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7 Synthesis, Conclusions, and Recommendations
Pages 193-210

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From page 193...
... The D.C. Council recognized that the governance changes would not in themselves improve learning conditions and outcomes and therefore asked us to assess • whether the law's expectations have been met and whether the changes have led to improved coordination, efficiency, and accountability; • the extent to which the actions school leaders took were consistent with research and best practices; and • changes in the conditions for learning in the schools and outcomes for students 7 years after the governance change.
From page 194...
... Both agencies appear from our review to have implemented changes that show promise, such as a new teacher evaluation system (DCPS) and a new performance assessment system for the charter schools (PCSB)
From page 195...
... • Coordination among Education Agencies: PERAA was intended to facilitate coordination and efficiency among the new and old agen cies that govern public education. The law was not explicit about the lines of authority among the three education agencies that have responsibility across all public schools and students (OSSE, SBOE, DME)
From page 196...
... Public charter schools generally are not subject to guidance about how they educate their students and manage their schools, and indeed PERAA reiterates that D.C.'s public charter schools have this independence. Under this logic, each charter school (or its governing entity)
From page 197...
... The goals that have not yet been met -- regarding coordina tion and oversight -- point to two questions for the city to consider (1) whether the current oversight structure provides sufficient moni toring of the educational opportunities provided to students attending DCPS and charter schools throughout the city and (2)
From page 198...
... It was not possible to examine similar strategies for the charter sector because no programmatic strategies apply across all of them. Nor could we examine teacher quality for the charter sector because no agency has the responsibility of collecting systematic information about the educators in charter schools.
From page 199...
... The addition of a fifth effectiveness category in 2012 further complicates compari sons. Reports of trends in measured teacher effectiveness should clearly acknowledge these changes so that readers do not misinterpret the numbers.
From page 200...
... The city would benefit from maintaining data about teachers in both DCPS and the charter schools, including: • y  ears of experience, • y  ears with the school system, • t  ime in a specific school, • t  eaching assignments, • t  eacher attendance rates, • e  ducation level and highest degree earned, • a  rea of certification, and • a  n indicator of out-of-field teaching assignment(s)
From page 201...
... To meet this responsibility, the entity in charge will need to maintain and make publicly accessible data about students with particular needs, including those with disabilities, English-language learners, students in poverty, and other groups of concern; school climate, including discipline, attendance, safety, and facilities; and academic supports for learning. CONCLUSION 5-1  There is evidence of efforts to improve learning conditions in the city's public schools, but there is also evidence of notable disparities in students' educational experiences across student groups and wards.
From page 202...
... It should be presented in a way that allows comparisons over time and analysis of patterns for aggregated and disaggregated student groups, including students in DCPS and charter schools and students and schools across wards.
From page 203...
... Although we can document some of the changes that occurred over the past 7 years, we cannot determine the independent effects of PERAA on achievement and attainment. Changes in the demographic composition of D.C.'s public school students, the growth of the charter sector, differences in the programmatic choices made in DCPS and the individual charter schools, and many other changes that have occurred are intertwined with the changes brought by PERAA.
From page 204...
... The format should allow them to be analyzed by year, school, grade, racial and ethnic group, poverty status, and English-language learner and special education status, as well as by sector (charter and DCPS public schools)
From page 205...
... • D  CPS schools in the lowest income sections of the city have less access to teachers with high IMPACT ratings and advanced course work than other DCPS schools; there were no data available on this issue for the charter schools. • T  here are stark gaps in academic achievement and graduation rates across student groups.
From page 206...
... Our recommendation for a centralized data warehouse is more comprehensive than PERAA's specifications, and we believe that it should serve a broader purpose: it should not be used only for coordinating data across city agencies, but also for allowing the city to more effectively monitor all of its public schools and students. It will take time to build such a warehouse, but the city has made progress on which to build, and a good next step would be to develop a single source for more complete basic data, aggregated and disaggregated, for DCPS and charter schools and students.
From page 207...
... If the city does decide to have a single entity with responsibility across DCPS and the charter schools, it would be reasonable to consider transforming the Office of the State Superintendent of Education -- although it currently has a number of problems -- into that entity. At the same time, the city would benefit from having access to ongoing, independent evaluations of its progress.
From page 208...
... The next step is to address the major long-standing challenges in education in D.C., which have been highlighted once again in our study. RECOMMENDATION 3 The primary objective of the District of Columbia for its public schools should be to address the serious and persistent disparities in learning opportunities and academic progress across student groups and wards by attending to • c  entralized, systemwide monitoring and oversight of all public schools and their students, with particular attention to high-need student groups; • t  he fair distribution of educational resources across schools and wards; • o  ngoing assessment of how well strategies for improving teacher quality are meeting their goals; • m  ore effective collaboration among public agencies and with the private sector to encourage cross-sector problem solving for the city's schools; • a  ccessible, useful, and transparent data about D.C.
From page 209...
... SYNTHESIS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS 209 the objectives we have identified will require commitment and a concerted effort on the part of D.C.'s leaders and residents to clarify their goals as they build on the accomplishments made under PERAA. This is the path for lasting benefits to the city's public school students.


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