Different perspectives

Last time, I posted a link to an article that discussed an initiative at Dunbar High School in the District, called ninth grade academies, that dramatically helped their students achieve. The article asked why this initiative took so long, and when will the rest of the District follow suit.

Well, that has now happened. Because Dunbar's program was so successful, DCPS is now making ninth grade academies mandatory in every DC high school. 

As a result, this DC teacher, while working on the same initiative herself at her own school of her own volition, has brought up an interesting point about district-mandated policy changes. She claims the ninth grade academies as working well at Dunbar (and now her own school) because they were teacher-created, not administration-created. They work at Dunbar because those teachers know their students and could therefore craft policy around students whom they already serve.

However, Ms. Fuchs points out, ninth grade academies will only work if teachers are invested. Therefore the mandated policy from up on high is not a "magic pill." Not all schools are the same. Not all policies will work the same way at every school, even two in the same neighborhood.

In that vein, politicians may be beginning to understand that cookie-cutter policies do not work. This article clearly delineates the new federal education bill passed Friday. Besides the last two points, things definitely seem to be moving in the right direction. Finally.

Reforming schools in DC

This article discusses why a good idea should be instituted earlier. I agree.