Washington, DC--The DC State Board of Education (SBOE) will hold its monthly public working session on Wednesday, April 1, 2020 at 5pm. As the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak continues to spread globally, the State Board is taking the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of our members, staff, and public. Therefore, this meeting will be held as a video web conference.
Under the guidance of Mayor Bowser, both DC Public Schools (DCPS) and the District’s public charter schools will be closed until April 24, 2020. Click here for information on resources—including distance learning materials and where meal pickups are available for all students. For the latest information on the District Government’s response to COVID-19, please visit coronavirus.dc.gov.
The State Board is currently working to update the District’s statewide social studies standards. Following a social studies livestream chat with students and teachers, the Social Studies Committee will provide updates to its work and its partnership with the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). The State Board believes that revised and updated social studies standards should be culturally inclusive and anti-racist, impart important social studies content in the early grades, strengthen student knowledge of democratic principles and values, and promote civic engagement.
In order to continue to ensure student voice in the creation of the new standards, the State Board invites DCPS and public charter school students to pre-record a video of themselves discussing their thoughts and perspective on social studies in the District. The videos will be included as testimony during our virtual public meeting on Wednesday, April 22, 2020 and uploaded to the State Board’s YouTube site. Videos should be no longer than three (3) minutes and should be sent to [email protected] by Friday, April 17 at 5 p.m.
Topics that students may consider as they craft video testimony:
- Cultural relevancy of the current social studies standards
- Application of topics (e.g., checks and balances) which have been discussed in social studies/civics classes to the current civic landscape
- Relevancy of topics discussed in social studies/civics classes to topics discussed in other classes
- Social studies topics that interest and resonate with you
- Topics that should be changed, added, and/or removed from the current social studies standards
The State Board recognizes the importance of the 2020 US Census—which directly impacts federal funding for more than 100 programs and services, including hospitals, highway construction, and K–12 education. The responses to the 2020 US Census will be the basis for distributing more than $675 billion in federal funds to states and communities each year- for the next 10 years. Gathering information via the US Census is critical for schools, students, and younger children because of funding given to programs such as Head Start, special education, after-school programs, classroom technology, school lunch and food assistance program, and so much more. The State Board urges students and families to thoroughly and accurately complete 2020 US Census forms to ensure accurate representation and educational support for our communities.
The State Board will continue to review its equity statement which speaks to ensuring that every student, inclusive of race, religion, gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic standing, immigration status, and disability status, has the supports and resources to be successful in school.
While working sessions are open to the public, individuals and representatives of organizations are not permitted to speak or participate. Individuals and representatives of organizations may submit written testimony for consideration by the State Board at any time. Written testimony must be submitted by email ([email protected]) at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting, in order to be included in the official record. Materials received after that time will be included in the next official meeting record. To review the agenda and submitted testimony and presentations, please visit the SBOE meeting documents site.
Working Session Agenda
Please note that the agenda may be altered, modified, or updated without notice.
I. Call to Order
II. Announcement of a Quorum
III. Leadership Report
IV. Executive Director's Report
V. Ombudsman Quarterly Report
VI. Chief Student Advocate Quarterly Report
VII. COVID-19 Response
VIII. Census in Schools
IX. Equity Statement Discussion
X. Latinx Teachers Resolution
XI. Committee Reports
i. Student Advisory Committee
ii. Teacher Retention
iii. Social Studies Standards
iv. Well Rounded Education
v. Research
vi. Administrative
XII. New Business & Other Discussion
XIII. 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.
Contact: Milayo Olufemi
202-710-4641