2009-2010 School Opening Report
On August 24, 2009, 127 District of Columbia public schools opened their doors to children across the city—and our 2009-2010 school year was underway.
The first day of school marks the beginning of a new year of learning and growth for students, teachers, principals, staff, and for the school system itself.
It also marks an ending—the culmination of an intense and complex effort that results in the opening of schools. Nine months of planning, collaboration, execution, assessment, and further execution is undertaken by countless numbers of DCPS staff—in schools and at central office—as well as by staff at the multiple District agencies that serve our students.
All of this is so that teaching and learning can begin on day one of the new school year. DCPS students and their teachers deserve no less. DCPS should be held accountable for a successful and smooth school opening. And since accountability demands transparency, this report offers a real-time view of 2009-2010 school opening by providing the following:
- Description and timeline of the nine-month process that culminates in school opening
- System-wide data on essential elements of school opening—facilities, staffing, textbooks andsupplies, special education, and scheduling
- School-by-school data on each of these categories
- Our assessment of how we think we did in opening schools this year
- Our assessment of areas in which we believe we can do better in 2010-2011
For purposes of brevity and focus, this report does not include discussion of a number of elements important for a good school opening and school year such as:
- 3 days of orientation for principals and teachers on the new teaching and learning framework
- 25 full-time mentors to support the needs of our beginning teachers
- 186 coaches deployed in schools to support the needs of all teachers
- 11 professional development specialists ready to serve the needs of our coaches as well as offer the support necessary for all teachers to meet the high expectations outlined in the framework
- 5 completely renovated schools
- 5 schools with phase one modernizations completed
Download complete 2009-2010 School Readiness Report.
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