboe@dc.gov. The task force meeting will be streamed live via Periscope for those community members who are unable to attend in person.
On Wednesday, February 7, 2017, the SBOE will hold it monthly working session. The working session will be held at 5:00 p.m. in Room 1117 at 441 4th Street NW. Representatives from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) will present an Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) report card content proposal. The Office of the Ombudsman for Public Education and the Office of the Student Advocate will provide quarterly reports on their progress helping District families. Additionally, Board members will discuss the final Alvarez & Marsal Report released this week on DC Public Schools (DCPS) graduation and attendance outcomes. Read President William’s statement on the report here.
The public is welcome to attend the working session. However, individuals and representatives of organizations are not permitted to speak or participate during the working session. Individuals and representatives of organizations may submit written testimony for consideration by the SBOE. Written testimony may also be submitted by email at sboe@dc.gov.
The draft agenda for the working session is below. Please note that the agenda may be altered, modified or updated without notice.
I. Call to Order
II. Announcement of a Quorum
III. ESSA School Report Card Content Proposal
IV. Ombudsman Quarterly Report
V. Student Advocate Report
VI. Alvarez & Marsal Final Report Discussion
VII. Committee Updates
VIII.Executive Director’s Report
IX. Adjournment
The DC State Board of Education is an independent agency within DC government that advises the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), which is the District’s state education agency. The Board is comprised of nine elected representatives, each representing their respective wards, with one member representing DC at large, in addition to two student representatives. The Board is comprised of nine elected representatives, each representing their respective wards, and one member representing DC at large, and two student representatives. The Board approves education policies, sets academic standards, and determines teacher qualifications, while OSSE oversees education within the District and manages federal education funding. The SBOE’s role in the achievement of this mission engages families, students, educators, community members, elected officials and business leaders to play a vital role in preparing every child for college and/or career success. More information about the SBOE can be found at sboe.dc.gov.
