(Washington, DC) -- The DC State Board of Education (SBOE) will hold its monthly public meeting on Wednesday, December 18, 2019, at 5 pm in Room 1114 at 441 4th Street NW. During this meeting, SBOE members will discuss barriers faced by homeless students and reading and dyslexia in schools.
Reading is a critical component of academic success, but many young people require additional assistance to develop this fundamental skill in early elementary school. According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities, students with learning disabilities are about ten percentage points behind their fellow classmates, are three times as likely to drop out of school and have higher rates of absenteeism and suspension.
The State Board will hear from a panel of experts on the teaching of reading and how educators are trained and certified to work with students on reading, particularly with certifications related to reading interventions.
A lack of stable housing and issues related to transportation to and from school are serious factors that can cause students to fall behind academically. Research shows that homeless students are more likely to lag behind their more-advantaged peers on standardized tests and other measures of student achievement.
About six percent (5,593) of traditional public and public charter school students in the District were homeless in 2018-19. According to a report issued by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), during the 2017-18 school year, 63% of District K-12 students experiencing homelessness lived with a friend or extended family member; 25% reported staying in shelters overnight, and 5% lived in motels.
The State Board will discuss the barriers homeless students face to receiving a high-quality education and will hear from a panel of homelessness advocates and educators that serve high populations of homeless students at their schools.
The full agenda for the meeting can be found below.
Public Meeting Agenda
Please note that the agenda may be altered, modified, or updated without notice.
- Call to Order
- Announcement of a Quorum
- Approval of the Agenda & Minutes
- Comments from the President of the D.C. State Board of Education
- Comments from the State Superintendent of Education
- Ceremonial Resolutions
- CR 19-22 DCIAA Championship
- Public Comment
- Reading & Dyslexia in District Schools
- Barriers Faced by Homeless Students
- Administrative Items (VOTE)
- 2020 State Board Calendar
- New Business
- Adjournment
About the SBOE
The DC State Board of Education is an independent agency within the Government of the District of Columbia that advises the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), the District’s state education agency. The State Board is comprised of nine elected representatives, each representing their respective wards, with one member representing DC at large, and two appointed student representatives. The State Board approves statewide education policies and sets academic standards, while OSSE oversees education within the District and manages federal education funding. More information about the SBOE can be found at sboe.dc.gov.